Trio Macan cancels Bandung show after FPI protest
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung | Archipelago | Fri, June 22 2012, 7:10 PM
Dangdut group Trio Macan followed US pop sensation Lady Gaga in yielding to hard line group Islam Defenders Front (FPI), deciding to cancel its planned performance rather than compromising with the group’s demands.
The FPI Bandung chapter demanded Trio Macan, who planned to perform at a dangdut concert hosted by a local radio in Bandung, West Java, tone down their act by wearing headscarves and sing religious songs, citing moral reasons.
Cosmo Radio director Mufti Muchtiar said that the trio decided to cancel their performance because they refused to adhere to the group’s provisions.
“The trio was willing to wear appropriate costumes as the FPI wished. However, then the FPI asked them to sign an agreement before the mayor, the police chief, ulemas and the military district commander. That is too complicated,” Mufti said.
The radio, nevertheless, would not cancel the entire concert – scheduled to be held on Saturday – which would also feature other dangdut singers, including Ayu Ting-Ting, Mufti said.
Last month, the FPI managed to force Lady Gaga to fly to New Zealand from Singapore while bypassing Jakarta – which was supposed to host the singer’s June 3 concert – after Gaga’s appearance and performance became a controversy.
The group had also previously rejected dangdut singer Dewi Perssik expectation’s to perform in Bandung.
The FPI staged protests against Trio Macan’s planned stage performance on Wednesday, saying that her erotic dances and outfits had contributed to a high number of sexual assaults. (swd)
