Adam Adli’s smart casual attire at work raises eyebrows

 

Adam Adli broke the customary dress code for senior government officials by discarding the usual jacket-and-tie attire.

PETALING JAYA: The working attire that deputy youth and sports minister Adam Adli chose to wear on his first day at work has raised quite a few eyebrows as it broke with past tradition.

The former youth activist, who is with PKR now, was seen wearing smart casual attire by donning long pants with a shirt with sleeves folded, sans the usual suit and tie worn by his predecessors.

He was surrounded by his officers, who were wearing jackets and ties, when clocking in and during the press conference.

While some netizens hailed him for his down-to-earth dressing, others were wondering if this would last as the customary code for senior government officials has always been a complete suit with a tie.

One of them commented that this was a welcome change as his simple dressing would make him much more approachable as the full official attire can be intimidating for the simple folks.

“Way to go and a great down-to-earth beginning for Adam! This is a welcome change just like Cabinet ministers are not wearing ties any more,” said a FB user.

Another commentator reminded him that dressing down was not enough but that he should prove his worth in his work.

One FB user, in a lighter vein, said Adam should make sure that the new unity government writes off all National Higher Education Fund Board (PTPTN) loans, which was more important than wearing simple clothes.

Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid described Adam’s appearance as “interesting” as he seemed to be sending a message that performance was more important than style.

“We certainly hope that he is focused more on substance than form, especially since he joined politics after being involved in grassroots student movements,” he told FMT.

Fauzi said most Malaysians would accept the fact that although the deputy minister chose to go against the norm in his dressing, he appeared to be neat and tidy.

He said the drawback was that once someone got used to informal clothing, it would take some effort to don more formal apparel under different circumstances, like when attending official functions with foreign dignitaries.

“As a young man, Adam should be able to adapt himself, I believe. Being flexible is the key.”

Fauzi said Adam’s movements had also become interesting to watch as during his student days at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, he had often encountered problems with security officials.

“Now, they will be escorting him during official functions!” - FMT