PETALING JAYA: The Kuala Terengganu City Council appears to have issued a directive prohibiting female singers from performing on stage in the state, reported China Press.
The Chinese daily said it discovered that the Kuala Terengganu City Council had now extended this policy to non-Muslim activities as well.
It reported the 76-year-old Kuan Ti Temple in Terengganu as claiming to have been verbally informed on July 29, the first day of its anniversary celebration, that its application to organise singing, dancing and cultural performances had been approved with one new clause added, which is prohibiting female participants from singing.
Previously, Terengganu, governed by Perikatan Nasional’s PAS, only banned Muslim female singers from performing.
China Press said its reporters saw city council enforcement officers conducting a visit at the event at around 10pm on the first day and took photos with their phones.
A director of the Terengganu Kuan Ti Temple told China Press that the enforcement officers visited the venue on all three nights of the religious performance.
"They asked a few questions, including whether the performers' costumes were overly revealing and reminded us to maintain public order and tranquillity before they left,” he said.
It is learnt that in the past 11 years, there have never been cases of enforcement officers checking on Chinese performances in Kuala Terengganu.
On Jul 29, it was reported that Terengganu state exco member Hishamuddin Abdul Karim said the state government would introduce designated seats for women during football matches at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium.
He said this was to address the intermingling between sexes.
