APPARENTLY, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will not show up at the grand finale of the three-day Rain Rave Water Music Festival in Bukit Bintang scheduled this evening (May 2) given “clashes with other earlier scheduled programmes”.

Utusan Malaysia cited Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing as having played down PMX’s absence given the inaugural event was intended for “the rakyat, especially workers (for it coinciding with Labour Day), not VIPs”.

With due respect, this brings back the memory of PMX’s last minute cancellation of his supposedly national-level maiden Thaipusam celebration show-up at Batu Caves on Feb 5, 2023 since assuming the premiership in late November the year prior due to an illness.

Nobody knows for sure whether PMX’s had chosen to stay clear of troubled waters by not wanting to agitate rightist groups who might oppose his noble intention but he was again absent in 2024 though he extended Thaipusam greetings to Malaysian Hindus via social media by expressing hopes for a vibrant celebration.

In 2025, PMX deserved credit for having stepped foot in the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple to observe preparations for Thaipusam celebrations but hopes for his presence on the actual day seems far-fetched (Thaipusam clashed with visit by Türkiye president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan).

Editor’s Note: To-date, only three premiers have celebrated Thaipusam with Malaysian Hindus in the true sense of the word – Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, Tun Hussein Onn and Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Massive backlash

Back to the Rain Rave Water Music Festival, it is very much hoped that PMX – again with due respect – is not running away from public backlash following immense pressure by PAS and numerous Muslim NGOs (despite the Madani initiative in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2026 having received many positive reviews).

Even rightist UMNO Youth chief Datuk Muhamad Akmal Saleh chipped in his two sen worth by condemning the event for disregarding the official objection by the Federal Territories (FT) Islamic Religious Department (JAWI) and the FT Mufti – albeit symbolically on the day the event kicked off (April 30).

Taking a swipe at Minister Tiong who admonished excessive politicising of the replica of Thailand’s Songkran festival by telling revellers to stay away “if you feel your religion does not permit it”, the staunch defender of race and religion hit out:

Previously, there was alcohol in the ministry’s (MOTAC) programme. This time, the ministry’s organised a water festival as if a disco in the middle of Kuala Lumpur.
JAWI issued a statement of objection but the minister ignored it. I hope PMX can confer the “Most Hardworking Minister Award” to the Tourism Minister who has been working so hard to build a good image of the Madani government.
I pray for heavy rain and thunderstorms to hit the event’s vicinity … after all, this is a water festival, right?

Muslims convert preacher Ridhuan Tee Abdullah who attended the “the immoral water music @ Rain Rave to catch a close view” of the event shared the following ground report in a Facebook post which garnered 50K likes, 4.3K comments and 8.1K shares at the time of writing:

I don’t want to talk for the sake of talking but to see for myself. Just change the name of Bukit Bintang to Bukit Binatang (Animal).
It’s just embarrassing. The identity of our country, supposedly a Madani Nation, has been completely destroyed.
There is nothing good to show except for immorality. The music is crazy as if one is being possessed, the DJ is like a drunk person,
There’s no one word of BM (Bahasa Malaysia) heard. Only BI (English) everywhere. Humans are having fun to the fullest.
Hedonism is taking control. Water should be used to cleanse oneself for prayers, not to spray at monkeys.
Is this MALAYSIA? More western than the west. Wanting to attract tourists, everyone gets diverted to the wrong path.
This is the result when the ‘kafir harbi’ (belligerent infidels) are given power. Even though Muslims form the majority, we fail to monitor as if we live in an illuminati infidel country. Don’t invite the wrath of Allah. – May 2, 2026

The post Has PMX ‘chickened out’ from KL’s water festival closing ceremony to thwart Muslim outrage? first appeared on Focus Malaysia.