Several ministers have criticised a ban on sexy outfits in conservative Kelantan, saying it was insulting to women and could damage race relations in the multicultural nation.

The fundamentalist Islamic opposition party PAS that rules Kelantan has introduced fines for women working in shops and restaurants who wear clothes such as mini-skirts, see-through blouses and tight trousers.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said she was appalled at the ban on skimpy clothing and that Kelantan authorities should instead focus on helping women progress in education and business.

"It is so disrespectful to the women there," she told The Star newspaper on Wednesday.

"The ruling makes it seem like women cannot decide for themselves what they should or should not wear and need the government to help them decide."

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said that the fines of RM500 ringgit, which apply to ethnic Chinese and Indian Malaysians as well as the majority Muslim Malays, could curtail individual freedom.

"We are already facing problems in terms of interpretation on what constitutes indecent dressing," the New Straits Times newspaper quoted him as saying.

"This will only create uneasiness and unhappiness among certain quarters or groups," Najib said, referring to race relations, are a perenially delicate issue in Malaysia.

A precious thing

However, the state's chief minister Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat defended the decision, saying it would help protect women's virtue.

"A woman who wears an indecent outfit does not respect herself, so how can she expect men to respect her," he told The Star .

"Why do people keep their money in wallets or purses instead of walking about with it openly?" he retorted yesterday.

"This is because cash is something precious, just like a woman's virtue."

He said there was no denying that men would be aroused by a scantily-dressed woman, as this was human nature.

"It is an Islamic ruling, so nobody should undermine or question it," said the PAS spiritual adviser.

MPs upset too

Meanwhile, Beh Lih Yi reports that a parliamentary caucus on gender equality comprising male and female MPs also joined in the fray to criticise the dress code ruling, saying the state should not have come up with such a ruling.

"The right to dress belongs to an individual. Why is the council making moral-related statements when they should be concentrating on policy issues?" the caucus head Dr Rozaidah Talib (BN-Ampang) told a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.

Describing the ruling as a step backward, another caucus member SK Devamany (BN-Cameron Highlands) pointed out the interpretation of morality was an ambiguous one.

Wong Nai Chee (BN-Kota Melaka) described statement made by the Kota Baru Municipal Council in justifying the dress code as "chauvinistic".

Kelantan is the only state to be ruled by PAS, while all other states and the national government are governed by Barisan Nasional, a multi-ethnic coalition led by Umno.