A safe experience: Concert attendees have been reminded to enjoy music without illicit substances. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
Groups emphasise need for improved anti-drug measures instead
PETALING JAYA: A sweeping halt on all concert permits following the deaths of four revellers at a New Year’s Eve concert would be unfair to the thousands of people in the live music scene and their fans, say music and youth groups.
Instead, they propose a more measured approach, such as temporarily suspending permits for events with a history of drug-related issues.
They also emphasise the need for improved anti-drug measures at concerts and greater awareness among concert-goers.
“There should be exhibition booths or awareness campaigns at concert venues on the harms of drug abuse,” said Malaysian Artistes Association president Datuk Freddie Fernandez in a statement yesterday.
He proposed making “music without drugs” a mandatory tagline on promotional materials to remind attendees to enjoy music without illicit substances.
“Concertgoers should also exercise better judgement as entertainment should be fully enjoyed through music alone, without any illicit elements such as drugs,” Fernandez added.
This comes in response to the deaths of four attendees at the New Year’s Eve Pinkfish concert in Subang Jaya, whom police suspect had consumed ecstasy.
Despite the event deploying about 100 security personnel, including police and K9 units, to prevent the entry of illicit substances, the tragedy occurred.
Following the incident, Selangor police announced the suspension of all approvals for concert permits in the state.
The Malaysian Youth Council (MBM) highlighted that not all concerts have a history of drug-related issues.
“Concerts involving local musicians rarely face drug problems. Neither is it a problem with foreign artistes. It is only a certain type of event that is prone to these issues,” said MBM president Mohd Izzat Afifi Abdul Hamid.
He called for targeted measures, adding: “It’s not fair to impose a blanket ban. A better approach would be to temporarily suspend permits for specific types of concerts, so that organisers and authorities can find better ways to prevent drugs from being smuggled in.”
Student leader Shoandeep Radhakrishnan echoed this sentiment, urging Malaysia to learn from neighbouring countries that have successfully curbed drug-related incidents at music events.
“Our neighbours host far more concerts and manage to prevent such tragedies. Why is it that they can do it but we can’t?” said Shoandeep, who is president of the Monash University Student Association.
Meanwhile, the Selangor government has pledged to review its concert guidelines to prevent drug abuse.
State youth, sports, and entrepreneurship committee chairman Mohd Najwan Halimi said he would discuss the issue with local government and tourism committee chairman Datuk Ng Suee Lim.
“We deeply regret the recent tragic deaths.
“However, we trust that the authorities have conducted thorough investigations and lauded the move by police to temporarily suspend the approval of permits for concerts.
“Our goal is to prevent such incidents from happening again,” Mohd Najwan said at the Selangor Madani Youth Tour Carnival 2024 Series 3 at Pantai Remis, Bernama reported.
Najwan also expressed hope that concert organisers would thoroughly evaluate the effectiveness of their preventive methods.
The New Year’s Eve incident saw seven people rushed to the hospital after falling unconscious between 10.45pm and 3am.
