New hope for Penang House of Music to live on

THE Penang House of Music (PHOM), which had announced plans to shut down soon due to financial insolvency and lack of institutional support may be saved by a government-linked company - My Creative Ventures Sdn Bhd which is part of the Communications Ministry.

Communications Minister Fadmi Fadzil disclosed that My Creative which is now held by Balik Pulau MP Datuk Muhammed Bakhtiar Wan Chik, was directed to discuss the possibility of reviving the fortunes of PHOM.

My Creative was formed to spearhead the stewardship of the country's creative industries.

The Lembah Pantai MP said this while visiting PHOM today where he spent 60 minutes browsing through the facility in Komtar under the guidance of its founder Paul Augustine.

The issue is finding a sustainable business model for PHOM, which is staring at losses of up close to a million in arrears despite receiving an initial start-up grant of RM3 million from the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) when it began in 2016.

Subsequently, after COVID-19, the state government provided an annual grant of RM500,000, which was still deemed insufficient.

Fahmi said he hopes that discussions with My Ventures may yield a rescue financial package for the PHOM.

On another matter, he defended the move to issue official media tags for a short duration, saying that the time limit restrictions were imposed to stem abuse by certain quarters.

"We will soon have the Information Department starting to clarify and clear any doubts over the move. It is not to censor but to regulate. It is regulatory."

Fahmi said that the proposed restrictions imposed on media cards issued to journalists will not affect media organisations that have been in operation for some time.

The government’s decision to impose restrictions stemmed from “abuse by certain quarters” and the need to scrutinise new media outlets, which have emerged of late.

“That is why we (need) to keep a closer watch. They form new websites, apply for media accreditation cards and try to attend (government) events and activities." - The Vibes, March 7, 2024.