The adoptive father of a 35-year-old woman in Kelantan who was issued a compound notice for wearing shorts in her own boutique has settled the fine for his daughter, New Straits Times (NST) reported.
Paid the fine
The 51-year-old, who goes by Sunny See Yeap Seng, paid for the compound at the Kota Baru Municipal Council (MPKB) office on Wednesday (Jun. 28), three days after it was issued.
He was accompanied by The Kelantan Chinese Association Federation president Datuk Oie Poh Choon.
According to Sin Chew, the fine cost RM50 (S$14.50).
See said that after the incident went viral online, many people from various political parties contacted him and said they could represent him and his daughter in court to defend their rights.
“Many people care about this matter, but I don’t want this matter to become a political weapon for others…so I choose to pay the fine and be a law-abiding citizen,” See said, as quoted by Sin Chew.
“After the matter went viral on social media for three days, everything is resolved today. I hope people will stop debating [about this] topic,” he said, NST reported.
However, See also wants to MPKB to understand that Muslims and non-Muslims have different perspectives and definitions of being ‘modestly dressed’.
According to See, MPKB promised to issue clear (dressing) guidelines to non-Muslim license holders.
What happened
A 35-year-old businesswoman in Kelantan, Malaysia, was issued a compound notice for wearing shorts in her boutique during a check by the MPKB on Jun. 25.
The notice said the business owner “dressed inappropriately in a t-shirt and short shorts.”
MPKB’s president Rosnazli Amin told local media that the woman had committed an offence under section 34(2)(b) of the Malaysian Business and Industrial Trade By-Laws 2019.
The by-law states that non-Muslim business owners and their non-Muslim employees must wear “decent” clothes within the premises, although without specifying what constitutes decent clothing, Sin Chew Daily reported.
The incident led the MPKB to receive some criticism from several Malaysian political leaders like the Bersatu Legal and Constitution Bureau deputy chairman Sasha Lyna Latif and Minister of Housing and Local Government Nga Kor Ming.
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Top image via Sin Chew.
