[UPDATED] DBKL permanently bars Crackhouse owners from registering businesses

KUALA LUMPUR – The owners of Crackhouse Comedy Club have been permanently blacklisted from registering business licences for any premises in the capital, said Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias.

He added that during a recent meeting on July 29, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall licensing committee had agreed to revoke the comedy club’s licence effective July 30.

“By blacklisting the club owners from registering a business licence in Kuala Lumpur forever, the owners will not be able to register any business activity here even under a different name and company,” he was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.

Jalaluddin said this during a press conference after integrated operations at the Kuala Lumpur wholesale market today. 

He added that several clubs here suspected to be involved in similar activities were being monitored, and that premises with entertainment licences issued by DBKL must adhere to the rules. 

“Those who violate the licensing conditions will not be spared from strict action. Monitoring and inspection activities will be carried out periodically by DBKL because we do not want anyone to escape our enforcement,” he said.

Previously, Crackhouse Comedy Club was embroiled in controversy following a viral video of a woman claiming to be a Muslim and to have memorised 15 chapters (juzuk) of the Quran before taking off her headscarf and baju kurung during an open mic comedy skit at the club on June 4. 

The club had then lodged a police report at the Taman Tun Dr Ismail police station against Siti Nuramira Abdullah, 26, adding that she and her partner had been barred from the venue immediately after her performance.

Her act eventually led to the venue’s operating licence being temporarily suspended by DBKL, a move which has been criticised by some of the biggest names in Malaysian comedy and similar venues.

Jalaluddin had said then that DBKL would issue a show-cause letter to the comedy club as it was running with only a restaurant licence, and not one needed for entertainment. 

The club’s co-founder Rizal van Geyzel was later detained by authorities at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters for questioning over several viral videos after a number of police reports were lodged nationwide against the comedian for allegedly insulting Malays. 

On July 19, Rizal told The Vibes that he had lodged a police report at the TTDI police station over death threats made against his family, believed to have stemmed from previous dissent. 

On the same day, the club’s premises were vandalised with splashes of red paint, leading to damage estimated to cost around RM3,000. 

Three days later, Rizal pleaded not guilty at the sessions court here to three charges of allegedly inciting racial tensions through online postings. 

The charges were made under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which covers the misuse of communications networks and carries a maximum of one year in jail, or a fine of up to RM50,000. – The Vibes, August 17, 2022