We at Five Arts Centre are shocked and outraged that Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) has decided to no longer issue performing licenses to the Instant Café Theatre Company.

We feel that this form of censorship is extremely oppressive and alarming to the entire Malaysian community.

The Instant Café Theatre Company (ICT) is at the forefront of cutting-edge Malaysian political satire. ICT has always courageously put in front of us deep, well-researched critiques of Malaysian systems and people, which are essential in a society that has largely lost its desire and ability to be self-reflective and think critically. ICT presents and dissects in front of us issues and images that we should all be thinking and talking about. As one of the most consistent and popular theatre groups in Kuala Lumpur over the past 15 years, they have contributed significantly to the growth of cultural capital in the Malaysian community with productions of high aesthetic and intellectual value.

The Instant Café Theatre Company's presentation of The 2nd First Annual Bolehwood Awards ran with a valid license issued by DBKL in December 2002. More than 2,000 Malaysians and foreigners witnessed the show. In the recent restaging of the same show, DBKL also issued a license and another 2,000 or more people saw the show. It is alarming that one letter could overturn the licensing authority and mechanisms put in place by DBKL itself, and ultimately lead to the extreme action of silencing such important creative Malaysian voices.

DBKL has been largely cooperative and supportive of the growth of the arts industry in Kuala Lumpur. They have in the past adopted an open policy towards licensing, which has contributed to the growth of theatre as a business. A vibrant arts community helps make our society much more meaningful and makes KL a more attractive international destination. Acting on this reaction by one person only serves to undermine the positive environment for the growth of the arts that DBKL has helped foster in the past.

As Malaysians we spend much time celebrating our diversity, our openness and our multiculturalism. This has been one of the major hallmarks of the great Malaysian success story. Alternate, disparate and concurrent perspectives all have a potent position in the Malaysia of 2003 and beyond. Why do we want to create a fear of self-criticism or a fear of laughing at ourselves? If we cannot see this, then as a democratic country, we are in dire straits.

This is a huge step backwards for a Malaysia that aspires to be a progressive and enlightened nation in all areas of development. We from the arts community cannot accept such repressive and retrogressive measures by the authorities.

We urge DBKL