During the recent Dewan Rakyat sitting, YB Stampin addressed the issue of the “kill switch,” which has reportedly deterred foreign artists from choosing to perform in Malaysia. The introduction of this mechanism was proposed following an incident involving The 1975 group at the Good Vibes Festival in 2023, marking the first and only incident out of 344 approved performances that year.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil emphasised the necessity of implementing mechanisms to prevent the recurrence of incidents that violate the country’s laws, with the kill switch being considered as one element in managing performance incidents, to be used only in extremely urgent situations as a last resort.
The proposal (kill switch) is currently under consideration for inclusion in the revised PUSPAL Guidelines, aimed at enhancing understanding, particularly among new concert organisers, to ensure thorough preparations, taking into account potential negative incidents that may occur during events.
Additionally, Fahmi highlighted that the government has initiated a reduction in entertainment duties from 25% to 10% for foreign artist performances in 2024.
This move is among the steps taken to attract more foreign artists to Malaysia, with hopes of generating a spillover effect for the entertainment industry’s economic chain in the country.
