GEORGE TOWN – In an industry that relies heavily on international tourists, batik crafters are at their wits end looking for ways to get their intricately drawn fabrics sold and worn by fellow Malaysians, amidst what feels like a never-ending lockdown. However, the industry’s saviour could turn out to be the Malaysian corporate sector, if they are willing to incorporate batik uniforms for their staff.
Chief Executive Officer of Yayasan Budi Penyayang, Datuk Leela Mohd Ali, said that there are barely any sales as there is no reason to wear batik when everyone is confined to their homes.
“When there are no sales, it affects everything.
“Batik is a form of identity in a social and cultural aspect. When there is no social activity, there is no reason to don the batik. Now everyone wears clothes that are for operational purposes.
“Since the lockdown, there has been no production and no reason for people to purchase batik, and that does not even take into consideration the losses incurred as the white fabrics turn yellow and dyes are spoiled.
“We are losing craftsmen too, as they move on from this industry to pursue other jobs that can put food on the table,” she said during an Apa Khabar Batik Malaysia online session, hosted by former Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik.
Malaysian Craft Council president, Nik Faiz Ruzz Gahara, said that it is time for batik makers to switch the way they approach the pandemic by using this time to improve their craft. He also organised apprenticeship programs to enable his workers to generate some money for the time being.
“We cannot plan to do something drastically different from the art we are doing now but there are ways to go about it. I personally had people help me ask around so we could get orders to make uniforms.
“Other than that, we are just organising our inventory and getting ourselves ready for the reopening economy – these are all just short term plans that we can do, but for all of this, we are not making any profit,” he said.
In the next phase, he is hoping to rope in Government-Linked Companies (GLCs) to encourage their employees to wear batik during their online meetings by offering subsidies on the purchase of batik apparel.
From January to February 2020 alone, Malaysia recorded 4.3 million tourists, and craft is a major contributor in the shopping category. In 2020, craft alone contributed to RM200 million in revenue to the nation, compared to RM500 million in 2019. Bakhtiar said the numbers for 2021 will probably be worse.
“We need to think out of the box and think of how we can market batik.
“We need people who can make a decision like what CEO of Berjaya Corp Bhd, Abdul Jalil Abdul Rasheed did by implementing batik as its official attire.
“I want to push for corporate companies that are doing very well to maybe adopt this, like telecommunication companies, for example – maybe we can push these corporate companies to follow suit,” the Balik Pulau MP said.
In April, Abdul Jalil announced that Berjaya's decision to adopt batik as their official uniform was aimed at helping small-time batik businesses to "keep their craft alive”. He had encouraged companies to do the same to encourage the vendors and craftsmen while promoting Malaysian culture. – The Vibes, August 14, 2021
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