Our Rain Rave street party became a “raving rage” after condemnation from the usual political moral brigade. But surprise, surprise, Arab countries have also had mega EDM (electronic dance music) festivals (before the current war).
Videos of events like Ultra Abu Dhabi and UNTOLD Dubai show DJs pumping out throbbing beats as huge crowds rock their hips. Yes, they were open-air “rave” parties (minus the sprayed “rain”) which our local ethical guardians should also have condemned as “maksiat” (depraved).
Maybe those two cities in the United Arab Emirates are more liberal. What is more shocking is that even Saudi Arabia had the mega dance fest called MDLBEAST Soundstorm in Riyadh.
The country is trying to move forward by diversifying its economy to various sectors, including tourism. But here in Malaysia, some are demanding that we go backwards.st visit to Lebanon over 20 years ago opened my eyes to the sizzling dance clubs there.
Both Beirut and Cairo have long been hubs of hot Arabic pop music, with superstars such as Nancy Ajram, Balqees Fathi and Amr Diab doing sexy music videos.
Imposing rules on others
So why is it okay for those Islamic countries to have mega rave dance events but not Malaysia? Do some feel that we are more moral than the Arabs?
What is more disturbing is that Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh tried to score political points by calling on people to pray for thunderstorms to strike the festival in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.
If some people, including hawkers, had actually been burnt alive by lightning bolts, would they have rejoiced in their “moral victory”?
We are a multiracial country with different religions. If anything, we should be even more open-minded than Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Yet there is a creeping trend of imposing the values of one group upon others.
To make it simple, let me draw an analogy. Say, my friend’s religion doesn't allow him to eat cheesecake. Sure, no problem, I respect his beliefs. Perhaps I can offer him some chocolate cake instead. Or how about plain sponge cake?
But what if my friend and his group demand that I must also stop eating cheesecake? Because I may “offend” them? Not only that, but even having a cheesecake factory is not allowed, even though it provides jobs and doesn’t cause pollution.
Some may instead claim, oh cheesecake is not good for your health, oh it may cause lactose intolerance, oh the sugar will make you obese etc.
But is all that just a disguise for religious bias? Just as some opposed Rain Rave, claiming it would "waste water” and cause “traffic congestion”?
Malaysia tops Asean tourism!
DAP’s Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng slammed Umno and PAS for opposing the Kuala Lumpur dance festival even though it drew 180,000 visitors and generated about RM200 million in tourism revenue, according to numbers from the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association.
He lauded the performance of Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing, who has managed to turn Malaysia into the top destination in Southeast Asia with 42 million arrivals generating RM332 billion in revenue in 2025.
This means we have even beaten tourism superstar Thailand into second place, as it had 33 million visitors.
If the moral crusaders of PAS and Umno are really serious, they should also demand that all Malay food delivery riders be banned from taking non-halal food.
“Takut terpalit kan” (scared of getting polluted)? But they probably won’t because there are lots of jobs involved.
Tiong comes from Sarawak. He has seen the success of the Rainforest World Music Festival at Santubong, near Kuching, which allows open-air dancing and alcohol consumption at the government-owned Sarawak Cultural Village.
It’s a celebration of modern fusion ethnic music (including EDM) and has been going strong since 1998. Those who don’t approve of cheesecake should refrain from going, but I myself have been there four times. Please don’t stop me.
Hypocrisy again?
Malaysians, including Malays, now prefer to visit Hatyai rather than Langkawi because it has cheaper food and hotels, more variety in shopping and no ferry transfer hassles.
Instead of fixing those problems, the Kedah PAS government chose to put a wet blanket on the island.
In 2023, Tiong pointed out that non-Muslim tourists there had complained of government officials “harassing” and stopping them from wearing shorts and drinking alcohol. A PAS MP also proposed that a hotel in Langkawi be converted into a “muzium ajaran sesat” (museum of deviant teachings).
This year, given the flagging fortunes of the island, the Kedah PAS menteri besar requested that Langkawi should have its full duty-free status restored. But why? So that people can buy more non-halal cigarettes and liquor?
The duty-free rules on the islands of Langkawi, Tioman, Pangkor and Labuan had been tightened because of massive smuggling, causing huge losses in government taxes.
In 2021, then finance minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said, “We did an analysis – why so many people smoke on these islands. It doesn’t make sense, the number of cigarettes per capita, including tourists, is just too high.”
In the name of morality
Political agendas have often been covered up in the language of morality. Perhaps this is why Rain Rave in Kuala Lumpur under a non-Muslim Madani minister is condemned, but “water festivals” in Malacca, Kelantan and Kedah are not.
Yet the poster promoting Pesta Songkran Kedah showcased some sexy lady performers with bare shoulders. And the Malacca Water Festival featured a DJ dance segment, which Akmal demanded be cancelled – at the last minute – to fit into his condemnation of Rain Rave.
Perhaps anything organised by a PAS or Umno state government is always righteous, or at least self-righteous?
Yet in 2025, police revealed that rapes, incest and underage sex in Kelantan are rising every year.
Police added that Kelantan also has the highest rate of drug addiction (about one in every 100 people), followed by Trengganu, Perlis and Kedah.
Is it a coincidence that these states are under PAS rule? Are the daily demands to be morally upright leading people to seek escape from the overly uptight environment? Is that leading people into secretive and harmful drug/sexual crimes?
Forgive me for speculating, but might more entertainment events help release the steam of those social pressure cookers?
But that probably won’t happen. Instead, we can look forward to further “rainstorms” of angry raving from our moral "guardians". - Mkini
ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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