KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will hold talks with the Federal Territories (FT) mufti to allow the Coldplay concert slated for tomorrow to continue as planned at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here.
He said this was in view of the fact that there were lobbyists from a movement supporting Palestinians who supported the concert, while there were other parties who suggested that the concert be called off.
“Coldplay is among the bands that support Palestine. There is a small problem I have to say, even the previous government had approved (the concert) also. I will discuss this with the mufti.
“Because there are lobbyists from the Palestinian movement who support and have given their views to the foreign minister, and my office has stated, why should we stop a group that supports the Palestinian cause from performing?” he said during Prime Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was replying to a supplementary question from Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (PN-Machang) regarding the government’s stance on the concert, since FT mufti Luqman Abdullah had advised that the concert be called off as it would not benefit society.
Several other parties had also called for the concert to be cancelled out of respect for the situation in Gaza, Palestine. They also expressed concern that the incident by The 1975 band in July might recur.
British band Coldplay is scheduled to perform at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil tomorrow as part of its Music of the Spheres World Tour.