The uniforms of air stewardesses for AirAsia and Firefly could arouse passengers as they are ‘too revealing’, according to a Malaysia senator.
Senator Abdullah Mat Yasim said the ‘eye-catching outfits’ did not portray Malaysia’s Islamic roots.
The comments were made yesterday in the Dewan Negara, which is the upper house of the Parliament of Malaysia.
‘Eye-catching outfits’: AirAsia has come under fire from senators in Malaysia for being too provocative
Senator Hanafi Mamat suggested that air stewardesses should wear shariah-compliant clothing, which would show Malaysia is a Muslim country
He added that ‘The Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) must really look into this’, according to New Straits Times.
The senator is of the Umno political party, which is currently in power.
Abdullah’s comments were met with agreement by fellow senator, Megat Zulkarnain Omardin, who is the General Secretary of the Malaysian National Silat Federation.
He felt that Malaysia airline Malindo also dressed their air stewardesses too provocatively. ‘My wife is worried whenever I fly alone on Malindo or AirAsia.
‘This is a real hassle for me.’
However, Abdullah disagreed that Malaysian aircarrier, Malindo, provided their air stewardesses with inappropriate uniforms.
‘Too revealing’: Senator Abdullah Mat Yasim said the outfits of air stewardesses on AirAsia and Firefly were inappropriate
He said the outfits were suitable because the ‘sensitive areas’ were not visible. He did not clarify what the ‘sensitive areas’ were.
The Dewan Negara (Malaysian Parliament) deputy president Abdul Halim Abd Samad felt the issue was an important one.
He said: ‘This is a good topic that many people can relate to as they always take flights.’
The comments come soon after Senator Hanafi Mamat suggested that air stewardesses should wear shariah-compliant clothing.
According to Channel News Asia, he said: ‘We are proud that Malaysia is an Islamic country with its own cultural identity, but when our flight stewardesses dress sexily and disrespectfully, this will give tourists who use the services of our national carriers the wrong impression.
‘The time has come for the government to provide new uniform guidelines which will portray Malaysia as a Muslim country with strong Eastern values.’