When visiting a government office, many Malaysians are reminded to abide by the rules and dress appropriately – meaning no short pants or sleeveless shirts. However, netizens are now calling out the National Sports Council (NSC) for allegedly having double standards on this rule for foreign visitors.
Twitter user @/Pulotutui recently shared a screenshot of a post from the official NSC Instagram account. The photo shows NSC’s director-general, Abdul Rashid, meeting with several guests, including two foreign nationals, one of whom is Megan Oesting, the technical director of the Malaysia Swimming Federation (MAS). However, both guests shockingly wore shorts to the government office while one of them dressed in a loose tank top.
The image led to the Twitter user scoffing at the two foreign guests’ lack of clothing etiquette. He also called out the government body and Minister of Youth and Sports of Malaysia, Hannah Yeoh, for not upholding the rule of proper etiquette towards foreign guests because of their ethnicity.
Many netizens have also reacted to the post, sharing the same sentiments. They lamented that many Malaysians could not enter government offices due to their clothing, so it’s unfair for a government body to be so lax towards foreign, specifically Caucasian, guests. Some also criticised the guests for not dressing appropriately during an official visit, saying it was disrespectful towards the government.
Many netizens have also tagged Hannah Yeoh, hoping for a comment from her regarding this issue. A look into the National Sports Council’s Instagram page shows that the post is still available for viewing on the account. However, the specific photo shared by the Twitter user has been deleted. The comment section has also been closed off, perhaps due to criticisms.
We hope this issue will remind foreign nationals to be more considerate and abide by the rules when visiting a government office. At the same time, we hope government officials will be more strict towards foreign guests who aren’t following proper etiquette.
