The planning and development of arts and culture in Malaysia are often seen as a low priority. The government regards arts as merely having entertainment value and does not see it as being pertinent to the overall development of the nation and its people.
Such an attitude and perception is reflected in the measly RM25 million allocation for arts development in Budget 2023 that was tabled recently.
Even the allocation for the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry will be utilised mainly for tourism promotion. The allocation for arts and culture within the ministry will be used for showcases and performances such as for Merdeka and Malaysia Day, and other events, often with political, or so-called patriotic overtones, leaving very little for serious arts development programmes.
The powers-that-be have completely missed the real significance of arts with regards to its fundamental component as an integral element in nation-building.
The underlying philosophy and aesthetics of arts relate to man’s perception of nature and his existence through his intellect and emotions, by synthesising and transforming them into images that may resemble or distort reality, ranging from the verisimilitude (reality), expressionistic, to the abstract; each form enhancing certain aspects of his existence (reality).
In addition, it widens and enhances man’s capacity of perceiving phenomena beyond the mundane reality, apart from fostering visual thinking, in which thought patterns are embedded in pictorial composition, using linear, montage, or random design.
While the performing arts, which embody dances, music, and drama are intangible – in which the artistic moments are ever-changing and dynamic – the visual arts are tangible, in two- and three-dimensional expressions.
Nevertheless, both have internal dynamism that explore the design expression beyond their physicality into the cerebral realm. Arts is not solely for entertainment as it has educational and economic values.
Its entertainment value provides the populace with a form for relaxation. It also allows both the audience and performers to vicariously experience the joy of dance, music, and drama on stage, as well as in films.
Art galleries enlighten the audience as to the creativity and ingenuity of the artists who share their experiences through their works (paintings, print, and sculpture) and allow them to explore the various emotional nuances of pictorial images in two- and three-dimensional expressions. It elicits joy when the audience finds meaning, and even solace, in these works.
Museums, on the other hand, are not only the repository of our cultural heritage, but they also provide the audience with glimpses into our past glories, leaving visitors excited and in awe as they vicariously experience the culture of yesteryears.
At the same time, all of these experiences have an informal educational component.
As an educational tool it encourages visual and creativity thinking, and engages students with various levels of complexity of arts expressionism, from the simplest in the kindergarten and primary schools, to the most complex in the higher levels of secondary and tertiary education.
It also develops skills in drawing, painting, sculpture, and craft. Dance and music using kinetic energy and sonic orders respectively, underline the non-verbal form of communication as an educative process, while drama employs oral interpretation and body mechanics, to convey meanings and experiences.
The arts have economic value, generating and stimulating economic activity. The arts industry, which includes performances, and the sale of artworks and crafts, generates revenue from businesses that support artistic productions and performances, creating employment for a variety of skilled personnel.
The spinoffs from artistic activities have a multiplier effect. In addition, it is a major tourism product.
Bearing all these in mind, the arts, therefore, should feature prominently in governmental planning and merit a financial allocation to commensurate with its role in generating revenue and in building a society that values art as an aesthetic and spiritual endeavour.
However, this is not the case at all in Malaysia. The measly RM25 million allocation for arts development in the aborted Budget 2023 was an exercise in futility and a sheer abuse of time and expertise. It testifies to the incoherence and lackadaisical attitude of the authorities towards the arts.
Because of their myopic vision, the authorities cannot see the arts beyond its manifestation as ‘just entertainment’.
The policymakers, the majority of intellectuals and academics, and almost all politicians are ignorant of the arts and its efficacy, with an aesthetic, functional, economic, and educational value.
They must be educated as to the intellectual, educational, and economic benefits of the arts; as an integral element in human intellectual and physical development.
This requires a significant budgetary disbursement, befitting its role in nation-building.
This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Twentytwo13.
