After Thai K-pop singer Lisa and her Blackpink bandmates, a group of Thai hunks are the latest performers to draw flak from local politicians as they prepare to go on stage in Malaysia.
Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) on Wednesday denounced the March 30 opening of Privacy Club Tun Razak in Kuala Lumpur, which will feature waiters from Thai restaurant Staneemeehoi, famed for its dancing, cross-dressing employees in Bangkok.
“It is clear that this event promotes a culture of hedonism, obscenity and free sex based on the notice,” said PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan in a statement.
“It is in conflict with local culture and insensitive to the position of Islam as the official religion, let alone it being held in the month of Ramadan,” he added.
PAS also expressed opposition to the club referencing former Malaysia prime minister Tun Abdul Razak in its name, saying it “insults the good name of the country’s leader”.
Malaysian police said they received 60 police reports against the event as of 4pm on Wednesday.
Superintendent Ashari Abu Samah said the police issued a stern warning to the club, and its management and the organiser have agreed to cancel the event.
He added that the police will monitor the premises in case any rules are broken.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the organisers should be mindful of Muslim sensitivities.
“It is best for such events not to be continued because they could create a certain uneasiness. This is because Muslims worldwide will be welcoming Ramadan,” he said.
During the month of Ramadan, which begins on Thursday, Muslims will abstain from food and drink as well as other temptations such as sex and smoking during daylight hours.
“There must be mutual respect from those living in a multicultural society. They need to be aware of certain sensitivities of the respective communities,” said Datuk Seri Saifuddin.
Staneemeehoi is known for serving up beefy waiters as a unique selling point that differentiates it from other seafood eateries in the Thai capital.
Videos on social media show its well-sculpted employees dressed in women’s lingerie or Sailor Moon outfits cavorting with diners at their tables while music plays at regular intervals on regular nights at the restaurant.
The photogenic waiters have also been spotted in similarly stripped-down attire riding motorcycles as live advertising machinery for the restaurant while delivering meals and posing sultrily for photos with the restaurant’s customers.
Earlier, PAS youth chief Fadhli Shaari had rallied opposition against the club’s choice of guests.
“There is no need for a programme like this to be given permission to operate, even more so in the honourable month of Ramadan! Please, stop it. Voice a mass protest,” he wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.
Responding to a question from Mr Fadhli in Parliament on Wednesday, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Wilson Ugak Kumbong said the Thai Hot Guy event should not be associated with the government’s Malaysia Madani agenda, adding that such “unhealthy” programmes should not take place in Malaysia. The word “madani” in Arabic carries the general meaning of civilised, or modern.
PAS’ disapproval of the Thai waiters comes after previous resistance against foreign performers.
Earlier in March, Dr Mastura Muhammad, an MP for Kepala Batas in Penang, accused the government of double standards for allowing a Blackpink concert despite its “deviant” nature, with the K-pop group putting on a show in attire that “violated societal decency”.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/s...ing-ramadan-raise-ire-of-malaysia-politicians
