GEORGE TOWN, April 15 — The Penang state government is coming up with a plan to help Penang artists who are also impacted by the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and the movement control order (MCO).
Penang state exco Yeoh Soon Hin said the state government has put in a lot of effort to cultivate the local arts and culture industry so it will have to ensure the continuity of the industry.
“We need to ensure its continuity to keep up the progress which has been achieved all these years through the contributions of many,” he said in a statement.
He said his office is now working on a plan for local artists to “support first, revitalise after” so that the arts and culture industry can continue to move forward and at the same time help the artists through financial difficulties.
Yeoh said arts and cultural organisations in Penang are losing hundreds of thousands in revenue and many in the industry faced the possibility of losing their jobs.
“They are not just facing the potential risk of losing their jobs, they might also face the struggle of having months without an income with productions suspended,” he said.
He added that the federal government’s aid packages did not include funding or subsidies to support the arts and culture industry so the industry was left on its own to survive.
He said the Penang state government has been cultivating the industry for the past 10 years to turn Penang into an arts hub in Malaysia and this had created jobs and opportunities for artists in Penang.
“The only reason an artist chose Penang is because there are a lot of job opportunities for income here, and the artists can make money through sales of show tickets as Penang community have a higher appreciation for arts, which in turn sees the market for arts in Penang growing compared to the other places,” he said.
Due to the pandemic and MCO, he said shows and events such as George Town Festival, George Town Heritage Celebrations, ArtPenang, The Sound of the Future Music Concert, Open Studios Penang and many others were cancelled.
Yeoh said arts might not be a major industry compared to others but it had still contributed to the state’s economy and provided jobs for many.
He said this is why the state will come up with something to help the industry and the artists.
