[lbo-talk] Malaysian punks told to conform

[kjkhoo at softhome.net]

In this instance, it's being done ostensibly in the name of Islamic 
culture. In another episode a few years back, it was done in the name 
of being un-Malaysian, immoral, bad 'western' influence, 
what-have-you. Years back, it was ruled that male pop artists could 
not appear on state-run TV if they had long hair.

Currently, it's being played up locally because the Parti Islam 
SeMalaysia (the Malaysian Islamic Party, PAS) runs the state 
government in Kelantan and is locked with ruling National Front party 
in a contest for Malay-Muslim votes. The ruling party projects itself 
as Islamic, but modernist and tolerant, and playing up allegedly 
Islamist repressiveness is a part of a play to secure Chinese, 
non-Muslim votes. This has become essential since the 1998 sacking of 
then Deputy Prime Minister on a charge of homosexuality has severely 
divided Malay-Muslim opinion which formerly used to vote at around 
70% for the ruling party.

The punk and hard metal scene is, apparently, a largely Malay youth 
scene. They are banned from state-run radio and TV, both federally 
operated, but they have their own recording venues and marketing 
outlets, often the night markets where one used to also be able to 
obtain pirated VCDs and DVDs ranging from the pornographic to the 
religious, and their own gathering points where they perform and 
dance.

Grant Lee wrote:
>BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Malaysian punks told to conform
>
>Malaysian punks told to conform
>
>By Jonathan Kent
>BBC correspondent in Kuala Lumpur