“WE live in the tropics and some flexibility would be appreciated.”
That seemed to be the sentiment of a disgruntled 57-year-old Labuan resident. Grumbling about the current heatwave engulfing the nation, Harold Lim was non-plussed to be told to be appropriately dressed the next time he visited the Road Transport Department (JPJ).
Dressed in shorts and sandals to combat the heat, Lim had visited the Labuan JPJ office to renew his driver’s license on March 25. He was not denied entry nor was he denied service but was apparently curtly told to dress better by a member of staff.
“I’ve been in and out of JPJ office many times for various reasons before and never encountered such moral enforcement,” explained the confused equatorial resident in a Facebook post by Daily Express Malaysia.
“Due to blistering hot weather, I was wearing decent shorts. I fail to understand the rule being applied without discretion.”
The unhappy incident has garnered 1.3K likes, 1.5K comments and 213 shares at time of writing, denoting that hemlines and short pants continue to fascinate Malaysians.
One commenter chided that Lim appeared to be dressed for a “pasar ikan” (fish market).
This sentiment was echoed by some commenters who contended that Lim’s tardiness was a reflection of his personality. It didn’t take much to put on a pair of sneakers and jeans.
After all, the disgruntled Lim was told he should be setting a better example for youngsters to emulate instead of making a mountain out of a molehill.
However, there were those who sympathised with Lim, agreeing that some leeway could be made for the current hot weather.
Noting that “civil servants are meant to serve, not police how the public dresses”, one commenter also saw nothing wrong with Lim’s “casual” attire, highlighting that it was not like he was wearing “speedos”.
There was even one commenter who insinuated that it would be fine so long as one is decently (as opposed to scantly) dressed up.
It was also succinctly pointed out that the rakyat pay salaries of civil servants. In other words, customer is always right.
However, some begged to differ, pointing out that these were simple rules that are not difficult to follow. “Show some respect for there’re protocols and guidelines to be adhered” was the loud message here.
This episode follows the incident in Melaka in December last year when a lady was made to change before being allowed into a police station to lodge a report over a traffic incident.
This led to much outrage with the Madani administration declaring that the dress codes should be relaxed, especially in emergency situations and unusual situations.
It was emphasised that no citizen should be denied access to emergency services such as the police because of a hemline. That, however, are in emergency scenarios.
Is it that big a deal for Malaysians to wear shoes and long pants when conducting official business? Or should some leeway be made for the sweltering heat? Perhaps Lim has found the answer. – April 2, 2026
