Budget 2023 includes an RM30mil allocation for urban rejuvenation efforts and RM50mil for Unesco world heritage sites in Penang and Melaka. In pic: The Sultan Abdul Samad Building in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: The Star/Kamarul Ariffin
Kuala Lumpur is all set to spruce up its image as a contemporary cultural capital, with an RM30mil allocation for urban rejuvenation efforts as announced in today's national Budget 2023.
This collaboration between Think City and DBKL will also include the upgrading of public housing in the city.
Think City managing director Hamdan Abdul Majeed notes that the downtown areas of Kuala Lumpur have long been a focus for Think City’s work as the geographical space is a strategic convergence point with immense untapped potential.
“Creative and culture districts promote participation of people in social equity, benefits sharing and make significant contributions to the national economy. The allocation of RM30mil will accelerate the transformation of downtown Kuala Lumpur, attracting local and international visitors into the heart of the city, and creating creative and cultural economic activities and spurring vibrancy in the city. This allocation signals the revival of national pride, generating a sense of aspiration that will build on the momentum of Malaysia Madani growth and building back better for Malaysia,” says Hamdan.
He shares that the allocation will also improve livelihood and liveability of urban poor communities in public housing by empowering them to affect collective action in shaping their place of homes, implement capacity building programmes, increase awareness and advocate for better policies for sustainable public housing.
“The regeneration of downtown Kuala Lumpur into a creative and cultural destination - tying together heritage assets, cultural attractions and creative enterprises - will be further enhanced by the preservation and rejuvenation of the Dataran Merdeka Heritage Precinct. We would like to take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to Khazanah Nasional Berhad, Yayasan Hasanah, as well as our local and international partners, and communities we collaborate with, in working under a common goal of making cities liveable, together,” he adds.
Another RM50mil has been set aside in Budget 2023 to boost sustainable conservation efforts in Penang and Melaka, both listed as Unesco World Heritage sites since 2008.
With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of Malaysian history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British-era from the end of the 18th century. The two cities - which are popular tourist destinations - constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and South-East Asia.
"Of the RM50mil allocated to preserve Unesco world heritage sites, my hope is that consideration will be given to help preserve heritage trades and livelihoods.These intangible assets form the soul of our heritage cities, and if innovated, have the potential to add value to the future of our economic development," says Melissa Chan, director of the Bendahari, a cultural heritage hub in Melaka.
"The budget does not outline clearly whether it is tangible or intangible heritage. Are we talking about just preserving buildings? There should be a broader discussion with the heritage community on the various aspects of conservation and areas of documentation," says Paul Augustin, director of the Penang House of Music, which works to preserve the island state's music heritage and beyond.
"So equal importance and budget should be given to document and preserve the intangible, like Penang state's rich music history. Very often these stories of our past are often neglected and in time will be lost and forgotten. A nation without its music, culture and arts is like a nation without a soul," he adds.
The allocation also includes RM102mil for Digital Content Grants to assist and promote new works in the creative industries, as well as RM25mil for heritage and cultural activities at the community level.
“We, at ReformARTsi remain disappointed at the allocation for the arts in the 2023 budget. While applauding the RM25mil used for community projects, there is a severe lack of interest in developing contemporary arts for the average rakyat, and an unclear sign for the continual development of traditional arts. Instead, the continued use of culture as means or tool for tourism via an allocation of RM115mil to encourage airline travel, plus RM1.4bil to build roads for tourists does nothing to build unity, encourage deeper appreciation for living arts, or help develop arts education in our schools. We would like to remind this government that Arts and Culture are for Malaysians, and not only for tourists," says June Tan, producer at Five Arts Centre, on behalf of ReformARTsi.
ReformARTsi is a coalition of companies, practitioners and academics who aim to build consensus on reforms and policy changes for the performing arts, and to jointly advocate these changes to the government.
"It does not seem that the arts is a priority and valued in its role to rebuild our nation post pandemic which is a shame when we have so much to offer if we have the right support, policies and incentives in place. This seems to be the case particularly because we do not have our own ministry, always having to fight with the tourism sector for a slice of the pie," says Ang Yue May, general manager, marketing communications at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) and The Actors Studio.
"As the hardest hit sector and one of the last to reopen, we (the arts and culture industry) need a multi-pronged strategy that takes into account different players and different needs such as what was announced for the tourism sector where they have an allocation for tourism promotions and matching grants. We need a conducive environment and support system for the arts to thrive including putting in place the incentives that will also drive corporations, individuals to lend a hand and chip in," she adds.
On the literary front, RM20mil has also been allocated for Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Institut Terjemahan & Buku Malaysia (ITBM) and Yayasan Karyawan to increase the number of book translations and to develop quality local writers and enhance the Malaysian literary scene's standing.
