Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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PETALING JAYA: Heineken’s Thirst 2015: We Are All Stardust concert scheduled to take place last Saturday night was cancelled because police withdrew their support at the last minute.

Serdang Member of Parliament Dr Ong Kian Ming said the police  had sent a letter to the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) last Friday, saying they would not support the concert, leaving the council no choice but to withdraw the permit at the eleventh hour.

“On the afternoon of Friday, April 24, the police sent a letter to MPSJ, stating that they would not support the concert. As a result, MPSJ was forced to withdraw the entertainment permit to the organiser.

“The reason for the withdrawal of the police support for this event was not stated. This was the only reason why MPSJ withdrew the entertainment licence,” Ong said in a statement.

He said the Serdang police headquarters had initially issued a letter on March 25, saying that they had no objection to the staging of this event. This led MPSJ to issue a temporary permit to the organiser — Future Sound Asia Sdn Bhd — on April 21 to stage the concert, subject to certain conditions being fulfilled, including ensuring that there would be no one under the age of 18 attending the concert and that no Muslim would be allowed to attend the concert.

“It was very disappointing for the ticket holders, the organiser, the performers and all other stakeholders that this event had to be cancelled at the last minute.

“It also dents the reputation of Malaysia as a destination to hold international-level entertainment events because of the possibility that such events may have to be cancelled at the last minute due to the withdrawal of permits.”

He said the organiser had already obtained the support of the National Anti-Drugs Agency and Narcotics Division, which would place their officers on duty on the night of the event. He added that the sponsors had already spent millions of ringgit to organise and promote the event.

“At the very least, I hope the police can give an explanation on why they withdrew their support.”

The concert was scheduled to take place at the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre in Seri Kembangan. — The Malaysian Insider

 

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on April 27, 2015.

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