KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 — The organiser of the cancelled “Thirst 2015: We Are All Stardust” was wrong to sell tickets for the event ahead of obtaining an entertainment permit from the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ), officials have said.
English daily The Star quoted MPSJ licensing department director Azfarizal Abdul Rashid as saying that organiser Future Sound Asia did not obtain a permit from the local council for the concert.
The report also quoted MPSJ president Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan as saying that the application was rejected by MPSJ on April 4 but the organiser had appealed on April 22.
“We issued a letter stating that a permit will be issued on condition that the organiser cooperate with either the police or National Anti-Drugs Agency to ensure that there will be no drugs at the concert.
“The Selangor Mentri Besar Azmin Ali’s office has requested we write a report on this matter,” he said, adding that the state government should come up with a policy and standard operating procedure for concerts and similar events to avoid a repeat of this incident.
“The public is blaming MPSJ when it was the police who objected to the concert,” Nor Hisham said yesterday.
Seri Serdang assemblyman Noor Hanim Ismail had submitted an objection letter a day before the Thirst 2015 music event, which later led to its eleventh-hour cancellation last Saturday.
The PAS representative said it was her responsibility as a Muslim to oppose the concert, which is sponsored by beer company Heineken.
The Serdang police’s withdrawal of support for the Thirst 2015 concert that was scheduled to be held at the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre last Saturday was due to objections from the public and Selangor lawmakers.
In a statement, the police said that they originally had no problems with the application for the temporary entertainment permit for the concert but changed their minds later on after objections and feedback on April 23 from society, as well as the office of the state assemblyman.
