New guidelines for foreign performers by year's end - ministry
International acts performing in Malaysia are likely to be subjected to new guidelines expected to be announced by the year’s end.
Communications and Multimedia Ministry secretary-general Mohammad Mentek reportedly said the new guidelines will take into account all sensitivities of the public.
“We have actually been...
International acts performing in Malaysia are likely to be subjected to new guidelines expected to be announced by the year’s end.
Communications and Multimedia Ministry secretary-general Mohammad Mentek reportedly said the new guidelines will take into account all sensitivities of the public.
“We have actually been working on the new guidelines since 2019 to make them more relevant to the industry’s needs to keep up to date with the present situation and trends,” Mohammad was quoted as saying by The Star.
The new guidelines, he said, are being finalised by a committee in the Central Agency for Application for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (Puspal).
The current guidelines already include conditions for both organisers and performers, with the latter subjected to restrictions on how they dress and behave on stage.
According to Mohammad, a new system is also in the works to handle the permit application process for foreign artistes to perform and foreign film crews to film.
“The system will be able to handle the whole application process for foreign filming and foreign performances from the beginning of the planning stages until the end,” he said.
He added that the ministry is also helping to promote Malaysia as a choice destination for filming and concerts by producing an application guidebook to be distributed worldwide.
The country has seen a revival of concerts and foreign acts this year following the reopening of borders, prompting threats of protest from PAS Youth who claimed such events promoted "hedonism" and urged the government to reconsider all permissions granted so far.
Recovering industry
The report also quoted Association of Arts, Live International Festivals, and Events (Alife) chairperson R Para who expressed hope the new guidelines will be clearly spelt out and industry-friendly.
“The live events industry in Malaysia is recovering but, for this year, the total revenue is only expected to reach 50 percent of pre-pandemic times.
“Before the Covid-19 pandemic, combined business and entertainment events contributed almost RM1.2 billion to the economy in 2019.
“We are projecting it will at least hit half that number this year (RM600 million) and surpass RM1.2 billion in 2023,” Para said.
