Self-Regulatory Aspect Equally Important In Malaysian Film Industry - Minister Saifuddin

ISKANDAR PUTERI (Johor, Malaysia), Aug 10 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Minister Saifuddin Abdullah has stressed the importance of self-regulation in the film industry, saying laws are unlikely to keep pace with rapid technological developments. As such, local art practitioners should adopt the self-regulatory approach, especially with regard to the new media like YouTube to generate income, he said. “I believe that apart from having regulations and laws gazetted by the government in Parliament, it is equally important to have an assurance of the widest freedom (possible) requiring art and culture practitioners to practise what is called self-regulation. “Actually, this self-regulatory aspect is bigger than the regulations and laws gazetted by the government. We should remember that the worlds of film and technology are expanding extensively. Laws cannot possibly keep up with technological developments. “Therefore, you can see that we are now stressing the anti-fake news campaign as it is part of the self-regulatory aspect,” he told reporters after opening a YouTube and Cinema Community Skills Workshop 2020 for the South Zone at Iskandar Malaysia Studios here Sunday. He was asked to comment on calls for the government to impose licensing requirements on YouTube channel owners, purportedly to protect the rights and interests of the local film industry from this group which is out to reap personal profits. Saifuddin said the government is amending the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) Act 1981 but the process would take time. "But we will gather the relevant experts including those producing short videos in this process,” he added. Saifuddin also said the ministry was cooperating with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture to form a Task Force on the Creative Industry soon, which would be tasked with helping the local creative industry expand in line with rapid technological developments. -- BERNAMA