KUALA LUMPUR: The final decision on Canadian rocker Avril Lavigne's concert will only be made next week.

As for now, it is postponed and not cancelled, said Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal yesterday.

However, he confirmed that the concert would not be held on Aug 29 as originally scheduled because it would clash with the National Day celebrations.

"During this Merdeka (independence) month, we will also be holding religious programmes, including tahlil prayers at the National Mosque on Aug 29.

"We don't want to promote values that are foreign to Malaysian culture," he said at a press conference in conjunction with the National Day celebrations which would kick off on Aug 29.
Mohd Shafie reminded concert organisers not to sell tickets until they obtained approvals from his ministry and the local authorities.

"The organisers submitted their application only a few days ago," he said.

It was earlier reported that Lavigne's The Best Damn Tour concert was cancelled because it was deemed "too sexy" and inappropriate for the National Day celebrations.

Meanwhile, the show's promoter Galaxy Group said it had yet to decide on whether to request for a new date.

In the past, the Galaxy Group had brought in famous entertainers including Celine Dion, Backstreet Boys, My Chemical Romance, Mariah Carey and Alan Tam.

Freelance promoter Cynthia Chen said foreign event promoters and artistes may not understand the situation and it may scare them away.

"They will have the wrong impression of us."

Chen had faced the same situation in 1995. "We wanted to bring in Rod Stewart that year. The Home Ministry told us to have it earlier than Aug 31 and told us to shift the location from Selangor to Kuala Lumpur. Despite doing everything, the concert was cancelled," she said, adding that they had to refund the money for the 60,000 tickets sold.

Pineapple Concerts chairman Razlan Ahmad Razali said the proposed cancellation of Lavigne's concert was unfair to the promoters.

"I pity the organisers. They most probably won't get their money back if the concert is cancelled.

"The ministry has to understand the scenario faced by the promoters. We do not have the artistes' schedule months in advance. On an ordinary basis, we have less than three months to work on the concert and to prepare the necessary documents. Plus, we have to start promoting the concert as soon as possible. We are constrained by time."

Razlan said promoters were now cautious about bringing foreign acts here.

"We want the best entertainment for the people but such incidents dampen our spirits," he said.

Last month, the concert by Indonesian dangdut star Inul Daratista at Stadium Putra Bukit Jalil was cancelled due to permit complications and for security reasons.

In 2007, Pineapple Concerts was asked to cancel Beyonce's show due to the singer's refusal to abide by the country's dress code for performers.