The Future Explained

Singapore’s second minister for home affairs, Masagos Zulkifli, explained in Parliament that the government was concerned about “potential drug abuse” at Future Music Asia 2015, which is why a permit to festival organizers was not approved. 

Future Music was supposed to take place in March. Masagos said April 13 that festival organizers “were unable to assure authorities that they could put in place adequate measures to prevent drug-related activities at the event,” according to Channel NewsAsia, despite police and narcotics control officers working with organizers on a security plan to make sure drugs wouldn’t cause problems.

In the end, the government felt it couldn’t take a chance. “Imagine if this incident had taken place on the last day like in Malaysia,” he said in response to a question from a member of Parliament, referring to the previous year’s FMFA in Kuala Lumpur, which was called off on the second day due to a number of drug overdoses.

“What would our explanation be in Parliament today?” Masagos added that the ministry also took into consideration “repeated drug-related incidents” that had occurred at other FMFA events in Australia.

He also indirectly blamed the organizers for the bad publicity surrounding the cancellation, as they had gone ahead and advertised the festival before gaining approval to stage it. In any event, the core organizers of Future Muse Festival in Australia recently announced it was discontinuing the event because it has become financially implausible.