Organisers should have been more discreet, say Oktoberfest patrons

PETALING JAYA, Oct 12 — Patrons of an Oktoberfest event held at a shopping mall here last night felt that the organisers should have just used social media and not a billboard to advertise the festival.

"I don't think there was any need for it. In fact in previous years, Oktoberfest was announced and publicised via Facebook.

"The organisers should have been more cautious... they should have considered the possibility of a backlash from the Muslim community," said G. Vimalan who has been frequenting the event for the last four years.

His friend K. Kiran Kumar also agreed.

"We should know how things roll in Malaysia with issues of religious sensitivities making headlines every other day. A little bit of caution could have saved everyone so much trouble," he said.

1Utama Shopping Centre's general manager for advertisement and promotions Patrick So, when met later however, stressed that the mall had always kept the event low-key by opting to only publicise via the mall's official Facebook page.

The crowd enjoying the performances at Oktoberfest held in 1Utama shopping mall in Petaling Jaya, October 11, 2014. — Picture by Choo Choy May

"A few outlets organise this event every year and it was not us (1 Utama) who advertised on the billboard in Shah Alam, but another entity."

So said that after the Oktoberfest billboard issue cropped up, 1 Utama's permit and license application to hold the event at its orginally slated venue inside the mall was also affected, forcing a change to the carpark instead.

"It so happened that we are the ones hosting the peak event for Oktoberfest and greater pressure fell on us after the uproar," he added.

He said that 1Utama, which has held the event for the past nine years, has always complied with the rules and regulations imposed and also observes all religious sensitivities, particularly that of the Muslim community.

Since the billboard advertisement, several Muslim groups including Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma), have taken aim at Oktoberfest, claiming the event will tarnish Malaysia’s image as an “Islamic country” and “bring ruin” to the nation.

The Muslim groups were particularly incensed the billboards were in Shah Alam ― a majority-Malay city ― though the event is scheduled for this weekend in 1Utama which is in Petaling Jaya, a multi-racial metropolitan city.

One for the album. People having their photo taken wearing the Oktoberfest Hat. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Although the event is only for non-Muslims, several Muslim groups have urged their supporters to rally against the event and venues that serve alcohol as part of the festival.

Oktoberfest is held annually in Malaysia with the two biggest breweries GAB and Carlsberg holding several drinking parties in major towns nationwide.

It was originally celebrated in Munich, Germany to accompany horse races, but has grown into “the world’s largest funfair”, attracting millions of visitors every year.