SARAWAK’s 26 year-old craft council has been bestowed regulatory powers as an authority in the state to oversee and develop ethnic handicraft, after the Sarawak Craft Council (SCC) Bill was passed at the assembly this afternoon.

Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Abdul Karim Hamzah when tabling the bill said giving the council regulatory powers is important as the craft industry has grown since the council started operating on January 2, 1997.

“It is very important to formalise SCC as the lead organisation responsible for the successful development of the Sarawak craft industry,” he told the assembly.

Karim told state lawmakers the formation of SCC was first mooted on December 14, 1995, as the state’s handicraft industry was “uncoordinated and unplanned”.

“Activities organised by various agencies were ad-hoc, and in some instances, agencies engaged in duplicated roles with no clear direction,” he said.

He said when the council was first mooted, one of the recommendations made was for the council to “chart the development of the handicraft industry to make it more coordinated and progressive so it can spearhead the development of the industry and meet the needs of the tourism industry in the state”.

However, a study initiated by the state government in 2004 – Sarawak Handicraft Industry Development Study – suggested “establishing the policy and institutional framework necessary to facilitate the development of the Sarawak handicraft industry”.

A key strategy to achieve that was to restructure and empower the council as the implementing agency, Karim said.

One of the restructuring recommendations was for the council to have its own funding.

Karim said its funding, prior to the passing of the bill, was from his ministry.

He said under the state’s post-Covid-19 development strategy to revitalise the economy, the target for handicraft sales in 2030 is RM183.6 million, involving 1,800 producers.

The compound annual growth rate, he said, is 14%.

“The craft industry has grown since the formation of SCC. The expectations and needs of the industry, stakeholders, public and the government render the need to formalise SCC into a body with a legal framework through the Sarawak Craft Council Bill 2023.”

He said the state government believes the council would be a “key enabler in realising the full potential of Sarawak’s craft industry and contributing to the overall socio-economic development of the state”.

“Due to its unique and complementary role in Kraftangan Malaysia, the council will only focus specifically on the needs and aspirations of Sarawak’s craft industry,” he said.

The bill was unanimously backed. – May 16, 2023.