ACCORDING to the Cambridge Dictionary, the expression ‘holier-than-thou’ is used in a disapproving way to show that a person judges others while viewing themselves as faultless or pure.
They believe their values and choices make them a better person than those who disagree.
That is seemingly the tone of Threader Zaha (@zasaha27) in a recent post surrounding slipping of moral standards among female presenters on national public broadcaster Radio Televisyen Malaysia a.k.a. RTM.
Expressing disapproval that the national broadcaster seems to have normalised the trend of female presenters appearing sans hijab (head coverings), this ultra-conservative netizen asked what has become of the dress code at the news and entertainment provider.
As if trying to attract the spotlight on her ultra-pious content, this publicity-seeking netizen even tagged popular independent preacher Ustazah Asma’ Harun with the hope that the latter’s response would viral the Threader and her non-topic.
Making her feeling abundantly clear, this put-off TV viewer did not want such unhealthy trends to be normalised as they run afoul with local culture and the sanctity of Islam.
However, quite a few netizens took a completely different perspective from the poster, insisting that “Malaysia is NOT an extremist Taliban state”.
To don a hijab or not was a matter of individual choice. One miffed netizen simply invited the poster to move to Afghanistan.
Expressing shock, one commenter wondered if this was the very first time the poster was tuning into RTM? It was insinuated by a few others that this was more mischief making from cybertroopers. Either that or she must have been born yesterday.
It was also quite rightly pointed out that the lady presenter in the image appended was decently attired with below knee hemline and professional-looking blazer. Just what sort of dress code was this poster demanding?
Highlighting this as a non-issue, some commenters advised that there were other channels, ie TV AlHijrah where the presenters were always covered and she was free to tune into those.
On the other hand, RTM as the national broadcaster should carry content reflective of its melting pot populace countered one patriotic poster. “Get a life” was the putdown from this unimpressed Malaysian.
Indeed, that diversity and multi-culturalism was highlighted by another commenter who pointed out that non-Muslim presenters such as Margaret Gambang and Hazel Desmond who went tudung-less and wore short skirts have been around since the 33-month Perikatan Nasional (PN)/Barisan Nasional (BN) backdoor government rule.
Why is the poster kicking up a fuss now?
Furthermore, the dress code seems normal and akin to those in private offices or government departments though this commenter mistakenly lumps Doha, Qatar-based major international news entity Al Jazeera as a broadcaster with a draconian dress code.
The poster’s attempt at drumming up publicity by tagging popular preacher Ustazah Asma’ Harun was also given short shrift. “Clapping for oneself” were among the sarcastic remarks hurled at this thick-skinned attention seeker.
It was also highlighted that the so-called “free hair” was most likely sponsored, thus making it quite expensive!
There was also a gentle reminder for the poster to NOT impose her values on other non-Muslims.
It is great to see so many Malaysians see through this as nothing but a social media stunt aimed at creating mischief (or one propagating the Ketuanan Melayu-Islam narrative to borrow the tagline of renowned political commentator Prof James Chin).
As one commenter advised this incredibly conservative viewer, just shut off the telly. It really is that simple.
- Focus Malaysia
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