Ahmad Razif said that rules to police tourists’ attire were unnecessary as there were already sufficient laws to ensure public modesty. ― Bernama picKUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Razif Abd Rahman denied that the state issued an Islamic dress code barring tourists from wearing revealing attire, claiming today he was surprised to hear that the story went viral.
He added that such rules to police tourists’ attire were unnecessary as there were already sufficient laws to ensure public modesty.
“I've already asked the exco chairman to explain the statement … The state government has never planned to issue dressing guidelines for tourists,” Ahmad Razif said as quoted by news portal Sin Chew Daily, referring to State Tourism and Cultural Affairs executive committee (exco) chairman Datuk Mohd Jidin Shafee.
"If someone dresses indecently, there are existing laws to deal with it, and the government does not intend to introduce new rules," he added in a separate story ran by English portal The Star Online.
The guideline that was specifically addressed to tourists were initially publicised in an article on the state government’s website, Teganukita, which has since been removed.
In a report earlier today, The Star quoted a source telling the newspaper that both men and women need not dress entirely according to Islamic requirements, but their attire must be “decent.”
Failure to comply will result in offenders being sent to “counselling”, it said.
The east coast state of Terengganu is almost entirely Malay-Muslim, with only a handful of other ethnic minorities residing there.
It is popular with tourists for the marine turtles that visit the state to nest, and for its beautiful beaches and islands such as Redang and Perhentian.
Terengganu recently made headlines, also for its enforcement of Islamic rules, when it announced that it will punish Friday prayer truancy by parading absentees in hearses to shame them.
As with neighbour Kelantan, Terengganu has hudud Islamic penal laws that are dormant due to constitutional barriers.
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