COMEDIAN Datuk Afdlin Shauki Aksan, who was appointed to the Kuala Lumpur advisory board, hopes to make the capital city the centre of arts and entertainment.
This, he said, can also help to spur the economy.
“There has been no representative from the entertainment industry before this,” he said, adding that he was looking forward to this stint on the board.
On July 7, Afdlin became one of 11 new members appointed to the advisory board to offer advice to the mayor.
Prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s political secretary Azman Abidin has clarified that Afdlin’s appointment was because of his experience in the entertainment sector.
“Afdlin can provide valuable feedback from his perspective (of the entertainment sector) as well as his capacity as a businessman.
“There has been a lot of miscommunication from this sector especially in matters pertaining to licensing and doing business in the city.
Azman added that there had been cases where businesses carried out entertainment events on their premises without an entertainment licence and this was wrong.
“We also need someone that has a better understanding on issues like the handling of events and concerts.
“The PM felt there is a need for representation on the Kuala Lumpur board from the entertainment sector so that things can be better explained to prevent confusion,’’ he said.
While Azman did not go into specifics, he said that based on past events which inadvertently placed the city in a bad light, there was a need for someone from the entertainment field to sit on the board.
The local authority had come under fire over issues involving clubs not having a proper licence in the city.
A case in point is Crackhouse Comedy Club in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, which found itself in hot water for operating with only a restaurant licence while carrying out entertainment activities last year.
This was only discovered after a video emerged of a woman disrobing during an open mic performance.
Another incident this year that attracted controversy was when a club located off Jalan Tun Razak planned to host a show featuring male waiters in lingerie.
The club was operating on a restaurant permit that had expired in 2021 and did not have a permit to carry out entertainment activities.
On the other appointed board members, Azman said some were political appointees while others were professionals in their field.
“There are representatives from Barisan Nasional, DAP and PKR, as well as other technical experts,” he added.
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