THE organiser of the S.P. Balasubrahmanyam concert scheduled for Saturday said there is nothing wrong with selling tickets before securing approval for the show, as the guidelines provided do not state such a requirement.

The Central Agencies Committee for Applications for Filming and Performances by Foreign Artistes (Puspal), in a statement today, said it never issued a support letter to Raaghav Production to hold the said event from 7pm to 11pm on August 31.

Puspal said the organiser applied for a permit on July 31, but had started promotions and selling tickets as early as March.

Raghav Production managing director J. Dinesh Kumar said the company did the same thing last year without issues.

“Nowhere in the guidelines does it say we need a permit before we can begin promotions and ticket sales. When we did it last year, there was no problem.

“Puspal can say that, but their guidelines do not state, ‘don’t sell tickets till you get a permit’,” he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur tonight.

Raaghav Production’s subsequent application was rejected based on the Malaysian Islamic Development Department’s advice.

The organiser was told to move the concert to a more appropriate date, as Maal Hijrah, which marks the Islamic New Year, is observed from sunset on August 31 till sunset on September 1.

Dinesh said when he applied for the permit, he was assured by the Puspal guidelines, which state that only open-air concerts are not allowed during the period.

Balasubrahmanyam’s show will be held at KLCC’s Plenary Hall, which is a closed venue, he said.

“We applied, and the guidelines said closed venues will not be affected. Now, they are saying we are an open-air concert. We are arguing that… it’s an indoor venue.”

However, he said, the concert has been retimed, and will now start at 3pm on Saturday.

“This doesn’t affect us much. It’s just a time change, not a drastic change, so people will still come.”

He said Raaghav Production understands the sensitivity surrounding the matter, but cannot change the concert date as the Indian singer has no other free dates.

The change in start time became an issue following reports that two concerts by international artistes scheduled for Saturday have been brought forward to the afternoon, to accommodate Maal Hijrah prayers in the evening.

The other show, by Taiwanese legend Bobby Chen, will be held at Shah Alam’s Melawati Stadium. It was originally slated to begin at 7.30pm, but will now kick off at noon.

Soul9s Production, the organiser for the Chen concert, said the decision to hold the show earlier on Saturday is to make way for the Selangor government’s Maal Hijrah event.

Those seeking refunds can do so before Thursday, said the company, which apologised for the change in timing.

Tickets for the Chen show range from RM188 to RM588.

Puspal documents stating the agency’s disapproval of the concert’s original time slot were seen by The Malaysian Insight.

“Maal Hijrah is a big day in the Muslim calendar, and if the concert were to take place at the original time… it would cause anxiety among Malaysians, a majority of whom are Muslims,” said the documents.

“Given this, Puspal does not support shows by foreign artistes from August 30 to September 1.”

According to the agency’s official guidelines, Puspal “has the right to revoke its approval should the foreign artiste’s performance or filming touch on religious, racial and cultural issues of Malaysian communities, and (is deemed) damaging to the country’s interests”.

The guidelines also prohibit concerts during the holy month of Ramadan and religious public holidays. – August 26, 2019.