Crowd turns up for free trim to show displeasure over PAS by-law
Making a beeline: Customers queuing up outside the Raymond Choon Hair Salon in The Gardens, Kuala Lumpur.
KUALA LUMPUR: A crowd turned up to support the right of customers to choose their hairstylist, regardless of gender.
They came to get a free haircut offered by celebrity hairstylist Raymond Choon to protest against the Kota Baru Municipal Council's ruling.
Housewife Emma Pye, 42, was among the first to get her hair cut at 3pm.
"Raymond has been my hairstylist for six years. This ruling is a step back as we should not be limited by gender or other restrictions," she said.
Choon, who is known for styling a number of local and international celebrities, attended to the mostly-female customers who turned up at the Raymond Choon Hair Salon in The Gardens here yesterday.
In addition to the haircuts, they also received a free wash and blow dry.
"I believe customers have a right to choose who should cut their hair and the ruling is unnecessary.
"When my hairstylist friends heard of my plan, some even volunteered to help me attend to the customers," said Choon, 38.
Choon attending to Pye in his salon.
He stressed that the offer was not a publicity stunt but a way of expressing his opposition to PAS' ruling that prohibits women and men hairstylists from attending to customers who are of the opposite gender, regardless of whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims.
Another customer, Nicole Wong, said she found out about the offer the day before through Facebook.
"This is a creative way for him to advocate his position and for us to make a stand on the ruling," she said.
MCA central committee member Datuk Ti Lian Ker, who was also at the salon, lauded Choon and encouraged more hairstylists to stand up for their rights.
"People in the profession should come forward and express their thoughts," he said.
Meanwhile, MCA publicity bureau deputy chairman Loh Seng Kok said non-Muslims were clearly affected by the ruling.
"Whatever assurances from the Kelantan state government that they (non-Muslims) would not be affected by the policy are not true," he said yesterday.
Loh also slammed DAP for not de-fending the affected non-Muslims.
"The Opposition can barely defend the rights of non-Muslims at state level. So what can we expect from them should they form the Government?" he asked.
-The Star-
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