Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman has clarified that the state will not impose a new dress code for female tourists.

According to a news alert by Sin Chew Daily , Ahmad Razif said an initial report on the matter by state news portal teganukita.my resulted from a misunderstanding.

The teganukita.my article said that the new policy was announced by state exco in charge of tourism Mohd Jidin Shafee yesterday.

"We will issue a notice and guideline before we take any legal action on women who dress publicly in revealing and arousing clothes," Mohd Jidin was quoted as saying.

However, the article was no longer accessible a few hours after it was posted.

The purported new guideline for female tourist follows the announcement of another controversial policy by the state to apprehend Muslim males who fail to fulfil their religious obligations on Friday and parade them atop a hearse.

Cabinet ministers should respond

In a related development, Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng has urged Tourism Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz to respond reports on the dress code.

Lim said Nazri must state if he agreed to this policy and if not, what will he do about it.

"I would also like to invite female cabinet ministers and deputy ministers to weigh-in on the matter and address tourists.

"I also urge the prime minister should step in on Terengganu's extremist religious policies.

"If this is not curbed, it could lead to a ban on the sale of undergarments in night markets and shopping centres and result in dress codes for female athletes," he said.

Lim said that personally, he believed that Terengganu's government is run by narrow-minded male chauvinists which should use their time on improving the livelihood of the population and expanding the tourism industry.