When we cast our minds back to the terrible days of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was no doubt that our nurses, doctors and other key frontline workers were the true heroes in the fight against the deadly virus.

The medical staff had to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) on top of their normal uniforms for several hours at a time whilst they treated patients in various hospitals.

The PPE was uncomfortable, restricted their movements, took ages to put on, and the staff were drenched in sweat and left with marks on their skin when they removed the PPE.

On June 15, when the PAS MP for Kuantan Wan Razali Wan Nor criticized women nurses’ uniforms for being too tight and revealing, he came across as a person who was out of touch with reality, who was ungrateful and extremely ignorant.

More importantly, Wan Razali showed that he was a misogynist, and although he may have complained about the women nurses’ attire, in reality he was attacking women in general.

This misogynistic tendency seems to be a common trait exhibited by PAS MPs, both men and women.

Wan Razali claimed that the uniform was not syariah-complaint, but is he aware that the nurses’ uniform would have been designed to specifications because it would have to satisfy certain criteria?

The design would have undergone several years of research and the end result would have been created with the wearers in mind.

The attack on what women wear is not the first time it has cropped up in parliament. Air stewardesses are often criticized by both male and female PAS MPs.

With six state elections due soon, the latest attack on women’s clothing could also be a case of political point-scoring.

The PAS MPs want to suggest to the Malay/Muslim community that they are more religious than their rivals. They want Malaysians to think that they are the only party that wants women to dress modestly.

There are many more topics worthy of discussion in parliament than nurses’ uniforms being considered too provocative.

PAS does not seem to be aware that in their attempts to reshape society, they have ended up looking like fools!

The uproar that Wan Razali generated with his ill-thought remarks must have taken him by surprise, when several professional groups including the Malaysian Medical Association criticized him.

He also had the audacity to question why Malaysia was following “Western standards.”

If that were the case, what would Wan Razali do if he were to fall seriously ill? Would he be satisfied with the services of a traditional healer such as bomoh, or better still Raja Bomoh?

Are PAS MPs unable to display better judgment and professionalism when debating a serious topic such as the Health White Paper in parliament?

The attacks on women and their clothing are not random acts because they have happened on numerous occasions in the past.

Why does PAS like to provoke and humiliate women in public? Is this an alarming sign that there is increased Islamization in the nation?

The vilification of nurses can be considered “hate crime” as it targets a specific group of the community.

If Wan Razali is short of ideas when debating the Health White Paper, perhaps he could be encouraged to discuss the worrying nurse shortage in the nation?

According to the International Council of Nurses, there is a projection that there will be a global shortage of 13 million nurses by 2030. The Southeast Asia region will face a shortfall of 1.9 million nurses.

We have always produced our own supply of nurses but many are enticed to work abroad with better work conditions, higher wages and attractive perks.

This has caused a shortage of nurses at home and has made an impact on the quality of service at home, which we can see from increased queues at emergency departments, overflowing patients at hospitals and delays in admission and emergency treatment.

As a result of the shortfall of nurses, the Minister of Health may recruit nurses from overseas to address this shortage. Isn’t this a more worthy topic for discussion than nurses’ uniforms being considered too provocative for certain men?

Another topic which Wan Razali could discuss is how Malaysians could practice a healthier lifestyle to help ease the burden of overcrowding at public hospitals.

Does the promotion of medical tourism worry Wan Razali? Do we really want our hospitals and medical personnel to preferentially treat fee-paying tourists who take advantage of our relatively cheap treatment?

The shortage is not just in medical staff but also in hospital beds at public hospitals. Surely these topics are more worthy of discussion than nurses’ uniforms.

Criticizing nurses for their figure-hugging uniforms so that they adopt attire which Wan Razali claims will be syariah-compliant is just another way of controlling women. It is another cheap political stunt.

Sources:

1. SEGi College: Bridging the nursing shortage gap
2. Malay Mail: Private hospitals urge new govt to address acute nursing shortage
3. Malaysiakini: Nurses’ uniforms too tight, not syariah-compliant: PN MP

(Mariam Mokhtar is a Freelance Writer.)