Wednesday August 13, 2008

Poser over Canadian rocker Avril’s concert

By BAVANI M

THE concert by popular Canadian rocker Avril Lavigne planned for Aug 29 at Stadium Merdeka may not materialise as the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is still mulling over the decision on whether to allow the show to go on.

In a faxed statement sent out to the media yesterday, City Hall said it was still getting feedback from various agencies on whether to allow the concert to be held.

The statement said the concert organisers had applied for an entertainment licence on Aug 11 but the local authority had yet to make a decision on the matter.

It added that City Hall was awaiting feedback from various agencies such as the police, Central Committee for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artiste (Puspal) and Arts, Culture and National Heritage Department (Kekwa) before deciding.

Recently, the Federal Territory PAS handed over a memorandum to Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Ab Hakim Borhan calling for the cancellation of the concert.

It said the concert did not reflect the Merdeka spirit and was indecent.

Various activist groups have criticised the FT PAS for saying this as the concert was not about decency but one involving freedom of expression.