KUALA LUMPUR: The National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) is set to sponsor 4,500 local screen artistes under the Self-Employment Social Security Scheme (SKSPS) through the Social Security Organisation (PERKESO), with each artiste contributing RM23.30 annually, totaling a sponsorship amount of RM104,850.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the one-year sponsorship constitutes 10 per cent of the total SKSPS contribution of RM232.80 per year that each contributor must pay for the protection scheme.
He said that the initiative arises from the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed today between the Communications Ministry, represented by FINAS, and the Human Resources Ministry through PERKESO, to offer support to artistes through the social safety net.
“This amount of RM232.80 is for one year, so it’s divided into 12 months, that is what you pay for every month. For this year, 90 per cent is paid by the government, while FINAS pays 10 percent, so recipients (artistes) don’t have to pay anything for one year,” he said at a press conference after the signing of the MoU here today.
The MoU was signed by FINAS chief executive officer Datuk Azmir Saifuddin Mutalib and PERKESO Group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed, witnessed by Fahmi and Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong.
Also present were Deputy Minister of Communications Teo Nie Ching, Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa, Human Resources Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud, PERKESO chairman Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal and FINAS chairman Datuk Kamil Othman.
Fahmi said the ministry is also planning to extend the SKSPS contribution to assist music artistes, adding that the matter was still being studied.
Meanwhile, Sim said the expansion of SKSPS contributors to include artists has resulted in over 400,000 self-employed workers being covered across various fields and professions.
He said inter-ministerial cooperation models are also easier to ensure that self-employed workers from various fields can contribute to the protection scheme.
“We will look into cooperation models with ministries so that freelance workers can also be protected by PERKESO. Last year, we provided over RM31 million under SKSPS. For this year, PERKESO has paid RM7 million to 1,500 SKSPS contributors so far,” he said.
Meanwhile, FINAS, in a statement, announced that the scope of the MoU collaboration is aimed at encouraging registration and increasing participation under SKSPS by all individuals or entities involved in self-employed filmmaking activities and associations to ensure continuous protection coverage.
Besides this, FINAS and PERKESO will also share data and information, especially regarding the list of names of individuals or entities involved in self-employed filmmaking activities, to facilitate the registration and contribution payment processes, it said.
“The scope of this MoU collaboration offers prerequisites to register and contribute to SKSPS through licensing methods under FINAS or through authorised sources.
“This collaboration also facilitates the participation in SKSPS with measures to be taken for all individuals involved in self-employed filmmaking activities to assist in the implementation of SKSPS.
“This includes the process of claiming benefits under the Self-Employed Insured Persons Benefit (OBBS) in the event of self-employment incidences,” the statement read.
