In an about-turn, Perkasa Youth chief Arman Azha Abu Haniffa today said that the movement will hold a demonstration against the federal government's plans to turn Malaysia into a nightlife and spa hub.

In a statement today, Arman said that Perkasa Youth will not compromise on issues which may taint the dignity of Islam.

"I stand firm with other NGOs who protest against the establishment of the entertainment hub. I will organise a demonstration, with the cooperation of like-minded NGOs soon," he said.

He adds that the movement will also seek a roundtable discussion with other NGOs and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak over the Economic Transformation Plan (ETP).

NONE Arman ( left ) said that this was to ensure that Malaysia's image among the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the Muslim world would not be affected.

His statement today was a complete reversal of yesterday's, in which Arman stated that Perkasa Youth support the idea of establishing a designated entertainment hub to facilitate efficient monitoring.

"We believe it is better to allocate a hub for (such) operations to fulfill 'their' requests in a designated area (as) it will facilitate monitoring activities, in terms of security and crime," he had said yesterday.

The ETP blueprint launched on Monday said that Malaysia's nightlife industry would be given a boost to attract tourists with the establishment of five entertainment zones and 10 major nightclubs by 2014.

The entertainment zones in Greater KL/Klang Valley, Genting Highlands, Penang, Langkawi and Kota Kinabalu would be carefully demarcated to ensure that it is at least 100m from residential and religious areas.

This would be followed by plans to relax rules to attract more international artistes to perform in Malaysia.

Another contentious plan was for the regulating and promotion of the spa industry and the creation of three Centres of Excellence to train local spa therapists.

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