‘Siti Nuramira broke 3R Rule during stand-up comedy’

KUALA LUMPUR: A host at the Crackhouse Comedy Club told the Sessions Court here that Siti Nuramira Abdullah broke the “3R Rule” when she took off her baju kurung and tudung to reveal a skimpy outfit underneath during her stand-up performance at the comedy club in June last year.

Muhammad Asyraf Kamal Musthaffa, 26, who is currently working as a graphic designer, said although he had briefed Siti Nuramira not to touch on the topics of “race, religion and royalty” before her performance, he remembers being shocked when she performed, but he remained calm as it was his duty as the show’s host.

“During her performance, what she did was identify herself and say she had memorised 15 juzuk of the Al-Quran ... in a split second, she ‘buka tudung and baju kurung’ (removed her tudung and baju kurung) and said some bad words. It took some time for me to process her action. I have never seen anything like that before.

“I was surprised, but I also have a duty (as a host), and I cannot get too surprised because the audience comes first. I was thinking I have to neutralise the situation so the show can go on,” the first prosecution witness said during the examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Abdul Malik Ayob on the first day of Siti Nuramira’s trial here yesterday.

Two minutes of video footage depicting what happened at the comedy club last June 4 was played in court earlier, and Muhammad Asyraf identified the person in the video as Siti Nuramira, who was charged with causing disharmony on grounds of religion among Muslims.

Recalling the day of the incident, Muhammad Asyraf said he was told there were two people who wanted to do a stand-up routine that day, as he was the host for the event that started at 5pm that day.

“Before the show started, I reminded the audience that recordings were not allowed so people would not misuse the footage. In this (Siti Nuramira’s performance) video, it was not at all what we presented (at) the Crackhouse Comedy Club. Normally, we tell jokes, but here (referring to Siti Nuramira’s video), there is no joke. It is not stand-up comedy.

“I looked at the audience and saw they were surprised, and there were a lot of mixed reactions (during Siti Nuramira’s performance). As a host, I remember saying that ‘this is a place to respect, so please respect’,” the witness said.

During the cross-examination, R. Sivaraj, who is the lawyer for Siti Nuramira, asked the witness about the time he was hired by Crackhouse Comedy Club to be a host.

Muhammad Asyraf, who is also pursuing a part-time career as a comedian, replied that it was not a job that he was hired to do, as he was just the host for one show and was doing it voluntarily.

R. Sivaraj: As a comedian yourself, (would you) agree with me that profanity is often used during stand-up comedy and that you have used profanity in your stand-up comedy before?

Muhammad Asyraf: Not often, and yes, I have used profanity in my performances.

R. Sivaraj: With regard to 3R, I suggest to you that the issue of race and religion, as well as profanity, had been used in Crackhouse Comedy Club before.

Muhammad Asyraf: I agree.

On July 13 last year, Siti Nuramira, 27, pleaded not guilty to a charge of causing disharmony on religious grounds among Muslims by stripping to a skimpy outfit at the Crackhouse Comedy Club in Taman Tun Dr Ismail here at 6pm on June 4, 2022, under Section 298A(1)(a) of the Penal Code. — Bernama