KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 — The kill switch function in concerts will only be employed in worst-case scenarios or as a last resort, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
The mechanism was introduced to prevent violations of Malaysian laws from recurring, as well as to prevent untoward incidents.
“The kill switch mechanism was initially proposed to be used by concert organisers following the incident involving ‘The 1975’ band at the Good Vibes Festival last year.
“This incident was the first involving an artiste during a performance and was the only one out of 344 approved performances in 2023,” he said when winding up the debate on the Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address for his ministry in the Dewan Rakyat today.
The mechanism is also being considered for inclusion in the guidelines of the Central Agency for Application of Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (Puspal), which is currently being amended.
Fahmi added that this will help improve understanding, especially for new concert organisers, and help them make thorough preparations, taking into account potential negative incidents that may occur during the event.
The government reduced entertainment duties from 25 per cent to 10 per cent for foreign artists’ performances this year as part of efforts to attract more of them to perform in Malaysia.
He said the proposed amendments to the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588) have been finalised in terms of policy and subsequently approved by the Cabinet on March 8.
Regarding the efforts to tackle fake news and 3R (race, religion, royalty) issues, Fahmi said the laws in place, including Section 505 of Act 574 and Section 233 of Act 588, among others, are still relevant for regulatory and enforcement action.
“Firm cooperation between enforcement agencies like the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is consistently strengthened based on both Acts 574 and 588 to ensure the issue of fake news and 3R content can be promptly addressed,” he said.
MCMC is committed to providing technical assistance to PDRM in conducting transparent investigations based on guidelines, procedures, and provisions under Act 588 to ensure the principles of the law are justly enforced.
— Bernama
