Malaysia Wants All Foreign Artiste Concerts To Have 'Kill Switches' After The 1975 Fiasco
Just a preventative measure.
Following the controversy of the recently-held Good Vibes Festival 2023, the Malaysian government now wants all future concerts with foreign acts to have a "kill switch" at the ready
According to the Malay Mail, the Ministry of Communications and Digital (KKD) has requested for all event organizers to include a kill switch at any future concert led by a foreign act.
This comes after the recent on-stage debacle at Good Vibes 2023, where British pop-rock band The 1975 caused controversy by performing an inappropriate act of same-sex intimacy in front of a crowd of thousands.
In addition to kissing his bandmate on the lips, the band's frontman Matty Healy also wielded a bottle of alcohol in his hand while going off on a booze-fuelled rant against Malaysia's anti-LGBTQIA+ laws.
Consequently, the 22 July event was cancelled in its entirety, while the band's members were banned from Malaysian soil altogether.
Image via The Telegraph
Now, the ministry has ordered for a physical kill switch to be ready should any similar incident occur at a future event
According to Deputy Minister Teo Nie Ching, the mechanism would work as a literal switch that cuts off power to the event, preventing perpetrating acts from doing any further damage.
"These are the guidelines from the (The 1975) incident, and we hope that with stricter guidelines, we can ensure the performances by foreign artistes can adhere to the culture in Malaysia," she said at the Dewan Rakyat, in a response to a question about government censorship during such occurrences.
Teo also added that her ministry had always received assistance from the police when it came to performing background checks on incoming acts
Image via Bernama/New Straits Times
These checks, according to Teo, were typically performed based on guidelines from Puspal, the country's Central Agency for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistest (PUSPAL).
Additionally, representatives from PUSPAL would also be on hand to monitor all related events.
"During a performance, we ensure that the relevant parties such as the Immigration Department, PUSPAL, police, and local authorities are at the venue," said Teo.
As previously mentioned, Malaysia has strong laws against LGBTQIA+ activity, and there have been concerns regarding future concerts by foreign acts on local soil
Image via EPA/Republika
For example, there were several calls by more conservative groups to cancel the upcoming Coldplay concert on 22 November due to the band's prior shows of support for the LGBTQIA+ community at previous shows.
"Does the government want to nurture a culture of hedonism and perversion in this country?" asked Nasrudin Hassan, a leader PAS.
"Does the government want to nurture a culture of hedonism and perversion in this country?" he added.
Right now, a kill switch at the show might prove to be a fair compromise for all involved, although it's unclear whether it can be implemented in time, considering how close the date is.
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