The welfare of the arts and creative fraternity will be among the issues that will be discussed at the Creative Industry Task Force meeting to be held soon, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

He said the task force, to be jointly chaired by him and Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, would also discuss issues on insurance coverage for the fraternity to ensure they are adequately protected.

"There are some production companies which, when they want to produce a movie or drama, will buy insurance coverage and the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) usually advises them to do so (purchase insurance) as well. This is among the main issues that will be discussed.

"More than 80 per cent of crew members of any production house comprises freelancers who are paid daily wages or allowances. So, this group needs to be prioritised in the issue regarding the welfare of the arts and creative fraternity," he said.

Saifuddin, who is also the Indera Mahkota Member of Parliament, said this after attending the Cherating Tourism Industry dialogue session today and which was also attended by Pahang Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) Office director Datuk Idros Yahya.

Other than insurance, Saifuddin said that other matters to be discussed would be the creation of legal aid for the arts and creative fraternity, after taking into account that some signed agreements without fully understanding the contents of their contracts.

"In the long run, or when they retire from the industry, problems will crop up such as them not receiving royalty payments, which can help them sustain their livelihood," he said.

Saifuddin said that since helming the ministry, he has held 13 dialogue sessions with various associations and arts and creative fraternity groups to listen to their problems as well as to get their views on issues shackling the creative industry.

In another development, Saifuddin said the issue of Internet access at tourist locations, especially in rural areas, would be among the focus of the on-going month-long National Digital Infrastructure Laboratory, which began on July 15.

He said it was crucial to increase Internet access in these areas as it was a trend these days for the younger generation to work while travelling, thus making them stay longer at certain places, as well enquiring about Internet accessibility before confirming their bookings.

-- BERNAMA