YOUTH and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh Tseow Suan found herself in the spotlight after her choice of attire, a headscarf or “selendang,” sparked controversy during a recent meeting at Monash University in Australia, where she was part of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s entourage.
The issue arose when Yeoh, attending an event at Al-Taqwa College, an Islamic school in Melbourne, where women were requested to cover their heads, found herself pressed for time before the subsequent meeting at Monash University. Explaining her decision to retain her headscarf, Yeoh clarified that she was running late and didn’t have time to redo her hair before the meeting with Monash University representatives.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Yeoh expressed her disappointment that a personal grooming choice had to be explained publicly.
“It was a simple decision and it grieves me that a decision based on my personal grooming preferences needs to be explained on my Facebook. As a woman, I also do not want to appear in media photos with my hair looking messy and unkempt. Please respect my choice,” she penned on her Facebook page yesterday (March 7).
This isn’t the first time Yeoh has faced criticism for wearing a headscarf. In 2021, she was chastised by party colleague Dr Boo Cheng Hau during a mosque visit, who accused her of attempting to “appease the Malays”.
Yeoh, a Christian, defended her choice, asserting that wearing a headscarf did not alter her beliefs.
Furthermore, Yeoh pointed out the importance of punctuality and protocol especially when accompanying the PM.
She explained that the change in the meeting’s timing left her with little choice but to keep her headscarf on to respect her Muslim friends’ traditions while prioritising punctuality for the meeting with Monash University and the PM.
“I wore the ‘selendang’ to respect my Muslim friends at their sacred places. I chose to keep my ‘selendang’ on because I didn’t want to be late for the meeting with Monash and our PM.
“Punctuality and protocol are very important to me.” – March 8, 2024
Main photo credit: Yeoh’s Facebook
