Concerns over concert overblown

I can understand Archbishop William Goh's worries ("Archbishop speaks out against Madonna's concert"; yesterday).

Kudos to the Media Development Authority (MDA) for its firm stance that the concert should not contain content or material which offends any race or religion.

It is admirable that the concert organiser has given the assurance that songs and performances will strictly adhere to MDA's guidelines and requirements of show licensing in Singapore.

I totally agree with Archbishop Goh that " in multiracial, multi-religious Singapore, we cannot afford to be overly permissive in favour of artistic expression, at the expense of respect for one's religion, especially in these times of heightened religious sensitivities, particularly among active practitioners of religions".

But, in this case, the organiser has given the assurance that racially or religiously offensive performances or acts will not take place. Hence, we should not condemn the concert based on preconceived notions that Madonna's performance here is going to be a direct provocation of someone's religion.

S. Ratnakumar

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 24, 2016, with the headline Concerns over concert overblown. Subscribe