Government investment arm set up to spur Malaysia’s creative industry MyCreative Group has welcomed the announcement by the Minister of Finance, YB Senator Tengku Dato’ Sri Zafrul Aziz of RM 15m funding to the Arts & Culture for 2021.
Izan Satrina Mohd Sallehuddin, CEO of Cultural Economy Development Agency (CENDANA) said, “We are pleased with the announcement of RM 15m in funding for the year 2021. This is an encouraging announcement for the Arts & Culture and demonstrates a positive understanding by the Government of Malaysia on the important role of the Arts & Culture in all our lives and in the life of the nation, despite this unprecedented crisis. This allocation affirms the Government’s commitment to place the arts & culture at the centre of government policy and is a further endorsement of the ambitions laid out in Shared Prosperity 2030.
As 93% of Malaysian artists and cultural workers surveyed recently had been negatively impacted with 70% having lost all or most of their income, the allocation of RM 15m allows CENDANA to move forward with confidence, providing continued and critical support to artists in performing arts, visual arts, independent music and craft sectors (following the efforts under MyCreative Ventures PENJANA Plan for the Creative Industries), enabling artists, cultural workers, collectives, organisations who work in the studio, on stage or in the street, to sustain their operations and create work of excellence; and allowing people across the country have access to high quality arts experiences.
I want to thank Prime Minister, YAB Tan Sri Muhyiddin bin Haji Muhammad Yassin and Minister of Finance, YB Senator Tengku Dato’ Sri Zafrul Aziz for their determination in representing the needs of the sector today. I would also like to thank Minister of Communications and Multimedia, YB Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah, the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Communications and Multimedia team; and MyCreative Ventures for all the guidance provided. CENDANA looks forward to working with the Ministries and government agencies in providing the much-needed support for the arts & culture sector to stabilise”.
