Future Music Festival organisers failed to assure authorities it could prevent drug-related activities
Photo: Future Music Festival Asia
SINGAPORE – The organisers of Future Music Festival Asia (FMFA) were unable to assure the authorities that they could put in place adequate measures to prevent drug-related activities at the event, said Second Minister for Home Affairs Masagos Zulkifli in Parliament today (April 13).
This was after the police and the Central Narcotics Bureau had engaged the organisers on several occasions to assess their security plan for the event, he said.
Mr Masagos was responding to a question raised by Member of Parliament (Tampines GRC) Baey Yam Keng on what conditions the organiser of the cancelled FMFA – which was supposed to be held last month – could not meet to address the concerns of potential drug abuse at the event.
The FMFA is a spin-off from Future Music Festival (FMF) which was established in Australia in 2006. FMFA was launched in 2012 in Kuala Lumpur and was staged there over the last two years.
Mr Masagos noted there were drug-related activities associated with past FMF and FMFA events such as FMFA in Kuala Lumpur, which had to be cancelled after six people died and 14 were hospitalised due to drug abuse at the event. At FMF 2013 in Sydney, more than 100 drug-related arrests were made, he noted
He said that the police had “serious concerns” with potential drug abuse at the FMFA event that was supposed to be held in Singapore on March 13 and 14.
“Considering the repeated drug-related incidents, including deaths and serious illness, that had occurred at the FMFA and FMF events in KL and Australia respectively, it would have been irresponsible to allow it to be held in Singapore without adequate safeguards and assurances,” said Mr Masagos. “The event would also not have been consistent with our zero-tolerance stance towards drugs. Therefore the police decided to reject the application for this event to be held in Singapore.”
He also pointed out that the impact of the cancellation of the event by the organisers was greater as they had advertised and marketed the event even before they had obtained approval to hold it.
He added that Singapore should remain a “place with music festivals where people can enjoy themselves in a safe and trouble-free manner.”
