KOTA KINABALU – The Sabah government will look into the oft-neglected problem of local artistes seeking greener pastures, by working to create more opportunities for practitioners to thrive.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan assured creative industry players that his government will tackle the issue, having become aware of the sector’s slow development and the dearth of local prospects for artistes.
Jeffrey was responding to a report by The Vibes on Sunday which highlighted the cries of local players to the state government, despite Sabah’s inherently rich artistic and cultural traditions.
Local artistes have also called for the state to set up its own broadcasting platform, while also ensuring proper representation of Sabah in the national media landscape.
Jeffrey acknowledged that there is significant disparity in the attitudes of industry players in Peninsular Malaysia towards the Borneo states.
“I am thankful to our very own filmmaker and writer Nadira Ilana for bringing this issue to our attention and I believe it was a timely reminder to stop the brain drain of creative and talented Sabahans,” he said in a statement.
“The Sabah government will look into the matter and take steps to ensure more opportunities are made available to our own people.”
Pointing to neighbour Sarawak as an example, Jeffrey said the time has come for Sabah to also create its own broadcaster, which he said he has been advocating for since the 1980s.
Sabahans are a talented lot. However, the vast majority of them remain undiscovered.
He said the time has come, especially because Sabahans are more than capable of producing their own content.
“Sabahans are a talented lot. We have talented people in all of these fields – design, music, publishing, architecture, film and video, crafts, visual arts, fashion, TV and radio, advertising, literature, computer games, the performing arts.
“Many of them have already made a name for themselves through other mediums, especially social media. However, the vast majority of them remain undiscovered.
“I believe that given the right opportunity, this industry has the potential to generate wealth and create jobs through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property,” he said.
Jeffrey, who is also the Sabah Kaamatan’s main organising committee chairman, said that the state is calling on local creatives to collaborate with the committee for this year’s harvest festival.
He said the occasion will present a huge chance for Sabah’s creative industry to demonstrate its technical and creative capabilities.
“As the committee chairman, I would like to personally invite them to support our technical and broadcasting committees so that we can begin the process of identifying creative talents and developing the industry in Sabah,” he said.
He added that he is eager to discover hidden gems among Sabahans and urged players to contact the committee as soon as possible. – The Vibes, March 30, 2021
