Cancelled Concerts and Religion Based Laws: How Religious Laws are Potentially Harming Malaysia’s Economy

"TWICELIGHTS KL 2019", Image by Kenji Ng

SUBANG JAYA, Selangor - With radios in cars and taxis blasting pop songs, stores all over the country using trending music to attract customers, and the prevalence of holiday-specific music spreading festive joy, it is undoubtable that the Malaysian population clearly loves their music. 

Yet, reports of cancelled tours, and consideration of a kill-switch at concerts have been well-known discussions that came to better light after cancellation of the Good Vibes Music Festival due to The 1975’s controversial actions on stage at the event.

The dual justice system in Malaysia has shaped social norms in the nation, and brought about enforced laws that shockingly include requirement of identity checks to sit at eateries and restaurants during Ramadan. Laws encircling fining of non-indecent public displays of affection among loved ones, remain existent, too. 

How strictly the laws are imposed are dependent on individual states, but it is notable that concerts from world-famous artists have been shut down, cancelled last minute, or not approved at all, justified with Islamic laws and sometimes, threats of protest.

The civil and Syariah courts exist alongside in a dual-court structure in Malaysia. To deal with federal matters, the establishment of federal courts as the civil courts in Malaysia were set. Adjacently, the Syariah courts had been set in the Federal Constitution as state courts to deal with matters regarding Islamic law, and has not been a subordinate court under the civil courts, following alteration during the Constitutional Amendment Act 1988. 

PUSPAL

Established by the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia, Central Agency for Filming and Performing by Overseas Artists, PUSPAL in short, contains the law governing allowing concerts to proceed in Malaysia. PUSPAL guidelines must be complied with by all applicants who must adhere to the code of conduct, dress code and avoid specific dates on which concerts and performances are impermissible to be held. Foreign artists failing to follow the guidelines will be blacklisted and prohibited from performing again in Malaysia.

According to Bandwagon, updated guidelines, following the 1975 band’s  incident, state that large-scale concerts and shows from foreign artists are now forbidden from being held on the day of and day prior to religious public holidays and Islamic religious occasions out of respect for religious events unless allowed by respective Islamic authorities.

Updated PUSPAL guidelines also state that both male and female foreign artists must not remove any items of clothing during their performances. Additionally, filming guidelines and recording in Malaysia have also been altered, with scripts requiring review and approval from PUSPAL before proceeding, with importance on prohibition of negative depictions of security and enforcement personnel/agencies in Malaysia. 

Cancelled Concerts in Malaysia

In 2023, four concerts were cancelled, an increase from the two scrapped in 2022, according to The Straits Times. Among the four, the planned concert for Indian singer Karthik, as well as the Pinkfish music festival featuring American rapper Lil Pump were cancelled. 

According to an industry source speaking to The Straits Times, American singer Lauv’s Malaysia tour for September 2023 was cancelled over scrutiny surrounding concerns by Islamists against foreign performing artists. 

Additionally, concerts held inside public and private higher education institutions were told to comply with federal and local council laws pertaining to religious sensitivities.

In 2024, cancellation of Ed Sheeran’s concert was urged by Islamic leaders in Malaysia due to his stance on the LGBTQ community, according to CNA. 

Next, British pop star, Rod Stewart cancelled his concert in Malaysia despite eager fans queuing online for tickets months in advance. The cancellation was due to ‘unforeseen circumstances.’ 

Subsequently, Hong Kong boy-band, ‘Mirror,’ cancelled their Mirror Feel The Passion Concert Tour 2024 stop in Malaysia, again, due to ‘unforeseen circumstances,’ as they proceeded to move onto their stop at Singapore, having performed at London and Manchester in March; as well as San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, and Toronto in April prior to that.

Effect on the Economy

Estimates by experts, as stated in The Straits Times, report that Malaysia lost over one billion MYR in prospective income from entertainment tourism after scrapping of concerts and tours in 2023, with blame to regulations making it almost impossible for organisers to put out shows. 

According to the live performance association, Arts, Live Festival and Events Association (Alife), if the missed shows had taken place, the revenue from ticketed entertainment events would have been higher than the 2.4 million MYR racked up in 2023. 

The association also revealed that concertgoers who flew in from overseas contributed 83 million MYR in taxes generated from the greater than RM800 million in tourism

In comparison, neighbouring country Singapore hosted a six-show tour for American pop star Taylor Swift, selling more than 300,000 tickets and bringing in hundreds of thousands of fans from across southeast Asian nations. In addition, approval processing for concerts in Singapore take up to 48 hours, compared to the many months required by Malaysia. 

The true number of concerts rejected annually are much higher than the official numbers stated, due to organisers failing to obtain PUSPAL’s nod during the pre-approval stage of the application process. 

The positive progress of Malaysia’s economy is undeniable if measures are taken to diminish the criticism from religious parties, and if proper enforcement of conduct codes and Malaysian laws by artists is maintained. For now, cancelled shows and disheartened fans will be pervasive in the nation.