PUTRAJAYA: Making it compulsory for civil servants to wear Malaysian batik every Thursday will help promote the local batik industry, said Marianne Anak Miga who works at the Federal government’s administration centre.
Marianne, 33, who is attached to Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry’s (KPDN) Human Resources Management Division here, said the new ruling will actually make it easier for her to choose her work clothes while promoting the culture of wearing Malaysian batik.
“Wearing Malaysian batik clothing will not only make us aware of the difference between the batik in our own country and that of other countries, it will also help boost the local batik industry,“ said Marianne.
The Sarawak native said she will stitch baju kurang as well as blouses using batik from Sarawak which boasts ethnic motifs so that more colleagues from Peninsular Malaysia will be able to appreciate the uniqueness of Sarawak batik.
“I am always proud to wear batik clothing because this can identify us as Malaysians and this will surely raise my spirits ahead of this month’s National Day celebrations,“ she said.
A circular dated Aug 21, 2023 and signed by Public Services Department (PSD) director-general Datuk Dr Zulkapli Mohamed, said public officials are required to wear Malaysian batik clothing every Thursday and are also encouraged to wear it on other working days.
Meanwhile, Vinod Mathialakan, 34, said batik is part of Malaysian identity and he is always proud to wear it.
“It does not matter what race is wearing the batik clothing as it is our image as Malaysians,“ said Vinod, who is attached to KPDN’s Corporate Communications Unit.
“It’s a good move (making it compulsory to wear Malaysian batik clothing) because some people are also confused between Malaysian and other country’s batik. So with this initiative, we can give our people exposure about our own heritage and culture,“ he added. -Bernama
