Stop public service policing of fashion

THE EDITOR: I was outraged to read that an 85-year-old man was denied service at the St James Licensing Office because he was wearing short pants. This is madness. In the midst of a pandemic they have put this man at risk for a second time by having him return to the office.

This foolish dress code for government offices has to be abolished. The public service is not a private entity. The staff and buildings are supported by taxpayers who are being denied service by petty bureaucrats who have assumed the role of fashion police.

If I recall (I may be wrong), this dress code nonsense began with the Ministry of National Security during the Patrick Manning administration. No one seems to know how it came about. It reeks of religious fanatics who viewed themselves so morally superior that they felt they could exercise power over what covers people’s bodies.

In 2015 the Philippines had a similar dress code. A bill was introduced to abolish the code because profiling of what people wore was seen as a form of discrimination. Filipino representatives argued that “prohibiting entry denies [people] the right to acquire services from the government [and]...tackle matters that affect their well being.”

They added that “professionalism isn’t what citizens wear when they avail themselves of services that they should rightfully enjoy. It’s in how government offices and employees treat people whom we serve.”

Maybe the public service could be more efficient if it did not waste so much time policing our short pants, sleeveless tops and footwear.

TARA RAHAMUT

Chaguanas