Stay out of our hair, PAS!

Swetham M

PAS is trying to set the clock back when the nation is moving ahead. True. PAS should go back to the Dark Ages when there was no need for barbers, and it didn't matter whether hair matted or not.
PAS's ruling on gender segregation in barber shops is the unkindest cut of all for Indian barbers who have been the backbone of the Malaysian hairdressing industry for over 100 years. Contending, as they have to, with rising rentals and a shortage of skilled workers, barbershops are facing tough times.

Now, PAS's insistence on Men Only and Women Only salons is throwing sand into their rice bowls. In a statement, K. Kaviarasan, chairman of the Malaysian Indian Barbers Association told PAS to stay out of its hair. He called on PAS not to interfere in their business which have traditionally been family-run and handed down from father to son. These barbershops have been catering for the needs of male and female family members for generations.

If PAS still insists that its ruling is to be followed, then it should be fair and extend it to all other areas where there is human contact, including hospitals where doctors and nurses (both male and female) work as a team to help all those in need of medical care, regardless of gender.

Kaviarasan said PAS is trying to set the clock back when the nation is moving ahead. True. PAS should go back to the Dark Ages when there was no need for barbers, and it didn't matter whether hair matted or not.