KUALA LUMPUR: The stand-up comedy fraternity shares funnyman Harith Iskander's lament that Singaporean comedienne Sharul Channa's recent show had to be cancelled at the 11th hour.
Popular comedian Douglas Lim said that as a comedian, he was saddened by this incident.
"I can already anticipate the jibes that will come our way from Singaporean comics," he said.
"But from what I know of this case, the authorities cancelled the show because there were existing reports made against the comedian, so in a way, they had to act.
"Just like when we see 3R content on social media that worries us, we want the authorities to take action, so unless we mature as a society, I don't see how this can change."
Lim added that based on his insights, people who were easily offended by jokes, did not usually go to watch comedy shows, and those who watched comedy shows, knew they were watching jokes and not hate speech regardless of the topic.
"Also, cancelling a show last minute affects not just the comedian but also the producer, the venue and the ticketing agent. It would make other entertainers very wary about performing in Malaysia."
Sharul's comedy show's organiser Laugh Labs Entertainment's chief executive officer Phoon Chi Ho said: "We submitted our application on Jan 30 and usually, if everything is in order, it will be approved in 2 weeks and it was.
"However, the revocation of our act's work visa was done in less than 2 days from 2 police reports. I cannot imagine what will happen to the live events scene if this were to happen all the time."
Phoon also said that more experienced live event organisers told him that they had given many recommendations to the authorities on how to conduct show cancellation Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) but these have been ignored.
"There has to be a safe window between the time a live show gets approved and the show date of when a cancellation can happen.
"This is to ensure that the ticket purchasers can be properly imformed and the organisers won't run into higher financial losses," he said.
Phoon added: "If the authorities were to cancel a show outside of that safe window, they should allow the show to go on but they have the right to heighten security. That is what Australia and Singapore do."
He said that when he appealed against the revocation, he extended an open invitation to the authorities to watch the show because they had to know that the organisers had no malicious intent.
"As performers and show organisers, we need to know where the authorities draw the line of what is sensitive or non-sensitive.
"Sharul's video is a good example, what was okay and approved by the authorities in the past, is suddenly sensitive now."
He said that comedians usually did not know when they "crossed the line".
"That line is drawn by the reactions of our immediate audience. If we get a positive reaction, the joke stays. If we get a negative reaction, we usually change or reword the joke."
Arts, Live Festival and Events Association (ALIFE) president Rizal Kamal said that it was deeply perplexing that a few police reports from individuals whose motives were unclear could result in the cancellation of a stand-up comedy show.
"Malaysia has established performance guidelines that the organisers have agreed to follow, and the show was set to take place in a small theatre in Petaling Jaya, which can only accommodate 420 people.
"This unexpected cancellation raises many questions about the current state of Malaysia. Are there real threats to a comedy show performance?
"Moreover, will this incident foster further division and animosity amongst Malaysians and our Singaporean neighbours?" he said.
Comedian Kuah Jenhan said that the cancellation of Sharul's show was demoralising for performers and their fans alike.
"It is hard not to feel some injustice has taken precedence over the government's desire to make our beautiful country a hub of creativity."
Sharul's May 18 show Just Joking! was supposed to be staged at PJ Live Arts, Jalan Universiti, Petaling Jaya.
The Singaporean comedian's show was scrapped after the Communications Ministry cancelled her work visa, after multiple police reports were lodged her over a 2018 video in which she touched on issues of race, religion, and royalty (3R).
Sharul said in an Instagram post that she was disappointed that her work visa was cancelled even though she gave her assurance that her show here would not touch on 3R issues.