KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 — The Malaysian Television Producers Association (PTVM) has proposed the establishment of the National Creative Industry Welfare and Retirement Scheme to provide more structured, sustainable, and comprehensive protection for creative industry practitioners.
Its president Datuk Jurey Latiff Rosli said the proposal was included in a memorandum submitted to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim through his senior private secretary during the opening ceremony of the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia Tower yesterday.
The scheme should include a retirement or future savings mechanism, healthcare protection, housing support, social security, and a safety net for creative workers who can no longer work.
“We should not wait until an artist falls ill, loses income or faces hardship before assistance is provided on an ad hoc basis.
“Welfare should not continue to depend on sympathy; instead, it must be built through a proper system,” he said in a statement.
Jurey added that reforms in the creative industry must also consider the sustainability of production companies, particularly television producers facing rising production costs, tougher opportunities, and rapidly changing business models.
Without sustainable production companies, employment opportunities for actors, directors, writers, production crews, and thousands of creative workers would also be affected.
“Reforms should not focus solely on content and creative freedom, but must cover the entire economic ecosystem, from companies that create jobs to the welfare of individuals within the industry,” he said.
PTVM also welcomed the Prime Minister’s emphasis on providing greater space for creative practitioners and ensuring support and protection for the entire industry ecosystem.
Jurey noted that the success of the creative industry should not be measured solely by impressive infrastructure, but by its ability to provide employment, income, protection, and a more secure future for its practitioners.
