By Amanda L
KUCHING, June 30: Sarawak’s tourism and events industry could suffer if authorities continue enforcing rigid entertainment levy requirements, Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah says.
He said the State’s current policy requiring organisers to pay entertainment levies before permits are approved should be reviewed, particularly for charity events that are not profit-driven.
“This policy needs to be refined. Before a permit is granted, organisers are forced to pay the levy upfront. We shouldn’t be so hard,” he told reporters at a press conference on the upcoming Malam Legends charity dinner here today.
Abdul Karim stressed that civil servants should distinguish between commercial concerts and events held for charitable causes, saying there should be room for flexibility through waivers or less stringent requirements.
“If a concert is organised for charity, there must be a waiver or less rigid requirements. Why make things difficult when we are trying to do good work?” he said.
He warned that an inflexible approach could discourage organisers from staging major events in Sarawak, undermining the State’s efforts to grow its tourism and entertainment sectors.
“If civil servants want to be hard, we just won’t bring in any more concerts. Then Sarawak will have no entertainment at all,” he said, citing large-scale events such as the Borneo Sonic Music Festival as examples of programmes that could be affected.
Meanwhile, Abdul Karim said the Malam Legends charity dinner, scheduled for July 4 at the Pullman Waterfront Hotel in Miri is expected to generate tourism spillover by attracting visitors from within the region, particularly neighbouring Brunei Darussalam.
Organised by Malaysian Artists’ Association (Karyawan), the event will feature renowned singers Dato Zainal Abidin, Dato Ramli Sarip and Dato Jamal Abdillah while raising funds for charitable causes.
Calling on the corporate sector to support the initiative, Abdul Karim said the event is also an opportunity to recognise the contributions of Malaysia’s veteran entertainers.
“Let us seize this opportunity to honour them as they truly deserve,” he said. — DayakDaily
