The City Hall building known as Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur February 6, 2010. — AFP pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 — The Kuala Lumpur City Hall withheld approval for the Better Beer Festival due to “political sensitivity” over the event, its organisers said today.

Expressing disappointment at the forced cancellation of the event scheduled for October, Mybeer (M) Sdn Bhd said it was told the festival ostensibly cannot proceed due to “licensing” issues.

“We were further informed that the decision was made due to the political sensitivity surrounding the event.

“We regret any inconvenience caused to our patrons, partners and sponsors, and thank you for your unwavering support over the last week,” it said in a statement.

Earlier, a DBKL official confirmed that the application for the festival was rejected, but did not cite the specific reason for the decision.

However, the rejection occurred after Islamist party PAS began criticising the event and demanding its ban for being unsuitable to local culture and sensitivities.

The Islamist party regularly protests against such festivals with varying success, insisting that they could encourage Muslims to partake, despite organisers prominently stating that these are only for non-Muslims.

There are already Shariah laws that punish Muslims who consume alcohol regardless of setting.