Usno opposes scrapping of long hair ban

Published on: Saturday, July 04, 2020

By: Bernama

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KINABALU

SABAH TIMES

(Wednesday,

June 16, 1976)

KOTA KINABALU, Tuesday – The Sabah State Legislative Assembly yesterday repealed the Recreational and Entertainment Facilities (Restriction on Use) Enactment, 1974 when it passes the Recreational and Entertainment Facilities (Restriction on Use) (Repeal) Enactment, 1976.

In winding up the debate on the Bill, the State Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Pengiran Othman Rauf, said Sabah was the only State in Malaysia which had such laws.

The presumption the Bill that long hair was associated with bad character was not correct, he said.

There were a number of natives living in interior parts of the State who had long hair but they were not “bad hats” the Minister told the House.

The sporting of long hair, by youths especially was more of a fashion fad which would disappear according to the times.

Usno Member for Bongawan Datuk Haji Dzulkifli Hamid (pic), in opposing the Repeal Bill, said he feared that it would open the door for western cultural influences to enter the State and sap the moral character of youths.

He said in order to prevent such an undesirable situation, it was better to have regulations against long hair.

Datuk Haji Dzulkifli claimed that from social studies, it was found that those sporting long hair were drug addicts and bad characters.

The Government member for Matunggong Encik Michael Wong, said the laws inconvenienced people from Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak coming to Sabah.

Another Government backbencher, Tuan Haji Halik Zaman, said the sporting of long hair was a fashion followed by youths and that one day it would also disappear.

The Berjaya Member for Langkon, Encik Michael Madinal, said there was no guarantee that banning long hair would reduce crime rate.