Batik – Malaysia Civil Servants

From : The Star News Paper – http://www.thestar.com.my

Thursday is batik day

BY MAZWIN NIK ANIS and M. KRISHNAMOORTHY

newsdesk@thestar.com.my

PUTRAJAYA: Civil servants will now have to wear colourful batik attire every Thursday from tomorrow instead of having to wear them only twice a month.

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan said a circular on the sartorial code, signed by Public Services Department director-general Tan Sri Ismail Adam, was issued yesterday.

He said that apart from wanting to give Malaysian batik a boost by getting civil servants to wear it more often, the decision to have civil servants wear batik garments on Thursdays was “to make it easy for them to remember as to when they should put on their batik shirts”.

“We will see more civil servants wearing batik from now on and it will have to be Malaysian batik, of course,” he told reporters after closing a seminar on public delivery systems yesterday.

Sidek said that previously, the practice was for civil servants to wear batik to work on Saturdays and this was later changed to every first and 15th day of the month, beginning June 2005.

He said it was not practical for Fridays to be made “batik day” because many people, particularly men, would want to don traditional garments.

The idea of promoting Malaysian batik was first mooted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s late wife Datin Paduka Seri Endon Mahmood.

At the launch of the Malaysia Batik Week in 2004, she emphasised the need for everyone to wear batik and not just civil servants.

True to Endon’s call, Abdullah has not only worn Malaysian batik frequently but has also promoted the Malaysian batik identity at international forums and conventions.

Cuepacs president Omar Osman welcomed the Government’s move to make batik the official attire every Thursday.

“We support the idea to create an original Malaysian identity through batik. I hope that the various departments and government agencies will create their own design,” Omar said. “The departments must provide them to the employees as batik attire will be our uniform every Thursday.”

On another matter, Sidek said Cuepacs’ request for the Government to pay honorarium in lieu of bonus for civil servants had not been discussed yet. He said he was waiting for the most “appropriate time” to meet with Abdullah on the issue.

Batik – Putrajaya

Dipetik dari Harian Metro

Wajib pakai batik

Oleh Kamarulzaman Pid
amar@hmetro.com.my
PUTRAJAYA: Bermula esok, kira-kira sejuta kakitangan awam di seluruh negara diwajibkan memakai pakaian batik Malaysia selaras dengan surat pekeliling yang dikeluarkan Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA), semalam.

Keputusan kerajaan itu meminda arahan yang dikeluarkan pada 30 Jun 2005 lalu iaitu pemakaian batik Malaysia bagi kakitangan awam ditetapkan pada hari pertama dan ke-15 setiap bulan.

Pindaan itu juga membabitkan hari pemakaian fesyen pakaian batik Malaysia bagi kakitangan lelaki.

Ketua Setiausaha Negara, Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan, berkata keputusan kerajaan itu dibuat dalam usaha menyokong perkembangan dan pembangunan industri batik negara yang menjadi warisan dan identiti bangsa.

“Pemakaian batik oleh kakitangan awam terutamanya batik Malaysia dapat meningkatkan permintaan terhadap batik tempatan dan membangunkan perusahaan batik tempatan.“Keputusan kerajaan berkenaan adalah selaras dengan kedudukan batik sebagai warisan negara yang perlu terus dipertahankan sebagai identiti Malaysia,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian pada sidang media selepas merasmikan Seminar Penilaian Keberkesanan Pelaksanaan Inisiatif Baru Mempertingkatkan Penyampaian Perkhidmatan Kerajaan – Penambahbaikan Urusan Cadangan Pemajuan serta Penyelenggaran dan Pengurusan Hartanah di Pusat Konvensyen Antarabangsa Putrajaya (PICC) di sini, semalam.

Hadir sama Ketua Pengarah JPA, Tan Sri Ismail Adam; Ketua Setiausaha Perbendaharaan, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Abdullah serta Ketua Setiausaha Kementerian Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan (KPKT), Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail.

Mohd Sidek berkata, makluman mengenai arahan itu sudah dibuat menerusi Surat Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bilangan 1 Tahun 2008 yang dikeluarkan menerusi laman rasmi JPA, mulai semalam.

“Bagaimanapun, arahan ini tidak terpakai kepada pegawai kerajaan yang dibekalkan dengan pakaian seragam; pegawai yang menghadiri acara rasmi seperti persidangan antarabangsa atau perjumpaan dengan pelawat asing atau sesuatu majlis yang menetapkan pemakaian pakaian lain,” katanya.