PETALING JAYA: Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin has questioned the “double standards” by authorities in dealing with UK band The 1975, over the antics of its frontman during the Good Vibes Festival, in comparison with PAS leader Sanusi Nor.
“I would just like to point out that my colleague Sanusi committed a minor offence and was arrested at 3am. But this band, I don’t know if the police even arrested them.
“They (The 1975) violated our country’s laws, but they were not even detained. This is the kind of government we have today, one that practices double standards,” he said during a ceramah in Tanjong Karang last night.
The Perikatan Nasional (PN) secretary-general was referring to an incident during the festival where The 1975’s lead singer Matt Healy allegedly spoke out against Malaysia’s laws against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) community and kissed his male bandmate.
Healy also appeared to be drunk during the show, which was stopped halfway by the organisers. In videos that have been widely shared on social media, Healy told the crowd the show was over as “we have been banned from Kuala Lumpur”.
Hamzah, who is a former home minister, said a controversial group like The 1975 would never have been allowed to perform in Malaysia under his watch.
He said the government should never have granted permission for The 1975 to perform at the festival in the first place.
“The government should not have allowed them to perform in Malaysia. We should not have approved the application (by the organisers) for them to perform here and then ban them only after such antics,” he said.
On Saturday, communications and digital minister Fahmi Fadzil ordered the cancellation of the Good Vibes Festival’s two remaining nights following The 1975’s controversial act on Friday. He also said the band had been blacklisted from performing in Malaysia.
Yesterday, Bukit Aman confirmed that three reports had been made at the KLIA police station on the alleged offensive behaviour by The 1975 at the Good Vibes Festival.
Last week, Sanusi pleaded not guilty in the Selayang sessions court to two charges of making seditious statements against the Sultan of Selangor and the Yang diPertuan Agong during a ceramah on July 11.
