Malaysia cancels 'too sexy' Avril Lavigne concert

Posted By Saimatkong on Aug 20, 2008 | 3 comments
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No more Avril Lavigne Concert as it’s cancelled because of “too sexy”

See … At 1st say definitely on? But now kena banned? Should Avril Lavigne Concert banned? I think it shouldn’t. There’s nothing to do with sexy or what… It’s totally bullSh*t!

1st Confirmed and definitely on

Avril concert definitely on, say organisers

PETALING JAYA: Canadian pop star Avril Lavigne’s show is definitely on.

Despite protests and an attempt to call for the singer to be banned from performing in Malaysia by PAS Youth earlier this month, organiser Galaxy Group said yesterday the show would go on.

Avril: Coming for ‘The Best Damn Tour — Live In Malaysia’

“Everything is moving very positively. We have spoken to the authorities involved and things look good,” a spokesman for the organiser told The Star.

He said the concert here would meet local rules and regulations.

“We’ve organised the show according to the rules. There is nothing wrong. We’ve received positive and assuring feedback from the authorities,” he said.

Earlier, the Federal Territory PAS Youth chief Kamaruzaman Mohamed had called for Avril’s concert to be banned on grounds that “rock and punk are not suitable for the young generation, especially so during the Merdeka month.”

The wing came under fire after it attempted to call for the ban which many sectors called ridiculous and narrow-minded.

Some of those who lashed out at PAS Youth included activist groups, local veteran artistes, Commercial Radio Malaysia (an association of local radio stations), Recording Industry Association of Malaysia, Malaysian Artistes Association and Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin.

“Avril Lavigne The Best Damn Tour – Live In Malaysia” will be held on Aug 29 at Stadium Merdeka at 8pm. For details, contact 03-7711 5000.

Source : TheStar

Then … calling to ban

Groups slam call to ban concert

PETALING JAYA: Activist groups have hit out at the Federal Territory PAS Youth for its move to call for a ban on the concert by popular Canadian rocker Avril Lavigne planned for Aug 29.

Women’s Aid Organisation executive director Ivy Josiah said the issue was not that of decency but one involving freedom of expression.

“Decency is very relative. This is the issue of the rights to freedom of expression and for people, especially the youths, to choose what they want to see and hear,” she said.

“The society’s morality and values are not shaped by concerts and music,” Josiah said, adding that the insidious attempts by certain quarters to shut down or restrict the people’s freedom of expression were not acceptable in a democratic Malaysia.

On Saturday, Federal Territory PAS Youth chief Kamaruzaman Mohamed handed over a memorandum to Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Hakim Borhan and the Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry calling for a ban on the concert.

The PAS wing is asking the authorities to ban the show because “rock and punk is not suitable for the young generation and especially so during Merdeka month.”

Sisters In Islam lashed out at the call, questioning PAS’ pledge to the people during the general election campaign.

“PAS has said many times that it would never infringe on the rights of non-Muslims but in reality, it is in fact denying non-Muslims their rights,” its programme manager Norhayati Kaprawi said.

“Is this call limited only to Muslims or to everyone? Since PAS is a component party of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, then what are PKR and DAP’s position on this (banning of concerts)?” she asked.

“It seems like PAS is making all the decisions. Is this within the Pakatan’s manifesto?”

She urged PAS to focus on bigger issues like urban poverty instead.

Norhayati noted that none of the rock singer’s concerts had come across as violent or of bad influence.

MCA Youth secretary-general Dr Wee Ka Siong meanwhile expressed his disappointment, saying: “This is clearly an infringement of the people’s rights. It is very unbecoming.”

Dr Wee also said PAS Youth should not try to impose their values on people of other races.

“We must uphold the right of the citizens as enshrined in the Constitution,” he added.

Source : TheStar

Lastly… Banned and Canceled Avril Lavigne concert

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia on Tuesday canceled a concert by Canadian rock singer Avril Lavigne, saying it may taint the Muslim-majority country’s independence day celebrations after the Islamic opposition slammed her show as being “too sexy.”

The Arts, Culture and Heritage Ministry said it had decided not to permit Lavigne’s show because it was unsuitable to Malaysian culture and could not be held on Aug. 29, two days ahead of independence day.

“It is not timely. It’s not in the good spirit of our National Day. If we go ahead with the concert, it is contrary to what we are preparing for,” said Shukran Ibrahim, a senior official from the culture ministry’s department that vets all foreign artists.

The decision came after the youth wing of a fundamentalist opposition party, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, called for the show’s cancellation.

Kamarulzaman Mohamed, a party youth official, told The Associated Press on Monday that Lavigne’s show was “considered too sexy for us” and would promote the wrong values just before independence day.

“We don’t want our people, our teenagers, influenced by their performance. We want clean artists, artists that are good role models,” he said.

Lavigne, who became famous with her 2002 debut album “Let’s Go,” had planned to launch her monthlong Asia tour in Kuala Lumpur.

The show’s promoter, Galaxy Group, can request a new date for the concert, which will be considered by the ministry, Shukran said. Galaxy officials couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.

Galaxy began advertising the Grammy-nominated rock singer’s concert this month even though it had yet to obtain a government permit, which is mandatory for all foreign music shows. It said Monday about half the concert tickets had been sold.

Last year, R&B singer Beyonce moved her show from Malaysia to Indonesia, and Christina Aguilera skipped the country on an Asian tour after a controversy erupted over a dress code for foreign artists.

Malaysia requires all performers to wear clothes without obscene or drug-related images and be covered from the chest to the knees. They must also refrain from jumping, shouting, hugging and kissing on stage.

Still, members of PAS and other conservative Muslims often protest against Western and even Malaysian music shows that they deem to be inappropriate.

The local organizer of a Pussycat Dolls concert in 2006 was fined 10,000 ringgit (US$2,857) after the U.S. girl group was accused of flouting decency regulations.

Source : Associated Press

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