Pussy Cat Dolls in Malaysia!

Sharpening his CLAWS!-by Najmuddin Najib -
They're long since gone. But Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim seems to be choking on a furball.
The reason? The recent Pussycat Dolls concert, which he say went against local sensitivities and deceny Laws.
While admitting that his Ministry is powerless to do anything about it, Rais is pushing the Subang Jaya Municipal Coucil(MPSJ) to charge the organiser, Absolute Entertainment, with flouting decency laws.
Its gonna be a catfight...

THE Pussycat Dolls may have gone home, but the fur is still flying!

The concert organisers, Absolute Entertainment, may find themselves in hot water after incurring the wrath of Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim, over the girls’ eye-popping attire and sexy antics during their concert at Sunway Lagoon last month.

If Rais has his way, the organisers could find themselves slapped with a fine for indecent behaviour!

When contacted yesterday, Rais confirmed that he would recommend that the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) charge the organiser with indecency for the concert.

“The Ministry is not an enforcement agency and cannot take action. However, I will recommend that the local council take those behind the concert to task for flouting decency laws,” he told The Malay Mail.

Indecency, he admitted, was a highly subjective matter.

“It (indecency) has never been the crux of the courts. In my view, however, I believe that the way the Pussycat Dolls behaved on stage amounted to gross indecency,” he said.

He said the organisers had earlier given their assurance that the show would not include elements which could antagonise local sensitivities.

“However, it turned out that the Pussycat Dolls reportedly put on a show which not only featured scantily-dressed performers, but also included sensuous elements.

“We certainly didn’t expect this. Apparently, we’ve been taken for a ride by the Pussycat Dolls people. They’ve taken advantage of us,” he said, adding that he had been deluged with letters on the show’s content.

Rais also lambasted MPSJ for their apparent lax enforcement.

“I say again; the Ministry is not an enforcement agency, and we cannot have our officers rush over to see if everything is in order. That is beyond our jurisdiction.

“The local council, being the ones who issued the entertainment licence, should have at least ensured that the performance complied with the set guidelines,” he said.

He said the Ministry is interviewing all the relevant parties involved in the concert to get their side of the story.

“This includes the organiser as well as the venue owner,” he said, adding that investigations should be concluded within the next few days.

Rais said the Ministry would also be taking additional measures to ensure that incidents such as this did not recur.

He said he would propose to the Cabinet that PUSPAL (the Central Committee for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes), which is responsible for approving foreign acts in Malaysia, be required to sign a bond with the Ministry for subsequent performances.

“They (PUSPAL) will have to sign a bond with us to ensure that the guidelines are followed during performances. If the terms are breached, then the bond will be forfeited, resulting in substantial losses for them.

“This, I believe, is one of the ways to ensure that everyone toes the line,” he said, adding that the items will be presented to the Cabinet soon.

Adrian Wong, managing director of Absolute Entertainment, said he was unable to disclose any information as investigations were underway.

“We have been in touch with PUSPAL. However, we can only discuss the matter after the post-mortem meeting with PUSPAL,” he said.

A source from PUSPAL said the onus lies with the organisers to ensure that the guidelines are adhered to.

“We only issue the approval to facilitate entry and subsequent proceedings. Our aim is only to ensure that everything goes smoothly,” said the source.

However, the source hinted that the concert organiser should have ensured that the Pussycat Dolls’ attire complied with the guidelines.

“After all, the Dress Code clearly states what is acceptable and what isn’t,” said the source.

The source added that they were liaising with MPSJ on the matter. “MPSJ, as the local council, were responsible for issuing the entertainment licence. We need to see whether the show breached any of their regulations,” said the source.