Kelantan will remain a ‘cinema-free’ state

The dream of some Kelantanese that their PAS-led state would finally have a cinema one day since Lido Cinema was shut down almost 30 years ago will continue to remain a dream.

State Local Government, Housing and Health Committee chairman Izani Husin confirmed the state government’s decision that there will be no cinemas in Kelantan in the state assembly on March 20.

The decision was spoken out as a reply to a proposal by Mohd Syahbuddin Hashim (BN-Galas) for Kelantan to allow shariah-compliant cinemas in the state.

It was then met with a remark by Keranji assemblyman Chong Zhemin (DAP), quoted by MalaysiaKini as “The PAS government must also explain why Kelantan has the highest HIV cases, when cinemas are banned in the state.”

Chong further added that the decision to ban cinemas has proved that PAS is incapable of administrating the nation.

As a response to Chong’s statement, PAS information chief Nasrudin Hassan recited the data obtained from the Ministry of Health, revealing that the state with the highest number of recorded HIV cases is Selangor, with 986 cases as of 2017.

Nasrudin also claimed that Chong’s words were just slander intended to divert people’s attention away from DAP’s own scandals.

Syahbuddin then said that he respected the Kelantan government’s decision not to have cinemas in the state.

Lido Cinema operated on Jalan Pos Office Lama until it was closed in 1990, after PAS took over the state government from former ruling coalition Barisan Nasional.