Press Statement 
By DAP National Vice-Chair Dan Durian Daun State Assemblywoman Betty Chew Gek Cheng 
In Petaling Jaya 
On 19 September 2002

PAS Kelantan's Decision To Ban Female Entertainers From Performing Will Only Confirm BN's Attacks And Raise Fears Amongst Non-Muslims That A PAS Government Is Backward And Will Deny Malaysians Their Freedom And Rights


PAS Kelantan's decision to ban female entertainers from performing in Kelantan will only confirm BN's attacks and raise fears amongst non-Muslims that a PAS Government is backward and will deny Malaysians their freedom and rights. DAP Wanita will fully support any measures to ban male or female entertainers engaged in vulgar or pornographic performances.

However, DAP Wanita can not understand why female entertainers such as Siti Nurhaliza who are fully clothed and whose performances are wholesome are banned from performing. DAP Wanita strongly opposes such a unreasonable ban. There should be no objections to performers like Siti
Nurhaliza who are dressed conservatively and has a good reputation of not wearing revealing clothes.

Even though this ban applies only to Muslim entertainers, BN will raise fears amongst non-Muslims that this will later affect the freedom and rights of non-Muslims. If female Muslim entertainers are not allowed to sing, will non-Muslims also be affected later? Non-Muslims will lose confidence and not be convinced that PAS will protect non-Muslim rights when they are only interested in a "ban here, ban there, ban everywhere" policy.

By allowing male but not female performers to sing, PAS has only increased the negative impression that it discriminates against women. This follows the passing of the hudud laws in Terengganu that has created protests and objections from women groups.

By only singling out women and not men, the impression created by PAS is that women is the source of all sins and evil. This is most unfair when it is men who commits most of the serious crimes. DAP Wanita calls on the PAS government to adopt a liberal approach and immediately withdraw the ban on female entertainers.