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NOMINATED Assemblyman Datuk Roger Chin said the forum exceeded expectations in the quality and range of ideas that emerged over the course of the evening.“Many great ideas were shared tonight,” he said.

Roger pointed to South Korea as a model worth studying, drawing attention to the Korea Arts Management Service (KAMS), a public institution established in 2006 under the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. 

“KAMS supports the economic sustainability and global expansion of Korean visual, performing and musical arts through funding, consulting, research and educational programmes and is also a member of the Asia Pacific Music Meetings, a regional network that has helped connect arts organisations across the continent.

“Establishing a similar body in Sabah was a conversation worth having. Perhaps it is a way forward for our creative industry, establishing such an entity,” he said, adding that it does not hurt to explore the possibility. 

He also called for Sabah’s creative practitioners to embed themselves more deeply in international networks, pointing to Yee I-Lann as the kind of globally connected figure the State needed more of. 

Roger cited Sarawak’s success with the Rainforest World Music Festival, which had built a strong international following in part because its organisers were plugged into global arts networks. 

“That is one way Sarawak managed to sell their Rainforest World Music Festival to the world. They were part of the Asia Pacific Music Meetings and KAMS is also a member.

“Global visibility for Sabahan creative work would not come by accident but through deliberate participation in the right international communities,” he said.