The Kelantan Youth wing of opposition Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) has delivered a memorandum of protest against the opening of the first cinema in the east coast state since the Islamist party took over in 1990, but it is unclear what exactly it is rallying against.
The memorandum submitted last week is believed to be against Paragon Cinema which was supposed to open this month at the KB Mall in Kota Baru, but the cineplex’s launch is still on hold as its operators await licence approval from the local municipal council and the Kelantan state government.
However, the PAS-led state government has denied receiving any licence application from any cinema operators so far, despite a posting on the mall’s official Facebook page claiming that Paragon’s doors will open this month.
“There has been no application made at all as of this moment,” Kelantan’s local government, housing, youth and sports committee chairman Abdul Fattah Mahmood told Malay Mail Online when contacted on Monday (July 18).
However, he refused to comment when asked about the status of Paragon Cinema, which was reportedly nearly completed.
PAS Kelantan Youth Chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, who led the protest, told Malay Mail Online on Monday that he was afraid the opening of cinemas would cause the state government to deviate from its strict rulings on entertainment outlets.
“We asked for the government to be stricter with the enforcement of the enactment if they are going to allow it,” he said.
“We are worried that it won’t follow the enactment at all and this might lead to problems in the future.”
KB Mall’s leasing executive Mohd Ashrul confirmed the plan to open a cinema is still in the pipelines, but said an opening date has yet to be set as no licence has been issued so far.
“The construction is still on-going. There is no actual date on the opening yet,” he told Malay Mail Online on Monday.
When asked for elaboration on the licence application, Mr Mohd Ashrul revealed that the mall is still negotiating with Paragon Cinema’s top management about adhering to the strict restrictions set by the state authorities.
“About the licence, we are still negotiating on the application details. We are waiting for an answer from the top management,” he added, but refused to confirm whether an application has been lodged.
Since PAS took over Kelantan in 1990, several cinema outlets including Rex, Odeon and Lido were closed down as they did not adhere to the Entertainment Control Enactment 1998.
PAS vice-president Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah, who is also Kelantan’s Deputy Chief Minister, told The Star over the weekend that the state is willing to consider the return of cinemas, even after the staunch protest from PAS Youth wing.
Mr Mohd Amar said however cinema operators would still be subjected to stricter guidelines which include gender-segregated seatings and restricted screenings during Muslim daily prayer times.
The Paragon Cinema complex, said to offer eight screening halls, stoked the excitement of Kelantan folks after its opening was announced on KB Mall’s Facebook page. The Facebook post has since been deleted.
According to Mr Mohd Ashrul, the cinema is a joint-venture between the mall operators and an outside investor looking to open the first cinema there, where entertainment outlets are a thorny topic. Meanwhile, PAS’ Youth Wing on Monday objected to a concert by Selena Gomez in Shah Alam next week, claiming that the “sexy” American pop singer taints the Muslim month of celebration.
The Islamist party wing’s missionary bureau chairman Hafez Sabri said Ms Gomez’s concert on July 25 coincides with the 20th day of Syawal, the month of Aidilfitri.
“The appearance of the American born artist who has been synonymous with a sexy appearance would tarnish the nobleness of the month of Syawal that is celebrated with gratitude and penitence by Muslims … (It) promotes the culture of hedonism among the younger generations in this country,” he said in a statement.
Source: TODAY Online
