The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry welcomes the proposal for all Members of Parliament and the Senate to wear batik every Thursday as a sign of support for the country’s batik industry.

Its deputy minister, Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik said if agreed upon, the proposal, however, would need to go through the  process of changing the dress code in Parliament.

“We at the ministry very much encourage it (wearing of batik every Thursday) during the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara sittings.

“If we are allowed to wear batik every Thursday in Parliament, we will be sending a message to the artisans out there that the country’s leaders are also wearing batik (as a sign of support for the local craft industry. It’ll be just like what the civil servants do.”

He said this at the Dewan Negara sitting in response to a supplementary question from Senator Datuk Razali Idris on the need for public servants and those in the private sector to wear batik.

Muhammad Bakhtiar said his ministry did not make it compulsory for people in the private sector to wear batik but nevertheless, encouraged it to boost the local batik industry.

To a question from Senator Nuridah Mohd Salleh on efforts to commercialise the dying handicrafts or products like songket and local delicacies in the East Coast states, he said the ministry had carried out various efforts, for example, by promoting these fabrics at craft festivals and shopping malls.