I AM disturbed by Kedah executive councillor Dr Ismail Salleh’s recent statement that the state government has imposed a blanket ban on rock, reggae, pop and dangdut concerts. He said that such shows could have a “negative impact on youth”.

I am a proud Kedahan and a singer-songwriter who happens to make pop and rock music. I find it insulting that Ismail considers that the music I make (and, by extension, I as an individual) could have a negative impact on youth.

I am also a human rights advocate. I have facilitated numerous workshops on gender equality, human rights and democracy specifically for students and young people. I am proud that young people are becoming more aware of their rights and the kind of democratic Malaysia they would like to live in.

Young people played a big part in deciding on March 8 to vote for change in Malaysia. How ironic that the change they voted for in Kedah is now proving to be more repressive.

It is sad that in this case, the agenda seems to smack of a narrow kind of Islamist moralism. I consider it my duty as a Muslim to uphold democracy and human rights. And yet I now will not be able to do this in my home state, simply because one of the ways I choose to create change is by making pop and rock music. And unapologetically at that because in my pop and rock gigs (which these uninformed leaders would rush to consider “negative”), I engage the audience in discussions on social justice, democracy and human rights through my art.

Make no mistake, this ban on concerts has a direct impact on the livelihood of artistes and concert organisers. And this is something we all need to discuss — musicians, organisers and concert-goers alike.

However, I am concerned about what I see as the heart of the matter as an artiste — that this is an issue of basic rights that affects all citizens: our right to freedom of expression and assembly. To use morality as a basis for banning concerts lacks any intellectual basis. So many of our politicians are corrupt and abuse their power — shall we impose a blanket ban on all politicians and political parties as well?

In the interest of democracy and human rights, this blanket banning of concerts has to stop, whether these bans are initiated by Pakatan Rakyat or Barisan Nasional. Art and entertainment are an important barometer for a healthy democracy. If any political party cannot even tolerate a pop concert, imagine what else it would not tolerate.

SHANON SHAH, Kuala Lumpur

Source: NST – September 1, 2008