'Provocation': PAS slams concert comic

PAS today hit out at a comic associating the Islamist party with the upcoming concert by popular British band Coldplay, calling it a form of provocation. 

The comic, created by webcomic "Bro, don't like that la, bro", portrays a character dressed in green, PAS' signature colour, standing in line to buy a concert ticket. 

After failing to get one, he becomes angry and instructs that the concert be cancelled. 

The comic followed a statement by PAS central committee member Nasruddin Hassan, who had urged the government to cancel the concert, citing "hedonism" and the spread of "diviant culture". 

When contacted, PAS information chief Khairil Nizam Khirudin did not comment on whether the party would cancel the concert if it had the power to do so. 

"This is a provocation," he said in a brief reply to MalaysiaNow. 

Coldplay is scheduled to perform in Malaysia on Nov 22, an event welcomed by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. 

Tickets for the concert have already been sold, with reports of resales by so-called scalpers for exorbitant prices. 

PAS Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari had opposed the concert of popular singer Billie Eilish in 2022, threatening to protest if the government did not cancel events by Western artists in the country.

In 2016, the Islamist party also objected to a concert by Selena Gomez.