Photograph: Gabija Grusaite

The arts are powerful tools of expression. The impact of a film or a song can be so significant that governments find it hard to stay away. Finding a balance between encouraging the arts but without politicising them is a difficult but necessary duty.
 

By Tricia Yeoh

(First published in Penang Monthly’s September 2012 issue).

As the heated controversies over the recent movie “Tanda Putera” which depicted the May 13, 1969 riots demonstrates (even before being publicly screened), art can have a tremendous impact on the national psyche. The movie was accused in online media for portraying a racially skewed version of what transpired and who the agitators were.

Although this particular film may not be the best example, throughout history, art has sought to present penetrating perspectives on life. Where policies and political campaigns fail to capture public imagination, art can assume roles that are more effective; it can be the conscience, the detractor, the sarcastic commentator or the teacher.

Malaysia has seen various official institutions sponsoring and promoting projects in this field, such as the National Culture and Arts Department, National Film Department of Malaysia and National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia, amongst others.

A total of RM233mil was allocated to the Ministry of Information, Communication and Culture in the 2012 Budget, which represents 0.1% of total government expenditure for the year. This is compared to, say, our neighbour down south, Singapore, whose budget allocated S$1,138mil to their Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, representing 0.02% of their budget. Although a smaller percentage of their budget, the total sum contributed to the arts is significantly higher for a much smaller population.

During the economic slowdown, there have been debates about how much the arts need to be supported by the state. In some countries in Europe, for example, artists and communities who had previously received government or institutional grants have suffered as a result of austerity measures. Ironically, although public funding of a certain theatre in Rome shrank by 25%, audiences have grown over the past year (Hooper, The Guardian, July 27, 2012).

In Malaysia, despite the many grants, there are many independent artists who do not receive funding and have to rely on other means.

So how involved should the state be in the sponsoring of the arts?

The state governments of both Penang and Selangor have portfolios that deal with the arts, but they are skewed towards culture and heritage. The Penang government allocated RM3.8mil for the preservation, exhibition and promotion of culture and heritage in its 2012 budget, whilst the Selangor government allocated RM500,000 to restore the Royal Selangor Theatre to become fully operational, which would include arts and theatre activities and dialogues. An additional RM2.8mil was allocated to develop the Sultan Alam Shah Museum. Penang, of course, has other arms such as the Penang Heritage Trust, which has done such admirable work.

Photograph: Penang Global Tourism

How much does the government spend on the arts? 

However, apart from cultural preservation, the state governments have also begun to invest in other forms of the arts. The flourishing of performance art in Penang, for example, has been widely talked about all the way down to the Klang Valley. The recent George Town Festival, which took place for a whole month, was a resounding success with acts of theatre, opera, dance, music and film. It offered locals and visitors a taste of local heritage with, for example, street performances in the older parts of the city. In this case, many different Penang bodies collaborated – official actors partnering with various private sector companies. Other events that have sparked interest include the George Town Literary Festival, also supported by the Penang state government through its Penang Global Tourism body – not to mention numerous other events peppered all throughout the year, such as the Penang Jazz Festival.

This level of artistic programming has unfortunately not reached Selangor, despite the latter being the more urban of the two states. One possibility is the thriving tourist industry of Penang. Secondly, quite independent of the state government, artists and performers already living and working within Selangor have their professions carved out for them. For example, independent performing arts centres such as the PJ Live Arts in Jaya One host equally creative acts such as the Malaysia Ukelele Group, comedy performances and so on. Urbanscapes, an annual music and arts event, will be held at Selangor’s Padang Astaka for the second consecutive time this year – whose 10th anniversary will feature the internationally celebrated band Sigur Ros and Malaysian singer Yuna. In this sense, Selangor benefits from the energetic capital of Kuala Lumpur itself.

The last time the Selangor government sponsored something closely related to the arts was perhaps the Selangor Young Talent Awards 2011 (Setya), organised by Gen-S (Generasi Selangor, or the Selangor Youth Secretariat). Held for the second year running, the event recognised artists below the age of 35 under the four categories of creative writing, music, visual art and performing arts. Prior to that, the Selangor government was also the official sponsor of the annual Komas FreedomFilmFest in 2010.

Preservation of Malay culture is specially featured in Selangor, with the formation of Perbadanan Adat Melayu dan Warisan Negeri Selangor (Padat), the Selangor Malay Culture and State Heritage Body, which has as its objectives to gather historical information on Malay culture and Selangor heritage with the purpose of preserving and educating the public on the same. It is understood that a resource centre is to be established for this.

Photograph: Daniel Lee

State-sponsored arts have their place, but there are times this can also result in utter failure. In the lead-up to the country’s 55th Independence Day, the federal government’s commissioned logo and song accompanying its theme of “Janji Ditepati”, loosely translated as “Promises Kept”, received dismal response from the public. Although the significance of a design is very subjective, in this case there was hardly anything artistic or creative to be said about the logo. This sparked a debate on the extent to which it was commissioned on an open basis.

The relationship between the state and the arts is similar to the state’s role in business and civil society – to play a facilitating role but not actively dictate the rules of the game. Where governments can provide support and funding, artists and players themselves must be given the freedom to be creative and fully express themselves. The two negative examples of this year’s national day logo and the government-sponsored “Tanda Putera” are perfect case studies of a government providing the funds but producing output that is less than desirable. Pakatan state governments can take their cue from this, and learn from the mistakes made.