Singapore has announced its sixth show for the renowned British rock band Coldplay, much to one lawmaker’s chagrin.
Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman claims that Malaysia has lost out on an ‘economic lottery’ by arguing over hosting one Coldplay concert while other countries get to grab ‘golden chances’ to generate an economic surplus.
“Coldplay is doing a six-day tour in Singapore? Yesterday (it was) five days, today they added another date!
“What about Malaysia? There are many obstacles to do even one concert,” he said in a statement.
In calculating the figures, Syed Saddiq said that Singapore could have gained an average of RM180 million in ticket sales for all six Singapore shows.
Not to add that many travellers from neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand will also make their way to the island to watch the concert.
“Let's say the round-trip flight ticket price from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore is around RM350.
“And if 1,000 Malaysians go on a flight, the airline can collect around RM350,000. In six days, that is RM2.1 million,” he said, adding that more expenses would be incurred for travel and leisure.
Syed Saddiq noted that Malaysia used to host 40 to 50 concerts yearly but concerts are now met with obstacles.
Following the announcement of Coldplay’s one show in Malaysia - scheduled to be held on Nov 22 this year - several PAS leaders claimed that the band had an LGBT agenda.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who had welcomed the band to Malaysia, had noted Coldplay's more prominent environmental campaign, including pledges to make its tours more climate-friendly and lower their carbon footprint.
Meanwhile, The Arts, Live Festival and Events Association (Alife) said that a key reason why Malaysia only has one show as opposed to Singapore’s six is due to protests from political groups.
Alife - which is a group representing events industry players - said that this leaves a “sour note” with artistes, organisers and international concert-goers.
Direct impact
“The six shows in Singapore show are what could have been for Malaysia, which would've brought millions in tourist income and benefit hotels, transportation, food and beverage, retail, and more.
“These protests have proven to have a direct impact on our international business environment and reputation.
“We urge the government, media, and people to protect our businesses and not allow particular groups to dictate what the majority of Malaysians want for our country,” it said in a statement today.
Alife also lauded the six-concert sellout in Singapore, stating that it was a true testament to (collaboration) when various government and private bodies work cohesively for the benefit of economies, job creation and tourism.
“We hope that Malaysia will be able to emulate these good practices one day.” - Mkini
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