'No basis to ban Elton John concert'

PETALING JAYA: There is no basis for PAS Youth to seek a ban on Sir Elton John's concert in Malaysia as fans will attend it for his music and nothing else, said Karyawan president Datuk Freddie Fernandez.

"This is a musical event, and people will be attending the concert for their appreciation of his music. They will hardly be interested in his background," he said yesterday in response to PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi's statement that the party would submit a protest note to the Government against the concert organisers if the show was allowed to go on.

PAS had objected on the grounds that the concert promoted "hedonism", and Nasrudin claimed that the singer's homosexuality and gay marriage would lead to a breakdown in morality within Malaysian society.

The 65-year-old singer, who is on the Asian leg of a worldwide tour, performed in Malaysia last November to a sell-out crowd despite a similar protest from PAS.

He will perform at the Arena of Stars in Genting Highlands on Thursday night.

John married Canadian David Furnish, 49, in a civil ceremony in England in 2005.

Fernandez challenged PAS to publish a study on how many Malaysians had "turned gay" after attending John's last concert here.

"They can use that study, if there is one, to strengthen their demands. Otherwise, they should just leave the matter alone," he added.