Do local artists need to be aided by government during this RMO?

I AM very sure that not every Malaysian artist, be he singer or actor or film director, is financially rich.

Behind their glamorous and gradiouse prominence, I believe that there are artists whose incomes aren’t consistent and as high as others who are always phoned for a job.

During this Restriction Movement Order (RMO), every human being, regardless of walks of life, is badly affected, and of course, asking for an aid from the federal government is not sinful as long as it can be fairly benefited those who truly face financial constraints.

The government, via the Ministry of Communication and Multimedia, will have to cooperate with artist-related organisations like Seniman if aiding local artists is seen to be necessary.

The cooperation, if it’s done, will need to evaluate criteria of a “needy artist” who will really deserve the aid, be it a pocket money or grocery or any physical help, that will relieve financial burdens faced by the artist.

If there’s an actor or singer that is being troubled by a health problem and poverty, then the aid will be beneficial for the artist.

But, if the aid tubed to those who live in a landed bungalow and drive exorbitant foreign-made cars, then “aiding artists affected by RMO” will not be a good thing to do.

Like many have commented on the issue on Twitter, I fully corroborate that the support or help must be based on the actual financial state of an artist.

In other words, if there will be a special budget to financially help artists, it has to be ensured that only certain artists with crucial conditions of living will be the ones whom the government will lend its hands.

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* Amerul Azry Abdul Aziz is an independent writer who now views politics as something that can be researched.

**The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of Astro AWANI.