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I was scrolling through the news, minding my own business, when I stumbled upon an article about Muhamad Akmal Saleh going after Lim Guan Eng over that water music festival in KL.
“Level RM30 je.”
I’ll be honest. I didn’t even care about the festival at first. RM30? In this economy? Sounds like a win, actually.
But the reaction, that caught my attention.
Because it felt… familiar.
It reminded me of a book I read a while ago by Syed Akbar Ali, titled Malaysia And The Club Of Doom: The Collapse Of The Islamic Countries. Yes, the one that got banned. Which, let’s be honest, already makes people want to read it more.
In the book, he talks about how Muslim civilisations used to be powerhouses. We’re talking science, philosophy, discovery—the whole package. And then slowly, things changed.
Not because people lost religion.
But because religion started replacing everything else.
Curiosity? Replaced. Questioning? Replaced. Thinking? Also… replaced.
Everything had to pass one test: Is this acceptable according to the religion?
Now before anyone gets excited and starts typing angry comments, relax. This is not an anti-religion rant. This is about what happens when religion becomes the only lens we use for everything. Even… a water festival.
Because let’s look at what’s happening here. Instead of asking: Was the event well-organised? Did people enjoy it? Did it bring in tourism? Did it give young people something to do besides TikTok-ing and doomscrolling? We jump straight to: Is this morally acceptable?
That’s it. Conversation over. Case closed.
No curiosity. No discussion. Just judgment.
And the thing is, Akmal didn’t say anything shocking. That’s the scary part.
A lot of people probably read his statement and went, “Ya lah, betul juga.”
Because for many Malays today, religion isn’t just a guide anymore, it’s the decision-maker for everything. What you wear. Where you go. What you watch. And now, apparently, how much fun you’re allowed to have.
But here’s the question I can’t shake off. If everything has to be filtered this way, what happens to creativity? What happens to art? To music? To having fun?
Do we only create things that are “safe”?
Do we slowly stop experimenting because we’re scared of being called inappropriate?
And then one day we wake up and realise, we didn’t lose our culture… we just made it very, very boring.
That’s exactly the pattern Syed Akbar Ali was warning about.
Not dramatic collapse. Not overnight failure. Just a slow shift. From curiosity to control. From exploration to fear. From “let’s try” to “better not.”
And look, I get it. Identity matters. Religion matters. Values matter. But must everything be reduced to halal vs haram?
Can something just be… fun?
Because here’s the uncomfortable truth. A society doesn’t become weak because people are enjoying themselves. It becomes weak when people stop thinking.
Malaysia has never had a shortage of talent, culture, or opinions (clearly). What we might be losing quietly is something else. The ability to be curious. To explore. To disagree without panicking.
So maybe the issue isn’t a RM30 festival.
Maybe the real issue is, we’re becoming a country that is very confident in judging. But a little less interested in understanding.
And honestly, that’s a lot more worrying than any “disko jalanan.”
Fa Abdul (fa.abdul.penang@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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