Media statement by Tony Pua Kiam Wee in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 5^th April 2012:

Et tu 'tutu'? - A Night Without Ballet

A Singapore dance troupe to perform The Nutcracker and other ballet works in Malaysia has been denied a permit by the Ministry of Information, Communication and Culture due to the absurd reasoning on the dress code of the costumes to be used for their performance this weekend at KLPac. Performances by the dance troupe in their classical tutus and tights, which is a norm for ballet performers in neighbouring countries had been staged in Malaysia without any problems for the past two years.

This, inexplicable act of denying them a permit has come as a shock to both the Singaporean dance troupe and art and performance enthusiasts from both countries ¨C especially when there is clearly no concrete justification for this disapproval.

The Nutcracker, which is over a 100 years old is one of the most respected classic ballet dances and has been performed all around the globe and now, an Asian makeover by the Singapore Dance Theatre.

The Ministry of Information, Communication and Culture had denied them permission but without a valid reason or an explanation on their decision.

So the question now is, why has the Ministry axed this performance now when there has been so many previous performances before this.

More importantly, what exactly is so "indecent" about classical tutus that deserves a complete ban of the performance? Is the Minister of Information, Communication and Culture so perverted as to think improper thought when he watches men and women, boys and girls in ballet outfits?

If that's the case then surely the solution is to ban the Minister and his officials who carry similar corrupted thoughts from these performances. The public who appreciates art and culture should not be denied their right to enjoy an evening of ballet and music.

At the rate which the Minister Datuk Seri Utama Rais Yatim is banning performances, soon our television channels will ban all broadcasting of Olympic swimming, or censor all beach scenes in movies.

What is the future now, of the many accredited ballet academies in the country that stage their own performances locally wearing the same ensemble as the performance team of the Singaporean makeover of The Nutcracker. The ban will definitely stunt the creative growth of the theatre and performing arts industry, mainly ballet dancers.

Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim must step out of his own ancient cave to discover a world out there which isn't perverted like he is. Otherwise, Malaysians will really be the proverbial butt of all jokes about tutus by the international community, as is happening on the cybersphere right this second.

* Tony Pua Kiam Wee, DAP National Publicity Secretary & MP for Petaling Jaya Utara