KUALA LUMPUR: Referring to the tragic incident involving the deaths of four attendees at the 2025 New Year’s Eve Pinkfish concert, the President of the Malaysian Artistes Association (Karyawan), Datuk Freddie Fernandez, has urged concertgoers to exercise better judgment when attending any event or concert.
He emphasised that entertainment should be fully enjoyed through music, without any illicit elements such as drug abuse. At the same time, he suggested that event guidelines should be further strengthened.
“In 2014, a similar tragedy occurred at the EDM music festival, Future Music Festival Asia, which claimed six lives, mostly youths," said Freddie in a special interview.
"Post-mortem results at the time revealed the involvement of synthetic drugs. Following the incident, several new policies were implemented, including the stipulation that EDM concerts could only be held in enclosed venues to facilitate better control.”
“Yet, such a tragedy has happened again. I am unsure about the changes in regulations that now allow concerts in open venues, which are clearly more difficult to manage.
"Losing lives due to drug abuse while enjoying music is deeply distressing. This also tarnishes the concert industry, which serves as a source of livelihood and a vital ecosystem for music practitioners,” said Dato’ Freddie.
Advice to Concertgoers
Freddie also advised concertgoers to be cautious if offered suspicious substances, as these could be synthetic drugs or “new formulas” being tested without their knowledge.
“Concertgoers are like lab rats for irresponsible parties who want to test these new substances,” he said.
He further emphasised that although hundreds of police officers conduct thorough checks and perform their duties diligently at venues, the emergence of various forms of synthetic drugs—such as in juices, pills, paper strips, or vapes—makes detection challenging.
This becomes even more difficult, particularly in large open areas crowded with attendees, which are inevitably harder to control.
Proposed Actions
Freddie called on relevant agencies, such as the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK), to collaborate more actively.
Among the suggested measures are setting up exhibition booths or conducting awareness campaigns at concert venues. He also proposed adopting a motto like “Music Without Drugs” as a mandatory tagline on concert promotional materials, such as posters and billboards, particularly to remind the youth and teenagers.
Music is Not to Blame
Freddie asserted that no music genre should be held responsible. What makes it wrong is the abuse of drugs by certain individuals.
“How can a professional career like music, which is taught in universities worldwide, be labeled as hedonistic culture simply because of the actions of a few? Enjoy entertainment healthily, like engaging in sports.
“You can sing and dance happily without associating with drugs or a state of intoxication,” he concluded.
