KUALA LUMPUR – The Crackhouse Comedy Club will be made to explain why it has been operating with an improper license, following Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) decision to temporarily suspend its operation.
Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias said DBKL will issue a show-cause letter to the comedy club as it was running with only a restaurant license, and not one needed for entertainment.
“They need both. So they definitely violated the terms (of the license),” he said, as quoted by The Star.
The show-cause letter, he said, will be issued tomorrow (July 12) and the operators of the premises will be given 14 days to provide their response.
He added that Crackhouse’s operators can also make an appeal within 14 days and apply for the entertainment license.
However, he said the approval was the prerogative of DKBL’s licensing committee.
“I will leave it to the committee to investigate whether the present licence has been abused.”
This development comes after DBKL temporarily suspended the operating licence of the comedy club in Taman Tun Dr Ismail yesterday after a video emerged showing a woman donning a headscarf before disrobing and revealing her skimpy clothing.
She was consequently accused of insulting Islam after a video clip of the skit went viral on social media.
The country’s top comedians, including veteran actor Datuk Afdlin Shauki Aksan, said DBKL’s clampdown on the venue is unfair to its operator as the incident occurred during an open mic night.
The Vibes had previously reported that the woman at the centre of the controversy involving her comedy skit that allegedly insulted Islam claimed she is “married” and has seven boyfriends.
In a video posted on TikTok, Siti Amira Natasha Abdullah, who addressed herself as Amy, also said she had a pious upbringing and had worn conservative clothing when she was young.
During her time on stage, Siti Amira appeared fully clothed in Muslim garb before stripping it off to cheers from a segment of the audience believed to be her friends.
In a statement yesterday, Royal Malaysia Police secretary Datuk Noorsiah Mohd Saaduddin said they have remanded the woman at the centre of the controversy for three days to help with investigations.
Crackhouse Comedy Club co-founder Rizal van Geyzel claimed that his team was thrilled to see a Malay woman in a headscarf wanting to participate in the event but did not expect her to make “off-limits” jokes about religion.
Moving forward, he said he will be extra vigilant, and that his team will be trained to either escort “deviant aspiring comedians” off the stage or deactivate the microphone immediately if someone insults any religion.
Club receives more industry support
Meanwhile, in a joint statement, Alife president Rizal Kamal and Industries Unite co-founder Datuk David Gurupatham expressed concern over the temporary closure of club.
They said that the investigation on the objectionable skit should focus on the perpetrators, rather than the venue.
“The incident involves an open mic performer who used provocative methods to illicit a shock response from the audience. The performance was then shared on their social media and it has gone viral, inciting further negative response from the general public.
“Such activities are not condoned by the industry and have tarnished the efforts to promote comedy and entertainment in the country,” they said.
“We would like to give our support to the venue, who are purveyors of performance art and for eight years have provided a platform for comedians to hone their craft.” – The Vibes, July 11, 2022
