KUALA LUMPUR, June 6 — An events company that organised a concert where six people died is calling for authorities to relook how they have been tackling the drug problem in Malaysia.
The Livescape Group, which organised the Future Music Festival Asia (FMFA) in 2013 and 2014, suggested that Pemandu look into implementing new initiatives to deal with the problem.
“Drugs have always been around. The question that needs to be asked, however, is how effective have our initiatives against drugs been?” Livescape group chief executive officer Muhammad Iqbal Ameer said.
“Perhaps it’s time policy changes are made to the way we tackle this problem. This is something perhaps Pemandu can help take the lead on.”
Last year’s FMFA in Bukit Jalil was cancelled on the last day after the authorities blamed drug usage during the event for six deaths.
However, Muhammad Iqbal said that “drugs are not just something abused at concerts or festivals” and the authorities shouldn’t be so hasty to label it that way as the organisers did take precautions.
“It was a concern, which is why we had put in place a security plan that was of international standards. The plan was also implemented after consultation with various stakeholders, which included the police.
“Among the initiatives taken was the deployment of 280 private security personnel, 80 RELA members and close co-operation with the police where its officers were given full access across the festival site,” he said adding that over 100 police officers were deployed with three bases being set up on the festival grounds.
The organisers also questioned why drug education in the country is not prioritised and instead urged the authorities to look into teaching the public about drugs and their dangers.
“I think drugs aren’t abused only at concerts or festivals. Anyone with a sound mind knows it can be abused anywhere, so there is a bigger issue at hand and more needs to be done to educate the public on the dangers of drug abuse.
“Why is drug education such a taboo subject in Malaysia?” Muhammad Iqbal said at a recent interview with Malay Mail Online.
On Sunday, The Star reported University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) forensic pathology department head Prof Dr K. Nadesan as saying that heat stroke had caused the FMFA deaths and that drugs had played a negligible role.
Of the 16 party-goers who were taken to the hospital that day, two had no traces of any illegal substances, the toxicology report said, according to the newspaper.
But Dr Nadesan claimed the police showed little interest in the findings, although he said he had sent them several detailed reports to correct their statements to the public on the deaths.
The post-mortem reports were not made public, with The Star also reporting yesterday that the family members of one of those who died were not given access to the autopsy results.
After The Star’s report, Livescape expressed surprise at the findings and complained that despite repeated attempts over the past year to obtain a copy of the toxicology report, the authorities continued to give them the runaround.
On Tuesday, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar dismissed Dr Nadesan’s findings, and insisted that drugs had contributed to the deaths, noting that the illegal substances had caused dehydration and ultimately, the heatstroke that the six had died from.
The Star reported on Wednesday city police chief Senior Deputy Commissioner Datuk Tajuddin Md Isa saying that the police will seek a public inquest of the six fatalities.
