JAKARTA: Malaysia is looking to strengthen cooperation with Indonesia in the creative economy, focusing on shared cultural heritage, historical ties and complementary strengths across various industries.
Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said both countries have significant opportunities to deepen collaboration in creative arts, intellectual property and music.
Speaking at a dinner with Indonesian creative industry representatives last night, Fahmi described the creative economy as a vibrant sector with considerable growth potential.
He expressed hope that Malaysia and Indonesia would identify more common ground to strengthen bilateral ties and expand mutually beneficial economic opportunities.
“I believe this is the first step in a very long journey together, God willing,” he said.
Also present were Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Datuk Muzafar Shah Mustafa, MyCreative Ventures Group chief executive officer Zainol Haqim Zainol Rashid, National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) CEO Datuk Azmir Saifuddin Mutalib, and Bernama Deputy Editor-in-Chief (News Services) Mohd Shukri Ishak.
Indonesian representatives included members of the Jakarta creative economy committee, EnMasse and Sun Eater Group.
Fahmi, who arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday evening after attending Bali Tech Week, is scheduled to remain in the Indonesian capital until Thursday to attend the World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE).
He is also expected to hold separate meetings with Indonesian Culture Minister Fadli Zon and Creative Economy Minister Teuku Riefky Harsya during the visit.
Speaking to Bernama, Fahmi highlighted the need to address barriers to market access for Malaysian creative works in Indonesia, particularly in the film and music industries. He also pointed to opportunities for more Malaysian artists to perform in the country.
He said these challenges would be discussed as part of broader efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation, with a memorandum of understanding (MoU) scheduled to be signed on Wednesday.
Under the proposed agreement, both countries aim to exchange data, explore training initiatives and facilitate the distribution and promotion of creative works across their respective markets.
The initiative is expected to create more opportunities for creative industry players in Malaysia and Indonesia while strengthening economic ties between the two countries.
-AWANI
