Music fest organiser warns against blanket suspension after Pinkfish tragedy

PETALING JAYA: A major events and music festival organiser has urged the police to lift a suspension on permits for concerts in Selangor following the drug-related deaths of four revellers, stating a blanket suspension penalises the majority for the actions of a few.

Police said the four who died at the 14,000-people event at the Pinkfish New Year’s Eve countdown at Sunway Lagoon on Dec 31 were suspected to have consumed ecstasy, although investigators are still waiting for the toxicology analysis report for confirmation.

Livescape Group CEO Iqbal Ameer told FMT that with over 100 events planned for 2025, suspending such events would leave venue operators, artistes, small businesses, and technical specialists without a key source of income.

He hopes that the authorities and relevant ministers will work with event organisers to collectively come up with better solutions instead of banning or cancelling concerts.

“This is a deeply concerning development. If you are caught bringing drugs through the airport, do you stop all planes and shut the entire airport until further notice?” he said.

“What the police want to implement is not a balanced, effective solution which prioritises safety without compromising the livelihoods of thousands within our industry.”

Noting that Malaysia already enforces some of the strictest concert guidelines in the region, Iqbal said the authorities and organisers should discuss increased enforcement measures to prevent drug-related deaths at concerts.

He also said the existing enforcement measures were “more than adequate” as Pinkfish’s management had hundreds of security personnel at the venue, on top of over 100 policemen outside the venue and K9 units stationed at all entrances.

“It is unfortunate what happened, but if you break the law, you should face the consequences, not stop an entire industry because of it,” he said.

Veteran DJ Victor Goh said the “foolish” suspension would take a heavy toll on the music festival industry and the sectors which support it.

Goh said a friend of his who runs a company which supplies AV equipment to concerts had invested a large amount to procure new equipment for 2025 in anticipation of a surge in events.

“Organisers have also already paid deposits for artistes and venues. But with all that revenue from concerts gone, who is going to be held accountable? Who is going to bear the cost of all this?” he said.

‘Implement harm reduction strategies’

Goh said Malaysia should implement harm reduction strategies to prevent drug-related deaths at concerts, and introduce awareness programmes to ensure that concert-goers fully understand the risks involved when taking drugs.

In a Bernama report, Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan said the victims who took ecstasy pills at the Pinkfish concert also drank alcohol, creating a deadly cocktail.

“There needs to be better education and awareness to prevent people from dying (at concerts). Currently, there is nothing being done in Malaysia to educate teenagers on how to party safely and responsibly,” Goh said.

He suggested that concerts implement pill testing, which is a service that allows users to test the content of pills to prevent the consumption of dangerous adulterated substances. Pill testing has been practised at festivals in Europe since 1992 and in the US since 1998.

Last January, research published in the International Journal of Drug Policy found that most of the 64 drug-related deaths at music festivals in Australia between 2000 and 2019 could have been prevented through harm reduction strategies such as pill testing services, mobile medical care, and increased education and awareness.

Last month, the state of New South Wales in Australia announced a 12-month long pill testing trial at music festivals. Pill testing in Australia has been backed by associations such as the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Australian Medical Association.