I have a bone to pick with Sharizal and everyone who argues that prices of local art/cultural productions are cheaper than in the “West”.

Prices of art productions in KL are not generally cheaper than in the West. While yes, there are productions that are priced to the local market, these are few and far between. I find the opposite to be the case far more often than not.

Take the Malaysian production of Tosca which Sharizal mentioned. The cheapest ticket is priced at MYR21. The most expensive is MYR201. Compare this with productions at the English National Opera in London - the cheapest ticket is GBP5 (approx MYR30) and the most expensive is GBP46 (MYR276). Granted that while the tickets are, in absolute terms, more expensive, the price difference isn’t that great. When you compound this with the average salary (i.e. GDP) in Malaysia, you will then come to the conclusion that the price of the local production of Tosca is extortionate. Whereas a lot of people in London/UK would be able to afford to watch a production of opera, in Malaysia, only the well-off would think about forking out what is generally the cost of at least two meals for a cultural production.

Granted, in the UK, most art and cultural productions receive funding from the government. In Malaysia, this is rarely the case. This partially explains the differences in prices. But that is besides the point. From the consumer’s perspective, the economic decision is very simple: do we spend GBP5 in the UK (hardly the price of a sandwich in the UK) or MYR21 (at least two full meals in your average restaurant in Malaysia). Another example which would emphasise the stark contrast in the decision process is this: one ticket of GBP5 can be earned through about an hour’s work in McDonald’s in the UK. In Malaysia, one ticket of GBP21 would require at least 6 hours worth of work at the local McDonald’s. All this before we even factor in varying aspects of the production that contribute to the “total experience” which heavy funding in the West would allow, but not in Malaysia - e.g. costumes, props, lighting, etc. etc.

If we truly wanted to support the local art/cultural industry, and the society at large, we should lobby the Malaysian government to provide wider and deeper funding for art and cultural productions. This would allow production houses to lower the costs of the tickets which will then encourage not only more people to attend such productions, but will also make them more accessible to a wider group of audience who otherwise would not be able to afford to participate in such activities. The importance of wider social participation in art and culture is clear. Healthy audience participation will in turn contribute to a thriving art and culture industry.

Posted on July 2nd, 2003 by jl
Filed under: My Malaysia, Other Notable Stuff