PETALING JAYA: Seri Serdang assemblyman Noor Hanim Ismail has admitted that she sent an official letter objecting to the Thirst 2015: We Are All Stardust concert, which led to its 11th-hour cancellation on Saturday.

The PAS representative said it was her responsibility as a Muslim legislator to stop the concert, which is sponsored by beer company Heineken, as it would have an adverse social impact on society. “It was the local authority’s decision. It is my responsibility as a Muslim and assemblyman to oppose it,” she told The Malaysian Insider.

A copy of the letter dated April 24, sighted by The Malaysian Insider, reveals that Noor Hanim had expressed concerns over the concert’s organisers, although the letter did not name the entertainment event company.

She said in the letter that while the concert organiser tends to use different company names to apply for permits, it was always the same people behind the scenes.

“The same people organising this programme were also involved in the programme in Bukit Jalil,” she wrote in the letter, referring to the Future Music Festival Asia concert that left six dead from drug overdose in March last year.

“Similar activities were carried out in a programme in SIC (Sepang International Circuit) Sepang previously. The Sepang Municipal Council has blacklisted the organiser for violating the terms and for extreme entertainment. It was suspected that there was widespread use of drugs and other banned substances.”

She also described the Thirst 2015 concert as a “mega disco”.

The letter was dated last Friday, which meant that it was submitted to the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) a day before the concert was to be held. Noor Hanim had addressed it to MPSJ president Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan. The letter was also copied to Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali and the state’s executive council member for Islamic Affairs, Malay Customs and Heritage, Rural Development and Traditional Villages, Datuk Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi.

The concert on Saturday was to be held at the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre in Seri Kembangan, which is in the Serdang parliamentary constituency.

Its last-minute cancellation prompted an outcry from music fans and a statement from Serdang member of parliament Ong Kian Ming, who said the police had stopped the event by withdrawing their support for it just one day before the concert, causing the MPSJ to withdraw the entertainment permit that had already been issued to the organiser, Future Sound Asia Sdn Bhd.

Ong said police had given no reason for their withdrawal of support, adding that the Serdang police headquarters had issued a letter on March 25 stating that they had no objections to the event. This had led MPSJ to issue a temporary permit to the organiser  under certain conditions, which included a ban on persons under the age of 18 and on Muslims.

Ong said the police’s move was unfair to the organisers besides denting Malaysia’s reputation as a destination for international events.

The Serdang police then issued a statement, saying they withdrew their support for the concert based on objections from the public and a state assemblyman’s office.

“On [last] Friday, April 24, PDRM (the Royal Malaysia Police) had decided not to support [the concert] after receiving objections and feedback on April 23 from public and the state assemblyman’s office regarding the concert,” Serdang district police chief Assistant Commissioner Razimi Ahmad had said.

Police did not name the legislator, leading Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah to deny that he had objected to the concert, since the concert venue is located in his constituency. “This unprofessional act by the police is unacceptable and I ask that the police disclose related documents to prove which assemblyman’s office is objecting the concert,” Ean Yong was quoted as saying by news portal Malaysiakini on Monday. — The Malaysian Insider

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on April 29, 2015.