Wearing Malaysian batik on Thursdays is not only comfortable for government servants here, but it also helps liven up the atmosphere in the office.
A Bernama survey found that almost all federal and state civil servants wear batik shirts to their office today in compliance with the Service Circular on the Wearing of Malaysian Batik Attire During Working Hours for Federal Public Service Officers, dated Aug 21, 2023.
Perlis Information Department (JAPEN) assistant director Shameelawati Shaari, 41, said wearing batik garments is comfortable because they are made using fabrics such as mori, shantung, silk, and cotton that are suitable for the weather in this country.
“Most of them, particularly the hand-drawn batik have exclusive and one-of-a-kind designs and are of high quality,” she told Bernama here today.
She was also of the view that the wearing of Malaysian batik by civil servants would benefit the country’s batik industry.
Echoing the same sentiment, Sufian Kamarudin, 39, from the State JAPEN Warfare and Issue Management Unit, said the move could help uplift the local craft industry.
“I do not mind wearing batik because it is comfortable and its beautiful designs and colours can lift my mood,” he said.
He added that the batik shirts do not have to be expensive because what matters most is that they are comfortable and appropriate work attire.
Meanwhile, Norshita Abdullah, a secretary at the Perlis State Assembly Division Office, said she fully supported the effort, noting that she had worn batik shirts long before it became mandatory for civil servants.
She said that apart from contributing to small- and medium-scale industries that sell batik, more civil servants would learn to appreciate batik as an artwork of high artistic value.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency