Kuala lumpur: Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul has advised Members of Parliament (MPs) to refrain from raising trivial matters during parliamentary sessions, provided these do not contravene the Standing Orders of the House. He made this statement following concerns raised by Kulai MP and Deputy Minister of Communications, Teo Nie Ching, about opposition MPs questioning the attire of female parliamentarians during Dewan Rakyat sittings.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Teo highlighted an incident from last Monday where Datuk Rosol Wahid (PN-Hulu Terengganu) criticised Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said’s attire for lacking a collar during the tabling of the Legal Aid and Public Defence Bill 2025 for the second reading. Johari, while presiding over the debate on the Registration of Persons (Amendment) Bill 2025, remarked that such trivial matters, as long as they do not violate the Standing Orders, should not be brought up.

Teo pointed out that according to Standing Order 41(F), female MPs are required to wear either national dress, a sarong or a skirt of at least knee-length, and a long-sleeve blouse. The order does not specify anything about collars. She further commented on her own attire, saying, ‘Today, I am wearing a V-neck blouse. So, I call on the Speaker…to please advise the male MPs sitting there (in the opposition) not to teach or lecture women on how we should dress.’