Politician advocates for increased backing in the arts, pointing to South Korea's cultural triumphs as a leading example
In a recent statement, Syerleena Abdul Rashid (PH-Bukit Bendera) highlighted the struggles faced by local artists in Malaysia, drawing attention to the case of comedian Amir Raja Lawak, who had to publicly appeal for overdue payments of RM18,000 for his father's cancer treatment. This incident, according to Syerleena, reflects broader structural issues in the local arts ecosystem.
Syerleena urged the government to prioritize protection for local creative people, citing the common practice of musicians, writers, and other artists being paid with "exposure" in the local arts ecosystem. She compared the success of South Korea's K-pop and K-drama industries, and Thailand's tourism boom following an HBO series, to strategic government policies.
Amirudin Shari, the Selangor menteri besar, echoed these sentiments, pushing for greater government backing for the creative sector under the 13MP. He mentioned that countries like South Korea invested heavily in content development and adopted structured policies to build cultural influence.
A Call for Government Support and Protection
A government MP recently urged for institutional and financial incentives such as attracting international productions, ensuring timely payments to local creatives, grassroots infrastructure support, and prioritizing local artists’ protection. This includes calls for stronger legal protection of copyrights amid AI advancements and targeted funding for creative content development.
The Need for Copyright and Legal Safeguards
Malaysia’s Prime Minister has called for laws to protect copyright and authenticity of local creative works across multiple forms (films, poems, cartoons), emphasizing that legal measures should prevent stifling creativity.
Creative Content Funding
Regional government efforts, such as Sabah’s Creative Content Fund, focus on supporting indigenous cultural content and artists to preserve and promote local identity and diversity.
Artist Development Platforms
Khazanah’s Artist Residency program supports Malaysian artists’ growth and visibility.
The Lack of a Comprehensive Masterplan
Advocates highlight Malaysia’s lack of a comprehensive, strategic roadmap for the creative sector akin to South Korea’s model. They urge the formulation of a creative economy policy to achieve global standards in the sector.
In comparison, South Korea employs a highly structured, government-led strategic approach with significant investment in content development and promotion that integrates culture as a soft power tool. One example is South Korea’s 2011 Masterplan for the Promotion of the Content Industry, which laid out clear, coordinated policies and funding mechanisms to boost its creative sector and its global cultural influence.
While Malaysia has initiated legal and funding mechanisms and expressed intentions to support its creative sectors, it currently lacks a unified, comprehensive masterplan comparable to South Korea’s coordinated strategic policies and investments that have propelled South Korea’s cultural success globally.
Syerleena Abdul Rashid stated that the issue is not just about entertainment, but also about the national narrative, cultural identity, and economic future. She described the local arts ecosystem as calling them (artistes) their cultural heritage, while not providing them with fair treatment. She advocated for supporting grassroots infrastructure in the local arts ecosystem and enforcing timely payments.
Malaysia is urged by both officials and MPs to develop such a structured and globally focused policy framework to elevate and protect its creative industries effectively.
- Syerleena Abdul Rashid emphasized the importance of legal protection of copyrights and authenticity for various forms of local art, as she believes such measures are crucial to prevent creativity from being stifled.
- The lack of a comprehensive, strategic roadmap for Malaysia's creative sector is highlighted as a concern by advocates, who view South Korea's coordinated government-led approach to content development and promotion as a model to follow.
- The Sabah Creative Content Fund has been established to support indigenous cultural content and artists, while Khazanah's Artist Residency program aims to foster Malaysian artists' growth and visibility.
- A government MP called for institutional and financial incentives, such as attracting international productions, ensuring timely payments to local creatives, grassroots infrastructure support, and stronger legal protection of copyrights amid AI advancements and targeted funding for creative content development.
