Organisers of drag queen pageants have been given a stern warning not to hold such events in Miri City for any festivals including the annual city day celebration.

Miri City mayor Lawrence Lai said the Miri City Council (MCC) would not endorse or support any application for such an event here as it understood local religious and cultural sensitivities.

He also denied the allegation by some quarters that the rising trend of drag queen competitions here were part of Miri City’s tenth year anniversary bash that would be celebrated on May 20.

“MCC never approved or authorised such events and it is not part of our Miri City day celebrations,” he told Bernama in Miri today.

Lai was commenting on the Miss Transuniverse Miri 2015 that would be held today at one of hotels in Miri that created an uproar among the local community.

Upon checking with his officers, Lai said no licences or permits were issued for the event and certainly MCC was never directly involved with the organiser.

On Thursday, Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations Sarawak chairperson (Mapim) Mohammad Fariduddeen Rosli had issued a media statement requesting the organiser to cancel the event.

“We have received information that there will be Muslim participants in that event which is clearly an offence under Section 25, Syariah Offences 2001, Ordinance 2001,” he said.

He urged the local authorities especially Sarawak Islamic Affairs Department to take immediate action if such an event was being held.

Dayak Association of Miri (DAM) had also echoed similar sentiments on the matter especially when it involved Iban traditional customs and wanted the state government to ban the event in Sarawak.

Its president Serawa Budol said the beauty queen competition featuring transvestites using Iban traditional customs or themes should be banned immediately as it tarnished the cultural, historical and sancity of the old-age tradition of the Iban community in Sarawak.

- Bernama