Mr Chang Kwai Ming

Chairman, COMPASS

 

President PERKAMUS and Director of COMPASS

 

Dr Edmund Lam

CEO and Director of COMPASS 

 

 

Ladies and gentlemen 

 

 

Good evening. I am pleased to be here today to launch Encik Yusnor Ef’s CD compilation “Aku Dia Dan Lagu” - a recording of some 128 of his songs, many of which are evergreen pieces composed from the pre-independence period in the early 1960s to the 1980s. This compilation is a solid testimony to his long and illustrious music writing career.

 

2          I understand that today, many of Encik Yusnor Ef’s songs are still being broadcast and re-recorded by new artists both in Singapore and Malaysia. Many Singaporeans can promptly recognise and sing his songs with ease. He has indeed made a big imprint on local Malay culture.

 

3          Encik Yusnor Ef is not only well-known in Singapore. The Malaysian government is also a sponsor of the production of this CD compilation, and I understand that the Malaysian Minister for Information, Communications and Culture, Dr Rais Yatim, had personally launched it in Kuala Lumpur.

 

4          The National Arts Council (NAC) and COMPASS are also major sponsors of this meaningful project. The collection of songs written by Encik Yusnor Ef is part of our heritage, and they should be properly documented and archived for the benefit of future generations.

 

5          Hence, I am pleased to learn that Encik Yusnor Ef has agreed to archive all his works with MusicSG, a project funded by the government and implemented by the National Library Board (NLB). NLB and COMPASS signed an MOU on 15 November last year to embark on a partnership to build a digital repository to digitise and archive local musical works to ensure that our musical heritage is not lost. We have a total of about 22,000 musical works written by Singaporeans to date, some of which could be written way back in the 1950s. I commend the effort to preserve and document all of them for our future generations.

 

6          It is critical, in multi-racial and multi-cultural Singapore, to ensure the preservation and development of traditional cultures of the various races. To this end, we encourage musicians to innovate by combining traditional and contemporary forms. Encik Yusnor Ef’s efforts in music not only makes up a part of Singapore's rich cultural diversity, but also provides a deep source for contemporary genres of the arts to draw from. To expand the audience base, to attract new audiences in Singapore and beyond, we encourage younger musicians to delve deeper into their heritage and acculturate the traditional elements with the contemporary forms to develop and define a new artistic vocabulary for the Malay community. As such, it is important that support in this area be given to preserve, promote and develop the various musical forms.

 

7          In the area of capability development, NAC has been actively looking into nurturing talents in Malay Music and Dance. NAC has plans to strengthen capabilities through formulation of training curriculum, organising of symposiums, competitions and masterclasses, as well as professional development. We will draw upon the expertise in our region, including Indonesia and Malaysia, to provide training and residencies to Traditional Arts practitioners here. We will also send our practitioners for overseas residencies to gain exposure and inject new ideas into their creative practice.

 

8          I believe that Malay Singaporeans love their local songs and artists. A case in point - last month, the five most popular songs on the radio chart were all local songs. This is indeed a very healthy trend, indicating that despite being an open society where foreign popular cultures are easily accessible, our local culture is taking roots within the community. I hope COMPASS will continue with this mission to promote the love of local songs among Singaporeans in all the communities.

 

9          Having secured success in the domestic market, I urge the Malay music community to now look beyond our shores and find ways to move into overseas markets. It is not an impossible task as our Chinese music professionals are already making an impact in areas such as China and Taiwan. The relevant government agencies are committed to lend a helping hand, which I believe that they are already doing and will continue to do so.

 

10        Finally, allow me to extend my heartiest congratulations and a big thank you to Encik Yusnor Ef for his contributions in developing local Malay music, both as a songwriter and also as a voluntary leader of the community through his work as President of PERKAMUS and Chairman of NAC’s Malay Music Development Committee.

 

11       On this note, I wish everyone in the Malay music fraternity many exciting and good years ahead. It is now my pleasure to launch the CD compilation “Aku Dia Dan Lagu”.