Protest over possible hosting of beer festival in Selangor

SHAH ALAM: A federation of 25 NGOs in Selangor has urged the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, to intervene if there is any proposal to hold the Better Beer Festival 2017 in the state, now that Kuala Lumpur City Hall has rejected an application to hold it in the federal capital.
Its chairman, Nor Nazilah Idris, said the sultan, as the head of the Islamic religion in the state, had the authority to prohibit the holding of any activity or programme in the state that did not respect the sensitivities of Muslims.
"We handed over a memorandum on the matter to an official at Istana Bukit Kayangan this morning. We believe the matter will be brought to the attention of His Royal Highness," she said to reporters after participating in a protest against the proposed beer festival, in front of Masjid Sultan Salahudin Abdul Aziz Shah here today.
About 50 representatives of the NGOs, among them Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia, Biro Aduan Masyarakat Selangor and Martabat Jalinan Muhibbah Malaysia, attended the protest that was held after the Friday prayers.
Last Monday, Kuala Lumpur City Hall rejected an application by the organiser of the festival, citing security reasons and violation of provisions in the City Hall bylaws.
The organiser had planned to hold the festival on Oct 6 and 7 at the Publika Shopping Gallery in Kuala Lumpur. — Bernama