By Yow Hong Chieh
KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 — KLPAC has sent copies of its permit application for the Singapore Dance Theatre’s performance here to Puspal as proof that it submitted the necessary papers in March.
KLPAC group theatre manager Ian Chow said the documents were faxed over to Puspal director Ali Sadikin Sadin, who is also a principal assistant secretary in the Information, Communications and Culture Ministry.
Puspal, or the Central Agency for the Application for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artists, is under the purview of the ministry headed by Datuk Seri Rais Yatim.
Chow said the documents included the original application made on March 7 as well as an acknowledgment slip from the agency dated the same day.
“We maintain that we submitted the application on time but we remain committed to resolving this issue amicably,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
KLPAC has also submitted the name of the officer who handled the application, he said.
It is understood that Puspal will carry out an internal probe into the matter based on the documents submitted.
Ali Sadikin could not be contacted for comment at the time of writing.
Puspal has denied ever receiving an application for Singapore Dance Theatre to perform here and claimed that KLPAC only handed in the necessary papers at noon yesterday.
The performing arts centre has insisted that its production manager Freddy Tan handed in the application a month ago before being advised by an officer that the permit had been denied over “costumes” and “foreign performers”.
The Malaysian Insider reported on Wednesday that the ballet troupe had been refused a permit to perform here this weekend owing to their “indecent” costumes.
Singapore Dance Theatre was eventually forced to cancel its “Ballet Illuminations” performance in Malaysia which had been scheduled for this weekend.
Rais said yesterday he “loves all forms of the art and theatre” including ballet, and urged organisers to proceed with bringing in the performance.