KUALA LUMPUR, 26 Aug 2008: PAS has demanded that the government ban the Avril Lavigne concert on Friday.
Its Youth deputy chief, Nasrudin Hassan, claimed the concert would be an insult to the country which would observe its 51st independence anniversary celebrations, and to Muslims observing Ramadan in September.
He said with Independence Day approaching, the government would normally organise tahlil (prayers) and forums to instil patriotism in the people, especially the younger generation.
“A concert of this nature is not conducive to teach the younger generation to become good citizens; upright and competitive but instead, would weaken them morally and mentally,” he said in a statement today.
Nasrudin said if the organiser went ahead with the concert, PAS Youth would hold a protest.
The Canadian pop singer is scheduled to perform at Stadium Merdeka on 29 Aug, just two days ahead of the country’s independence day, as part of her world tour.
An application for the concert was earlier rejected by the central committee for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artists (Puspal) on the grounds that it was submitted late.
However, the cabinet last week allowed her to perform by imposing certain conditions on the organiser to ensure the concert did not create a bad influence, especially on the young, or disrupt independence day celebrations. — Bernama
