RECENTLY, a woman was issued a fine by the Kota Bharu City Council in Kelantan for wearing shorts covering only her behind.
People were confused by the decision to fine the clothes boutique owner since she was inside her own business premise.
Her adoptive father has instead stepped up and offered to settle her RM50 fine.
According to Sin Chew Daily’s report, the father, surnamed Xu, sat down at a meeting with the Kota Bharu City Council legal team together with the president of the Kelantan Chinese Assembly Hall and finally paid the fine on June 27.
Xu mentioned that several political parties approached him to help him defend his daughter’s rights in court, but he preferred to keep a low profile in this case and not make it into a big issue.
“I did not want this matter to become a political one, let alone become a hot topic for other’s consumption.
“I chose to just pay the fine and play my part as a law-abiding citizen,“ Xu said.
Xu also underlined the importance of clear guidelines to the city council of what is considered as immodest attire in the state, as he understands that Muslims and non-Muslims have “different ideas of modesty” and did not want a repeat of the episode.
“Due to this incident, I was labelled a racist by some people behind my back but I believe that this has nothing to do with race.
“I live in a Muslim-majority state. How could I not understand the importance of respect between races?” he added.
Meanwhile, a Facebook post by the Kota Bharu City Council clarified that the fine toward the clothing shop owner was issued according to the city council guidelines, not involving provocation and manipulation.
