SINGAPORE: The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said on Thursday (Aug 28) that several allegations by a comedian about his Singapore shows’ cancellation were “inaccurate”.
The authority said the licence application for Mr Sammy Obeid’s shows on Sunday was rejected because it was submitted late.
Mr Obeid had posted on Instagram on Wednesday, claiming that his script was rejected twice and he was told to remove references to the conflict in Gaza, among other things.
By Thursday evening, the post had been reshared more than 800 times and garnered over 1,600 comments.
The stand-up comedian said he was aware that his set, which is “almost entirely focused on the ongoing genocide in Gaza”, was unlikely to be approved by Singapore’s authorities.
“I was willing to tone down my material so that there would be a show for the people,” said Mr Obeid, adding that he eventually submitted a “heavily censored script”.
However, the script was rejected and he was told to remove all mentions of Palestine and Israel, claimed Mr Obeid. A second script with the edits and several “subtle cryptic messages” was also rejected, he added.
IMDA said on Thursday that it had not requested any edits to be made to the script.
“At no time, were ‘multiple edits’ requested. We are also not aware of past applications for Mr Obeid to perform in Singapore and discussions on scripts,” it added.
The authority said it had received the application for Mr Obeid’s shows close to midnight on Aug 15, which is about 10 working days before the shows on Aug 31.
“Arts Entertainment Licence applications are required to be submitted at least 40 working days before the event, to allow sufficient time for applications to be processed or advisories to be included in publicity materials and advertisements,” it added.
Born in Oakland, California, Mr Obeid described himself on his website as a Lebanese-Palestinian-Syrian-Italian-American.
He had planned to perform twice at Victoria Theatre on Sunday and said in his post that 1,001 people had been expected at the shows.
ALLEGATIONS
Mr Obeid alleged that his first script was rejected after “weeks and weeks” of waiting. According to the comedian, he had “erred on the side of caution” and only referenced Palestine a few times while mentioning Israel once.
Mr Obeid said he was told to remove all mentions of Palestine and Israel, as well as two calls to action. The comedian said he “completely caved” and made the edits so the shows could still happen.
According to him, the second script was also rejected, and portions that included his notes for engaging the audience were also flagged.
While he was willing to make the necessary edits, Mr Obeid claimed he was told there was insufficient time for another revision and resubmission.
He also alleged that the authorities expressed wariness about what he might end up saying during his performance. According to him, he was told five days before the show that a permit would not be issued.
In its response, IMDA said the local representative who submitted the event’s application was an experienced licence applicant and aware of the authority’s submission timelines.
“The local representative was informed on Aug 19 via email that the late application cannot be processed,” it said.
“This was reiterated to her on Aug 25 through a call and in writing. We have no information on when the decision was conveyed by the local representative to Mr Obeid.”
IMDA also said this was the local representative’s fourth late application since May 2024.
In his post, Mr Obeid apologised and said: “At the very least, I will be contacting everyone about refunds and what I can offer at this point.”
