Buskers to be given exposure, professional training - Rais

Talents of street performers or buskers in the city will be polished in a more professional way with exposures to be given through shows and trainings, says founder and chairman of Yayasan Budi, Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim.

He said Yayasan Budi would collaborate with Persatuan Karyawan Malaysia (Karyawan) to organise various programme to improve the quality of performance of buskers.

"With this kind of exposures, it will definitely provide a new platform for buskers to make it in the industry, or probably to the extent of becoming a recording artistes," he told reporters after launching the Budi Programme With Street Performers here, on Friday.

Also present was Karyawan president Datuk Freddie Fernandez.

Rais said the selected buskers would also be given the opportunity to perform at the Budi Concert scheduled to be held in view of the upcoming Independence Day celebration in August with the cooperation from Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) and National Heritage Foundation.

In another development, Rais, who is also Socio-Cultural Affairs Adviser to the Government, expressed his condolence to the family of veteran comedian Mohd

Yusof Abdul Hamid or better known as Mr Os on his death on Friday.

"For me, the death of Mr Os is indeed a personal loss because our friendship dated back to 1985 when I was the Information Minister.

"I cannot forget his way of saying things that matter, which usually contained in his funny quotes and lines in local dialect, or even in his songs...we pray for his soul and may he be well remembered and respected," he added.