IT is an irony that when DAP deputy chairman Nga Kor Ming abstained from donning the baju Melayu and songkok in his recent Hari Raya greeting after having courted rightists’ brickbats in his “Selamat Berpuasa” greeting a month earlier, his exuberance has somehow rubbed off on his party comrade Howard Lee Chuan How.
Set against the backdrop of DAP seen siding land-grabbers in the illegal temple controversy, thus an obvious ploy by the Opposition to undermine the Madani government, little wonder that the Ipoh Timur MP’s physical appearance was likened to another “wayang Lee Kuan Yew (LKY)”.
The typical mocking ranges from calls to Malay Muslims “not to be deceived by a fox in henhouse” to “DAP riding on Islam”, “tell-tale sign that general election is near” and “has YB converted to Islam”, among others.
Thankfully, Madani backers came to Lee’s rescue that even PAS top brass donned samfu – a traditional two-piece Chinese outfit consisting of a top and trousers – in their recent Chinese New Year greeting, “henceforth, aren’t they not putting up a charade?”
One even pointed to the fact that the former two-term Pasir Pinji state assemblyman who is deemed fluent in the Perakian Malay dialect being not alone given MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan, too, appeared in a similar songkok–baju Melayu pose for his Hari Raya greeting.
Double standards
To go a step further, even Gerakan president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai donned baju Melayu and songkok when showing up at Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s open house.
Deservingly, Madani backers gave the Opposition faction a taste of their own medicine by reminding the latter of “the history of Singapore (when the late LKY wore a songkok in Malay villages when campaigning during election in the 1960s).
Or how they “they threw insults at (Federal Territories Minister) Hannah Yeoh for putting on a selendang (shawl)” during a charitable Ramadan programme event in a mosque.
No doubt Malaysia boasts both culinary and cultural diversities but weighing the pros and cons, perhaps DAP should consider a dress code to ensure its leaders present themselves in a neutral or non-religiously sensitive garb – notably batik – for this would mean one less bullet for the Opposition fraternity to attack the party.
The exception could be for making courtesy call on the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA), taking parliamentary oath in the Istana Negara, opening ceremony of the Dewan Rakyat or state assemblies where Malay rulers or the Agong is present.
But whether this dress code idea is good enough can be subjective for Nga who is also the Housing and Local Government Minister still came under attack by detractors despite not donning a baju Melayu, samping and songkok. – March 23, 2026
