By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 21: Concertgoers in Malaysia have been advised to wear appropriate attire, refrain from disruptive conduct, and respect local cultural and religious values.
In a report published by The Star, Communications Ministry deputy secretary-general (Strategic Communications and Creative Industry) Nik Kamaruzaman Nik Husin said that concerts must remain orderly and decent, with weapons, alcohol, drugs, and political or religious paraphernalia barred from entry.
Additionally, disruptive acts—including shouting offensive slogans, provoking religious sentiments, or throwing objects—could result in removal from the venue.
This is part of the ministry’s Unit for Application for Foreign Filming and Performance by Foreign Artiste (PUSPAL) recently updated guidelines for the performances of foreign artistes, which also extend to audiences as part of the duties of the organisers.
He said the measure is aimed at ensuring concerts are held safely and in accordance with local values.
While the guide does not define what qualifies as appropriate attire, it notes that immodest or overly revealing clothing is prohibited. It was also found that authorities have never enforced dress code checks on audiences.
The guidelines require concert organisers to brief foreign artistes on Malaysia’s cultural, religious, and legal expectations before they perform, with artistes also required to acknowledge the rules.
Male international performers may not dress in women’s attire, and all artistes are forbidden from stripping on stage or wearing outfits that reveal the chest or sit far above the knee.
At the same time, organisers of large-scale concerts with more than 5,000 attendees must seek approval from religious authorities if they wish to hold the event on the eve or day of an Islamic public holiday.
Meanwhile, Nik Kamaruzaman said that the ‘kill switch’ mechanism that was announced in 2023 to curb unwanted incidents during shows— enabling concerts to be halted immediately if the performer breaches cultural or legal guidelines—had been used only once on May 31 during South Korean singer Hyolyn’s Ye!LoO concert.
According to a brief video on TikTok, during the concert, the lights went out before coming back on shortly after, and the show resumed. The interruption was believed to have been triggered by the performers wearing attire considered revealing.
Coldplay’s 2023 concert served as the first test of the mechanism, which was officially implemented this year.
The ‘kill switch’ was introduced after The 1975 frontman Matty Healy sparked controversy during a July 2023 concert by criticising Malaysia’s LGBTQ laws and kissing his bandmate on stage.
According to Nik Kamaruzaman, two to six PUSPAL officers will be assigned to each event, with support from the police and other government agencies, with the number of officers depending on the scale and nature of the event.
“Under the Incident Management Plan, local authority officers and event organisers have the mandate to activate the kill switch on the advice of PUSPAL officers,” he told The Star, adding that the decision must be made by the head of the enforcement team from the local authority. — DayakDaily
