OPPOSITION leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin has demanded to know why the government did not arrest members of British band The 1975 over the antics of its frontman during the Good Vibes Festival as they did Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Noor whom he said had committed a “minor offence”.
The Larut MP said the police had apprehended Sanusi at the crack of dawn for something less serious but the band members were not arrested despite committing numerous violations.
“I would just like to point out that my colleague Sanusi committed a minor offence and was arrested at 3am. But for this band, I don’t know if the police even arrested them.
“They (The 1975) violated our country’s laws, but they were not even detained. This is the kind of government we have today, one that practises double standards,” the former home minister said during a ceramah last night (July 23) in Tanjong Karang, Selangor.
Hamzah was referring to an incident at the Good Vibes Festival (GVF) 2023 on Friday night (July 21) at the Sepang International Circuit, when frontman Matt Healy had launched into an expletive-riddled tirade against Malaysia’s anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) laws before kissing his male bandmate.
Healy also appeared to be drunk during the event, which was cut short by the organisers, while netizens claimed he had spat onstage, damaging a camera drone operated by the GVF crew.
Hamzah, who is also the Perikatan Nasional (PN) secretary-general pointed out that a controversial band such as The 1975 would never have been allowed to perform in Malaysia under his watch, and that Putrajaya should not have granted the British band permission to perform at the festival in the first place.
“The government should not have allowed them to perform in Malaysia. We should not have approved the application (by the organisers) for them to perform here and then banned them only after such antics,” he stressed.
“At the moment, everyone wants to see what actions the government takes, if there are none, the people will know what this government is like. When I was home minister before, I never accepted the entry of such a group into this country.”
On Saturday, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil ordered the cancellation of the music festival’s two remaining nights. He also said the band had been blacklisted from performing in Malaysia.
The Central Agency for Application for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (Puspal) which is an agency under the Communications and Digital Ministry said it had filed a police report and had blacklisted the British band from performing in Malaysia.
Fahmi’s special officer Chermaine Thoo previously said that Puspal had rejected The 1975’s application on June 22.
“GVF appealed on July 13, vouched for The 1975 in writing that the band will not act out and will take full responsibility should there be any non-compliance with the rules.
“Then guess what? They did act out. They (The 1975) really did injustice to the organiser, and many others,” she tweeted on Saturday night (July 22). – July 24, 2023
Main pic credit: Utusan Malaysia
