IF clothes maketh the man, what are we to make of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s puzzle of a shirt, pictured during his handshake with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Tokyo?
Oversized and abstract in design, was it meant to distract? It looks great for a casual outing to the mall with “Keluarga Malaysia” or for high-tea at a breezy beach hotel.
The meeting between prime ministers of close and cordial neighbours, though billed as relaxed, should still warrant a more suitable attire. After all, it was on the sidelines of a conference to discuss weighty subjects of political and economic issues in the region.
Ismail Sabri’s whimsical threads could not be more contrasting to Lee’s dark suit over a long-sleeved shirt, which exuded business-like confidence.
In the politics of optics, the image framed by our PM is as Mr Relaxed…. and PM Lee as Mr Serious!
Ismail’s choice of attire has amused the public on previous public appearances. Recall when serving as senior minister, he briefed the nation on the COVID-19 situation on national television almost daily draped in a dizzying, dazzling array of outfits in every design and colour imaginable.
A handful defied imagination, bordering on psychedelic!
The parade of, at times, outlandish collections from his wardrobe provided much-needed comic relief from the serious and dire data he spewed on the pandemic ravaging the country then.
There were memes on social media (Malaysian netizens are so creative) comparing his shirts to multicoloured traditional layered cakes. Back then, talk was the outfits were creations of his fashion designer son-in-law. Power to “Keluarga PM”!
But his latest choice of motif, which looked like an oversized tonsil, suspended tennis balls or part of a jigsaw puzzle, is reportedly from a renowned fashion label. If the design raised eyebrows, the price tag of US$1,130 made many jaws drop.
Care to promote local craft?
As PM on a foreign visit, the least he could do was to showcase local designers and traditional crafts. Be proud of homegrown products and talent instead of splurging our sliding ringgit and much-needed foreign exchange on a foreign brand.
As laudable as his courageous and patriotic efforts to lift the status of Bahasa Melayu on the international stage and fight to make it Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) lingua franca, we wish Ismail Sabri will put equal thought and action into spreading the word about Malaysian products, starting with fashion.
That may go some way to save our foreign exchange and boost struggling industries. – May 28, 2022
Eric Lim is a contributor to Focus Malaysia.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
