MPs don batik in Parliament Thursday

KUALA LUMPUR: It was a different and unique scenario at the Parliament grounds today when Members of Parliament (MPs) turned up donning colourful batik attire to attend the sitting.

Among those seen wearing batik were Deputy Speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon, Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa as well as Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.

During the last sitting, the House Committee has agreed to the proposal for MPs to be allowed to wear long-sleeved Malaysian batik shirts when attending the Dewan Rakyat sittings on Thursdays to support the country's heritage.

In the meantime, Nancy commended lawmakers who donned Malaysian batik to attend today's meeting.

"To celebrate this historic day, I would like to inform you that all MPs and members of the Malaysian Family will receive a cash rebate of RM30 for every RM100 spent at handicraft premises or sale centres nationwide," she said during the Minister's Question Time.

In a press conference later, Nancy said the ministry was also working to increase the registration of entrepreneurs on the MyCraftShoppe digital platform to assist entrepreneurs in the handicraft field to raise their income through online sales.

-- BERNAMA