Woman with a skirt ending 7cm below the knee barred from govt complex for 'indecent' dressing

Leni Fernandez, 43, was denied entry into the Wisma Persekutuan grounds in Johor Baru on Monday (May 9) after a security guard deemed her attire to be “provocative and indecent” despite wearing a long-sleeved below-the-knee dress.

JOHOR BARU: A woman whose dress extended to below her knees was denied entry at the Wisma Persekutuan complex here after a security guard deemed her attire as “provocative and indecent”.

Lawyer Norman Fernandez said his wife Leni, 43, was heading to the government complex canteen for lunch at around 1pm on Monday (May 9) when she was stopped from entering.

ALSO READ: When security guards do unnecessary moral policing

“My wife was wearing a long-sleeved dress that ended around 7cm below her knees, with closed-toed shoes yet the male security guard told her 'Pakaian awak menjolok mata dan tidak sopan’ (your attire is provocative and indecent).

“After that, Leni called me and I walked over from my office to learn more about the situation.

“The guard also insisted that non-Muslims should wear clothes that ended at the ankles or wear trousers at the very least.

“We found this quite bizarre as his job is to man the guard post, not assess people’s attire.

“I think he was just imposing his own beliefs and moral values on others in deciding what they should or should not wear,” Fernandez told The Star when met at the complex.

His wife, who works at his law firm, has been visiting the canteen within the government complex for lunch for years and never had such an encounter before this, he said.

Fernandez added they walked past the guard post after telling the security guard that he wanted to speak to his superior.

After more than an hour, no other security guards or officers came to speak to them, he said.

“We understand that visitors are required to dress appropriately when visiting government offices.

“As long as we are not wearing revealing sundresses or short pants, I think security guards should not expect everyone to conform to their idea of ‘appropriate dressing’,” he added.

When approached, the security guard declined to comment.

A check at the complex entrance found a sign disallowing entry to those wearing indecent and provocative clothing, salespersons and individuals who are paid to fill up forms.