The umbrella body for civil service unions said asking people to be decently attired when visiting government offices is a reasonable request which no political party should politicise.

Cuepacs president Adnan Mat urged Ngeh and others not to play up the issue when Malaysians were generally able to dress up decently when in government offices, with a few exceptions.

“Here, it is unfair for him (Ngeh) to give an example of a farmer wearing shorts, Orang Asli in their traditional attire or the poor who do not have enough money to buy decent clothing in questioning the rule.

“We are confident that Malaysians accept the standard dressing etiquette and would not go against it on purpose.

“The examples given by Ngeh have insulted the groups he has mentioned as they are all ‘cultured people’,” he said in a statement today.

At the same time, Adnan said civil servants should also use their discretion to assess the situation before denying anyone services for reasons such as this.

Yesterday, Ngeh urged the government to act against department heads for denying service to the public who needed their service due to the strict dress code.

He claimed there are no laws giving powers to government officers to prescribe attire for those seeking services at government offices.

Government offices typically ban open-toed footwear, T-shirts and “revealing” outfits, with recent reports showing people being turned away for not meeting the dress code.