KUALA LUMPUR: Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil (pic) has strongly criticized certain individuals responsible for a poster that accuses him of instructing government-friendly parties to blame PAS for the cancellation of the Good Vibes Festival 2023 (GVF23) on Friday.
In a post on his social media accounts on Monday (July 24) night, the Communications and Digital Ministry stated that they have instructed reports to be lodged with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the police regarding this matter.
“Even at a time when we are mourning the loss of a close and esteemed colleague, there are still people who are not hesitant to engage in slander,” Fahmi wrote in the post.
“How does one not fear the consequences of making such slanderous statements? May Allah SWT protect us from slander and its perpetrators,” he added.
The viral poster alleges that Fahmi instructed for PAS, an Islamic party in Malaysia, to be portrayed as an extremist party as a desperate attempt to deflect blame after approving the permit for the UK band The 1975 to perform in Malaysia.
The 1975’s performance at GVF 23 was halted after their vocalist, Matty Healy, displayed offensive behavior towards fans. Healy was seen holding a bottle of alcohol on stage and making derogatory remarks about Malaysia’s laws concerning LGBT individuals.
Fahmi clarified that the permit application for The 1975’s performance was initially rejected by the Committee on Application for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artists (JK-Puspal) on June 23 due to the band’s poor track record. However, the organizers appealed the decision on July 16 and provided written assurances, including one from the band manager, claiming full responsibility for the group’s performance.
Based on this guarantee, JK-Puspal approved the appeal. Fahmi quickly condemned the disrespectful actions of the group on Twitter and called for the organizers to explain themselves at 10 am the following day, during which they admitted their guilt and accepted full responsibility.
The decision to cancel the festival, which had two more days remaining, was made at approximately 1 pm on Saturday, a little over 14 hours after the incident occurred. – Bernama
Credit: The Star : News Feed
