GEORGE TOWN – Cultural and heritage societies in Penang are questioning the effectiveness of the National Culture Policy 2021 launched with fanfare by the federal government last year.
Penang Karyawan Association president Datuk Sohaimi Abdul Aziz sought an explanation on why a new policy is needed when the National Culture Policy 1971 had already existed before this.
“I was involved earlier in the discussions before the finalisation of this (new) policy and I gave a lot of input, but I guess there should be a clearer distinction on why we need a new one.
“What is wrong with the old policy? There must be something lacking, right?
“For example, the old policy gave attention to Malay and Islamic culture, but other cultures can also be highlighted, now they say every culture is equal – why?
“Is it because other cultures have deprived us all these while? I think there should be an explanation,” he said at a Dasar Kebudayaan Kebangsaan (Daken) roadshow in Penang last Saturday.
Sohaimi also said that more funds must be allocated to non-governmental organisations to organise cultural events because they are expensive.
He said that the cultural and heritage associations here have a lot of ideas but need a lot of money to see them done successfully.
At the launch of Daken 2021 in October last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had said that it would be used as a guide and reference to plan the development of the country’s arts, culture, and heritage sector.
Stressing that the sector had great potential to generate the economy in the past, he said the government has set a revenue target for it at RM1 billion by 2025.
He also listed seven cores for Daken to focus on, namely highly valued culture, community harmony, preservation and conservation of cultural heritage, cultural development and expansion, cultural empowerment, generation of cultural economy, and cultural excellence.
Lack of funds, exposure inducing cultural loss
Penang Chingay Association representative Puvaneswary Raju told The Vibes that since the pandemic started, it seems that cultural practices are dying because of less exposure to younger generations and a lack of funds.
“During the briefing, they told us that the festivals we propose can run alongside charity events, but we also need sufficient funds to do such things,” she said.
“As it is, some of our association members have been out of a job since the pandemic started. Will what they are offered be enough?” she questioned.
Meanwhile, Tan Hock Kheng, the co-founder of ZXC Theatre Troupe, said that the government must not only provide money but also a platform.
“If they are serious about pushing Malaysian cultures, it will require more than just a little money to hold a festival.
“My question is, how do you bridge all these elements that make for a sustainable and successful way to preserve our cultures?
“Also, it doesn’t always have to be a harmonious mix of all cultures in a festival. Look at Puteri Gunung Ledang, the staged performance. It was a Malay performance by a Malay group, and that is okay because there are performers from other races in it.
“That was not all. The reason for its success was financial freedom to implement ideas – from the beautiful costumes to the props and music. The initial investment was more than RM1 million.”
Come up with fresh workable ideas
Tan said that Malaysia can learn a lot from South Korea in the implementation of “soft power”.
In the 1990s, an organisation approached the South Korean government to bridge Korean culture with modern times and present it to the people.
“They trained performers, scriptwriters, and those needed to push the industry forward. Within 10 years, the K-pop phenomenon began to spread outside its borders. After 30 years, it has gone global,” he said.
Tan believes that with Malaysia’s unique multiculturalism and talent, the nation can achieve this level too, however, the government and its agencies must be willing to be hands-on and take risks.
“With this new policy, there must be something fresh, not just tweaks from the old policy because it has only brought us so far.
“Why waste money if we are not going to move forward with our cultural and heritage education and appreciation? We will just be walking on the spot,” he said.
During the launch of the Daken 2021 roadshow at Cititel Premier, State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin called for all arts, culture, and heritage activists in the state to continue to be policy development agents on an ongoing basis.
“The Penang State Tourism Master Plan 2021-2030 also emphasises the importance of ensuring sustainability where the cultural aspect is one of the cores that must be given priority in the tourism industry and creative economy in Penang.
“I have plans to develop a variety of tourism products and a creative economy to position Penang competitively in Southeast Asia.
“Therefore, we should encourage creativity and innovation in the field of arts, culture and heritage. If tourism management is better, there will be more variations of quality products throughout Penang that can attract better quality domestic and international tourists,” he said. – The Vibes, March 24, 2022
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