KUALA LUMPUR – Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh took a swipe at critics who questioned her for wearing a “selendang” (headscarf) at a meeting with Monash University in Australia, saying that Malaysia needs to work on promoting unity.
As part of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s delegation, she explained that before the scheduled meeting, she had participated in an event at Al-Taqwa College – an Islamic school in Melbourne – where women were requested to cover their heads, as she did.
However, the Monash meeting was moved up because the representative arrived early, and Yeoh, pressed for time, opted to retain her scarf.
“I wore the ‘selendang’ to respect my Muslim friends at their sacred places. I chose to keep my ‘selendang’ on because I didn’t want to be late for the meeting with Monash and our prime minister.
“Punctuality and protocol are very important to me.
“As a woman, I also do not want to appear in media photos with my hair looking messy and unkempt. Please respect my choice.
“It was a simple decision, and it grieves me that a decision based on my personal grooming preferences needs to be explained on my Facebook,” she said in a social media post yesterday.
Yeoh expressed that Malaysia needs to work on promoting unity.
“The expression of my faith discomforts some Muslims, while the expression of my tolerance frightens some non-Muslims,” she added.
Anwar was on a four-day official visit to Australia until March 7 (yesterday), following an invitation from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. – March 8, 2024