By Shirley Farmer 
Although there are still a few months to go before Malaysia hosts the ‘Music of the Spheres’ tour, Coldplay’s concert has generated an exchange of words between the opposition and the incumbent government. An opposition party member has demanded the cancellation of the concert scheduled for November 22 in Kuala Lumpur.
On Instagram, Naseeruddin Hassan of the Malaysian Islamic Party shared a photo featuring Chris Martins, the band’s lead singer, holding LGBTQIA+ flags. In the description, he accused the government of wanting to “cultivate a culture of hedonism and perversion.
Does the government want to nurture a culture of hedonism and perversion in this country? I advise you to cancel this band’s performance in Malaysia. “It is of no use to religion, race or country,” he wrote.
It should be noted that same-sex relations are criminalized in Malaysia, as is transsexuality.
However, the government does not seem to agree with the opposition deputy. Minister Nga Kor Ming, quoted SBS Newsfrom Australia, said the attitude was “old-fashioned” and not “befitting of the multicultural society” in Malaysia.
“If you don’t like Coldplay, my suggestion is simple: don’t buy tickets and close your eyes. If Michael Jackson was playing at Merdeka Stadium at that time, why wouldn’t he be playing Coldplay?”, he wondered.
This is the first time that Coldplay will be performing in Malaysia. Chris Martin actually spoke about the controversy in an interview with a country radio station.
No one will be left out. We want you to come to our concert and feel free to be yourself. And to those who aren’t glad we’re going: I’m sorry, but we love you too,” he replied hits.