Malaysian broadcaster RTM bans hit song Despacito from airwaves

Malaysian broadcaster Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) will no longer be airing the global hit song Despacito on its radio or TV stations because of the allegedly obscene lyrics. Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak said that the broadcaster evaluated the song, following which decided to ban it.In a statement to Free Malaysia Today (FMT), Salleh noted that while the song could be still heard online, radio still remains a prominent enough channel through which the younger generation, hear those songs. Thus he urged the local stations to be “sensitive to local norms and apply self-censorship of the song, be it by stopping the airplay or audio deleting part of the song.”A+M has reached out to the likes of Spotify and YouTube in Malaysia to find out if they will follow suit on the ban.Here’s the song in question:https://youtu.be/kJQP7kiw5FkThe Straits Times also reported that Angkatan Wanita Amanah Nasional's Arts and Culture chairperson Atriza Umar said young children were singing the song without understanding its lyrics, and this was proliferated by local Malay radio stations. She added such lyrics were not aligned with local culture and Islam. She criticised the ministries for the censorship issues and said clearer guidelines are needed.Meanwhile, earlier this year, Walt Disney movie Beauty and Beast was put on hold because of censorship issues and scenes involving homosexuality.