The National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) continues its efforts to secure copies of the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee’s works for preservation, as negotiations with the rights holders continue.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said efforts had been made to contact the rights holders, including Shaw Brothers in Singapore, which provided feedback to FINAS last month.
“The negotiations are ongoing, with the rights holders having made certain requests, but the efforts will certainly continue. We have also just received feedback from Shaw Brothers through its office in Singapore,” she said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
She was responding to a supplementary question from Jamaludin Yahya (PN-Pasir Salak), who asked whether the ministry had conducted a comprehensive audit to identify the rights to P. Ramlee’s works still held by certain parties, as well as the volume of original film materials requiring urgent restoration.
Teo said FINAS would ensure that the materials were properly preserved if it successfully obtained copies of the works.
In response to an original question from Onn Abu Bakar (PH-Batu Pahat) on government efforts to acquire or purchase ownership, copyright or management rights to P. Ramlee’s films, Teo said the government did not currently hold their copyright, but had not neglected their preservation.
She said a significant portion of P. Ramlee’s films and songs were held by the National Archives of Malaysia as national heritage records, while the rights to each work were being traced through production records, agreements and other relevant documents.
Teo said most of P. Ramlee’s films from 1948 to 1964 were produced by Malay Film Productions, a studio owned by Shaw Brothers in Singapore, while Merdeka Film Productions in Kuala Lumpur produced another 18 films between 1964 and 1972.
“In this regard, the ministry, through FINAS, will continue to explore the most appropriate mechanisms to acquire and utilise his works as national heritage assets, including through rights acquisition, joint management or other forms of collaboration with the rights holders,” she said.
Teo said the efforts would take into account legal considerations, negotiations with the rights holders, the interests of the heirs and the government’s financial capacity, ensuring that any action taken was lawful, orderly and fair to all parties.
Responding to a supplementary question from Onn on a proposal to establish a digital archive for P. Ramlee’s works, she said FINAS was already undertaking efforts to digitise all materials in its collection.
