PARLIAMENT Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai explained yesterday that the directive to a woman wearing a short skirt to wear a sarong before dealing with the Road Transport Department (JRTD) was given by a security guard, and not by the department’s officers.

“Based on our investigations, the guard feared she would not be able to carry out official dealings at the JPJ counters, so he gave her the sarong,” he said when winding up debate on the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) for his ministry in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

Liow said, however, that there were no instructions issued by JPJ that customers should be given a sarong if they did not meet its dress code.

“Based on the investigations conducted yesterday, action will be taken against the security guard,” he said.

The issue involving the woman went viral on social networking sites after she uploaded three photos relating to the incident on her Facebook page, which also attracted the attention of several members of Parliament, including Liang Teck Meng (BN-Simpang Renggam), who asked the ministry to review the dress code at government counters while debating the 11MP yesterday.

Elaborating further, Liow said JPJ was also subject to the dress code guidelines set for any government office under the ministry, as well as other departments.

On a separate issue, Liow, who is also Bentong MP, said the East Coast railway services which were affected by the floods will begin operating again before Hari Raya.

A company had been appointed through open tender for carrying out the repair works, he said.

On the proposed construction of a new airport in northern Malaysia, Liow said the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) was in the process of reviewing the possibility.

“Any decision to build a new airport in northern Malaysia is subject to the result of the feasibility study conducted,” he said.

- Bernama