Malaysian minister denies orchestrating ‘evil narrative’ blaming PAS for Good Vibes Festival cancellation
Authorities had earlier denied the organisers’ request to bring in UK band The 1975 due to its poor record in other countries. However, the band was later allowed to perform after a guarantee was made assuring responsibility for the band’s performance.
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Malaysia's Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil and UK pop rock band The 1975. (Photo: Facebook/Fahmi Fadzil, The 1975)
KUALA LUMPUR: Following the controversial actions of UK pop rock band The 1975 at a music festival in Malaysia, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil on Monday (Jul 24) denied claims that he was orchestrating a narrative blaming Islamist party Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) for the festival’s cancellation.
The Good Vibes Festival, a three-day event set to run until Sunday, was cancelled on Saturday after The 1975 criticised the country’s anti-LGBT laws onstage. The band’s frontman Matty Healy also kissed bassist Ross MacDonald onstage.
In a Twitter post, Mr Fahmi referred to a poster claiming that he had directed the unity government’s “cyber army” to create an “evil narrative” blaming the Islamist party for the cancellation of the festival. PAS is a component party of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.
“This poster is defamatory!
“I have directed the office to make a report to MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) and PDRM (Royal Malaysia Police),” he said in a Twitter post.
An image of the poster with the Malay word for “SLANDER” superimposed in red was attached to the post.
The poster also alleged that Mr Fahmi made the “desperate move” of blaming PAS as he realised that the “unnatural action” involving The 1975 was caused by his approval of the group’s permit to perform.
Mr Fahmi clarified in the Twitter post that the Central Agency for Application for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (PUSPAL) under the Ministry of Communications and Digital had on Jun 23 denied the festival organisers’ request to bring in The 1975 due to the band’s poor record in other countries.
However, The 1975 was later allowed to perform at the Good Vibes Festival as a guarantee was made assuring responsibility for the band’s performance.
“On July 16, the organisers made an appeal and a written guarantee from the band's manager to be fully responsible for the band's performance. PUSPAL accepted the appeal based on the guarantee,” he said.
Mr Fahmi added that four hours after the controversial incident involving The 1975 took place, he took to Twitter to strongly condemn the action and called for the festival organisers to meet him the next morning.
“At the end of the meeting, at 1pm, I issued a statement and asked the organisers to cancel the rest of the concert and find a refund mechanism for those who have bought the tickets,” he said.
After the meeting on Saturday, Mr Fahmi said in a Twitter post: "There will be no compromise against any party that challenges, disparages and violates Malaysian laws.”
Festival organiser Future Sound Asia had since apologised for the cancellation of the show following Healy's "controversial conduct and remarks". It said The 1975's management had promised the band would obey performance guidelines.
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According to the New Straits Times, a group of lawyers is teaming up to represent vendors and local artists who were affected by the festival cancellation to file a class action lawsuit against the band.
According to The Star, Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan said on Sunday that The 1975 left the country on Saturday morning, adding that “not much … can be done” against the band. He noted that three police reports regarding the incident were lodged on Saturday.
On Sunday, Malaysian opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin, during a PN political rally in Selangor, criticised the government for allowing The 1975 to perform in Malaysia.
“I want to tell you, this is a group that supports LGBT ... I used to be the home minister. Groups like this, I have never allowed them to enter our country.
“(The government) already knows that this group is a group that will destroy the future of Malaysians. They should not have accepted (the band when it first) asked to perform in our country. (The government) should have refused,” he said.
Homosexuality is a crime in Muslim-majority Malaysia.
