Azly Rahman | The ‘baju kurung’ vs ‘baju kurang’ debate
Unfortunate. Even sad news. About that poor girl who got sent off because she wore a ‘Malay baju/dress’ on her first day of school, as reported.
This is more puzzling than the ‘Allah Controversy’ that I have been writing about. She was not only eager to be in school but what she wore the first day represents what she was feeling – in this case culturally.
The ‘baju kurung’ is the most gentle of the Malay dress; even the name ‘kurung’ connotes ‘shackling’, ‘confining’, ‘controlled’, ‘thinking and wearing something not outside the box’, ‘in the box/didalam kurungan’, and a range other connotation, signs, signals, signifiers, and representation (the entire semiotic jingbang and shebang of modesty) any Malaysian can think of. Right?
The ‘baju kurung’ is the most ‘nerdish girl-dress’ but its nerdish-ness is not without dignity and cultural pride.
Read more here: http://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/286391
The ‘baju kurung’ vs ‘baju kurang’ debate
www.malaysiakini.com
Better training for school administrators needed?
