Cinemas allowed only in outskirts of Shah Alam

MP Khalid Samad says the Sultan does not object to them as long as they are outside the core city.

PETALING JAYA: The gradual emergence of cinemas in Shah Alam has made some people wonder whether Selangor authorities have sneaked in a change to entertainment rules to allow movie shows in the state capital.

According to Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, it’s a simple matter of difference in decisions made by the current and former ruler of the state.

The late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah did not approve of entertainment centres in Shah Alam. The current ruler, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, apparently does not object to them as long as they are located in the outskirts of the city.

“So, even though Padang Jawa, Setia Alam, and Bukit Jelutong are under the Shah Alam City Council, it is the current Sultan’s decree that as long as it’s in the outskirts, then it’s okay,” Khalid told FMT.

The first cinema in Shah Alam, MCAT Box Office Cinemas at the Space U8 Mall in Bukit Jelutong, opened in 2011. This was followed in 2012 by Golden Screen Cinemas at Setia City Mall in Setia Alam and late last year by TSR Cinemax, which is located between Persiaran Selangor and Jalan Padang Jawa.

Asked how he felt about it all, Khalid said he was neither a supporter of entertainment outlets nor a “strong objector” to them.

“Shah Alam is multiracial and we have non-Muslim residents who would like some form of entertainment,” he said. “If they can behave themselves, then I don’t see why the Malays wouldn’t be able to as well.

“If people want to do naughty things they can do naughty things even without cinemas. So we don’t need to have too much of a Taliban-style governance.

“In the end, what I feel is important is that these entertainment centres maintain a family atmosphere and that Shah Alam residents maintain their decorum.” -FMT