Sarawak govt allocates RM10 mln to facilitate heritage, arts and culture sector

KUCHING, April 27 (Bernama) -- The Sarawak Government has allocated RM10 million for the Sarawak Heritage, Arts and Culture Facilitation Fund this year, and applications can be made from today until Oct 28.

Sarawak Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the activities and programmes sponsored by the fund should benefit and stimulate the recovery of the heritage, arts and culture sector in Sarawak from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The scope of programmes and activities that can be applied for through this fund are workshops, classes, courses, conferences, symposia, forums, dialogues, seminars, staging, competitions, exhibitions, festivals, documentation including book and film publishing, activities involving the local community and also other programmes and activities that contribute to capacity building in the heritage, arts and culture sector in Sarawak," he said at during a press conference at Bangunan Baitulmakmur II, Petra Jaya, here, today.

Abdul Karim said all proposed programmes and activities must meet the set conditions, whereby those organised in Malaysia with support from the government and held in Sarawak, would be given due priority.

In addition, he said programmes and activities must be held physically and face-to-face or in a hybrid manner by local and international agencies and institutions, and contribute to the preservation and sustainability of Sarawak's heritage, arts and culture sector.

He said priority would be given to the people of Sarawak for the application of funds and it was open to individual art activists, associations, organisations, non-governmental organisations and non-profit organisations in Sarawak.

"All the proposed activities must be implemented in 2022. Applications must be submitted no later than 60 days or two months before the date of implementation of the programme or activity," he said.

He said there was no limit to the amount of funding that could be applied for, but that the final amount to be approved would be determined by the fund committee.

The application form and guidelines can be downloaded from the official website of the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak, at ‘mtcp.sarawak.gov.my’

-- BERNAMA