Malaysia has banned Justin Bieber’s hit song “Despacito” on state radio and television, Communications Minister Salleh Said Keruak said on Thursday.
The decision comes after they received numerous complaints from the public about the lyrics “not being suitable” especially for children who were singing along to the song without understanding the lyrics.
“The song was filled with numerous sexual references and innuendos and thus wholly inappropriate to be aired by our national media outlets for our general public, especially children,” he said.
The ban applies only to government-run radio and TV outlets, and not to private stations or any music streaming services.
An Islamic party, Amanah, earlier denounced the song for “not fitting with the local values and culture” and called for it to be kept off Malaysia’s airwaves because many young children were singing it without understanding the words.
“We respect the right to be entertained but there should be clearer guidelines so that the entertainment does not spoil people but makes them better,”The Sun newspaper quoted Atriza Umar, official of Islamic party Amanah, as saying.
The title of the Spanish-language song, released by Puerto Rican artists Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring, means “slowly”. Other lyrics in the song translate to “Let me surpass your danger zones, till I make you scream and forget your name.”
As for privately-owned media stations, the communications minister stressed that they should be guided by their own evaluation processes.
Credit: NBC News
Photo Credit: thefader.com
