Dress code issue rears ugly head again

NO sooner had the furore over the incident of a woman being denied entry at a police station in Kajang died down, the same issue cropped up again, this time at a government hospital.

Turning away members of the public due to their attire is cause for great concern. Staff in the essential services must be made aware of their duties and responsibilities in tandem with the law, as there are respective Acts and standard operating procedures that must be followed when dealing with emergency situations.

These laws, regulations and SOP have been put in place to ensure that personnel serve and protect society in all situations of crisis without any form of prejudice.

The degree of assistance may differ according to the situation at hand. That is the only discretion allowed.

The focus must always be on the damage, injury, pain, loss or intimidation at hand and not the attire of the persons seeking assistance.

Incidents of turning away members of the public simply because they are not attired properly must be dealt with swiftly, as they can spur more little Napoleons to apply their own discretion according to their personal beliefs, likes and dislikes.

This can affect efficiency and productivity, which will result in victims suffering higher loss, injury or damages.

Time is always of the essence when it comes to situations like saving property, treating the sick or injured or gathering evidence.

Although there may be recourse in the courts for such inaction or undue delay, it will undoubtedly take time.

Good governance requires swift and firm administrative remedies to ensure that these incidents will not happen again.

G. SELVA

Ipoh