Malaysia’s new government certainly is proving to be a breath of fresh air, after Transport Minister Anthony Loke told PAS (a conservative Islamist party) lawmakers he was having none of their nonsense over cabin crew uniforms.
Replying to Abdullah Mat Nawi, a PAS MP who wondered whether Malaysian flight attendant uniforms were too revealing and “sexy,” Loke told him to “look away.”
And with that, a mic dropped in the Dewan Rakyat that rattled and reverbed across the entire country.
The PAS rep had previously told Parliament that American flight attendants were far more conservative and that many wore trousers as their uniform.
This is not the first time that taxpayer time has been used to debate the ins and outs-slash-buttons and zippers of what Malaysian cabin crew wear. Last year saw two separate PAS senators brought up the subject, albeit onto largely deaf ears.
Loke’s swift rebuttal was a welcome clapback for social media users: It’s safe to say that Malaysians are fed up with public discourse being occupied by innocuous cabin crew uniforms when there are 11-year-olds getting married to middle-aged men out there. Just us?
For your reference, here are the various uniforms worn by Malaysian carriers:
Loke told lawmakers that as long as uniforms complied with safety, and corporate guidelines, the government had no problem. They also took no issue if staff wore the hijab, and added that the baju kebaya worn by Malaysian Airlines cabin crew was particularly iconic to Malaysia’s identity, especially to foreign travelers.
Great. Now that we’ve cleared that up – any word from PAS on the child marriage reform issue?
