Siti Nuramira violated '3R' in comedy routine, witness testifies

Siti Nuramira Abdullah’s controversial stand-up routine on June 4 last year violated the “3R” by touching on the sensitive topic of religion, the host of the open-mic show testified in her trial today.

First prosecution witness Muhammad Ashraf Kamal Musthaffa was giving oral evidence from the witness stand during the first day of the woman’s trial this morning.

As the 27-year-old accused looked on during the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court proceedings, Ashraf - who himself is an aspiring comedian with a full-time job as a graphic designer - said he had already on that day briefed Siti Nuramira (above) and V Alexander Navin (whom the witness claimed Siti Nuramira introduced as her husband), prior to her and his open-mic routine so that she should not touch on sensitive issues.

During examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Abdul Malik Ayob, the witness testified that there is an unwritten rule for stand-up performers not to touch on the 3R, namely race, religion, and royalty.

The 3R influences public discourse on issues as well as self-expression in Malaysia.

Ashraf: These three things (3R) are something passed down and we should understand it ourselves. Before performing, I would have a notion on what to talk about. To many of us, it is more of a professional courtesy on what we can talk about and not, hence it being an unwritten rule.

Malik: In the performance (by Siti Nuramira), was there 3R (mentioned)?

Ashraf: One of it, namely on religion which was touched here, she mentioned (during performance) having memorised the Quran.

Malik: As a host there, did you approve of this performance?

Ashraf: As a host, I did not. I did what I could, went on stage and addressed (the audience) on what happened. I mentioned to her and her alleged husband that this is a place of respect so please respect, I remember I mentioned this very clearly (during the pre-performance briefing by him to Siti Nuramira and Alexander). 

Malik: As a host, did you know what was to be performed (by Siti Nuramira beforehand)?

Ashraf: No.

While in the witness stand before trial judge Nor Hasniah Ab Razak, the witness recalled that Siti Nuramira took the stage after Alexander had performed.

“When Amy (Siti Nuramira) was performing, she identified herself, then mentioned she memorised 15 juzuk from the Quran, then in a split second she just opened her tudung and her baju kurung. She was wearing something more revealing (beneath the tudung and baju kurung that were taken off).

“She went on to say some bad words like ‘Hello mother******, which was a bad word. After that, I blanked out. I was the host, it was so fast (what was happening). When she got off stage I went on stage to do my (duty) as host.

“That time, my thought process was ‘How to make the audience not go crazy’, that was my priority,” said Ashraf, who was performing as host voluntarily without pay during the open-mic routine at the Crackhouse Comedy Club in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) in Kuala Lumpur.

‘There was no joke’

The witness reiterated that he had never seen such a performance as done by Siti Nuramira and reiterated that he did not approve of what she did because stand-up comedy is about telling jokes, but here he claimed there was no joke and there was no element of stand-up comedy besides her holding the mic.

“From my point of view, what I could see was the audience was surprised, there was a lot of mixed reactions. I could not focus on all of them. Some were surprised, some were taken aback, so after that I went on stage and neutralised the situation as a host,” Ashraf said.

The witness added that he as host had also reminded the audience - who paid tickets to enter the venue - not to take pictures or videos during the performance in order to not distract the stand-up comedians.

During the trial, a short video of Siti Nuramira’s performance was also played in court, allegedly showing Siti Nuramira during the stage performance. 

While being cross-examined by Siti Nuramira’s defence counsel R Sivaraj, Ashraf agreed that during the incident that he had no formal training to be a host and that he was still a newcomer to the stand-up comedy scene last year.

The witness also conceded during grilling by the lawyer that the 3R has been touched on before in a comedic sense in the comedy club, and that he (Ashraf) himself had used profanities before in his own stand-up routines.

During proceedings, Sivaraj also objected to the presence of Mohamad Rizal Johan Van Geyzel in the court’s public Gallery.

Rizal Johan is one of the co-owners of Crackhouse Comedy Club as well as a prosecution witness. He is also the complainant who lodged a police report over the controversial stand-up routine.

Malik then apologised to the court for the oversight, adding that Rizal has been asked to leave the court public gallery.

The trial would resume tomorrow.

Liable to jail, fine

Siti Nuramira was charged under Section 298A of the Penal Code, a provision that deals with the offence of causing disharmony, disunity, enmity, hatred, ill-will, or prejudicing maintenance of harmony or unity, on grounds of religion, between persons or groups of persons professing the same or different religions.

According to the charge, she was alleged to have committed the offence by claiming she memorised 15 juzuk (chapters) of the Quran, then disrobing from her baju kurung and taking off her tudung during the performance at the Crackhouse Comedy Club in TTDI, around 6pm on June 4 last year.

She could be jailed for up to five years if convicted. She is out on bail of RM20,000, which was raised through crowdfunding.

Previously, a video of a woman - allegedly Siti Nuramira - taking off her headscarf and baju kurung on stage at a comedy club went viral on social media.

Before the Sessions Court in Petaling Jaya, Alexander has a pending criminal case involving a charge for sharing the video of the controversial stand-up routine on his Instagram and YouTube accounts.

His case was laid out under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998.

The provision criminalises the improper use of network facilities to make or transmit any communication which is obscene, indecent, false, menacing, or offensive in character with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass another person.

As per Section 233(3) of the same Act, Alexander faces a fine not exceeding RM50,000, jail time up to a year, or both.

The 39-year-old is also out on bail of RM20,000, which was also raised through a crowdfunding campaign.

Following the incident, the comedy club’s operating licence was revoked by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), effective July 30, and the club was also targeted by vandals.

Before the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court, Rizal, 40, also has a pending criminal case, following scrutiny over his own comedy performance.

Meanwhile, the comedy club’s owners have been permanently blacklisted by DBKL from registering a business licence in Kuala Lumpur.

Rizal and Crackhouse Comedy Club co-owner Shankar R Santhiram, however, have a pending legal challenge against the blacklist before the Kuala Lumpur High Court. - Mkini