I refer to the Malaysiakini report Kedah says no to gyrations, bans concerts.

I am very disturbed and frightened by Kedah state executive councilor Dr Ismail Salleh's recent statement that the state government has imposed a blanket ban on rock, reggae, pop and dangdut concerts. He said that such shows could have a "negative impact on youths".

I am a proud Kedahan, and I am a singer-songwriter who happens to make pop and rock music. I find it insulting that Dr Ismail considers that the music I make (and by extension I as an individual) could have a negative impact on youth.

Besides making pop music, I am also a human rights advocate. I have facilitated numerous workshops on gender equality, human rights and democracy specifically for students and young people. I am proud of the fact that young people in this country are becoming more aware of their rights and the kind of democratic Malaysia they would like to live in.

Young people in this country played a big part in deciding, on March 8, to vote for a change in Malaysia. How ironic that the change they voted for in Kedah is now proving to be more repressive and narrow-minded than its predecessor government.

It is sad that in this case, the agenda seems to smack of a narrow kind of Islamist moralism. I am a Muslim, and I consider it my duty as a Muslim to uphold democracy and human rights. And yet I now will not be able to do this in my home state, simply because one of the ways I choose to create change is by making pop and rock music. And unapologetically at that.

Because in my pop and rock gigs (which these uninformed leaders would rush to consider 'negative'), I engage the audience in discussions on social justice, democracy and human rights. Through my art.

Make no mistake, this ban on concerts has a direct impact on the livelihood of artists and concert organisers. And this is something we all need to discuss: musicians, organisers and concert-goers alike.

However, I am concerned about what I see as the heart of the matter as an artist – that this is an issue of basic rights that affects all citizens. Our right to freedom of expression and assembly. To use morality as a basis for banning concerts lacks any intellectual basis. Some politicians are corrupt and abuse their power – shall we impose a blanket ban on all politicians and political parties as well?

In the interest of democracy and human rights, this blanket banning of concerts has to stop, whether these bans are initiated by the Pakatan Rakyat or the Barisan Nasional.

Art and entertainment are one important barometer for a healthy democracy. If any political party cannot even tolerate a pop concert, imagine what else it will be intolerant of.