Thursday 17 October 2013

Scandal of Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra


Haiz…there are always have lots of assignment waiting for me during the mid of semester!


I can’t sleep early

I can’t see movie

I can’t catching up Hong Kong Drama

I can’t go shopping

I can’t eat buffet and steamboat

I only can stay in my room and face in front of laptop!!!

I HATE ASSIGNMENT.



I still have to continuous…

This is life…


Today I would like to share one Malaysia’s news here and it is not allowed to publish by media in Malaysia. Sure…it is not a good news for us.


This sandal is about Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) terminated nine of their long term European key players without any reason. Four out of the nine players had been serving for the orchestra for 14 years since its inception in 1998 but Music Director Claus Peter Flor reportedly did not stand up for his team members. Besides that, they are all still under contract.

Seven out of nine players have filed legal action with the industrial Relations Court in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. The files have been sent to the Labour Minister for review and probable referral to court hearing. The others three are unable to take legal action because are already past the retirement age and piano position is being cut.


They get paid and work as performances for MPO. They do have families and younger child in Malaysia, they do have some burden. It was not reasonable for MPO terminated their work without any reason and them still under contract. MPO was destroyed their livelihood.


Another than that, MPO has been offered 23 new vacancies to replace that 9 dismissed players. New members will beoffered contracts with up to 25% lower salary- replacing illegally dismissed, long-term, dedicated musicians, with scaled down contracts and there is a factor to pay cut for existing
musicians due to an implemented unfavorable currency exchange rate. The new orchestra CEO, Nor Raina Yeong Abdullah has rejected talks with the Orchestra Council in general.

From here, it can show that how MPO treat them in without respect and the decreasing of the value of foreign musicians for them.


International Federations of Musicians (FIM) have called for an MPO boycott by issuing an official statement advising aspiring orchestra players around the world to not attend MPO audition held in New York this coming November. Previous European auditions have reportedly been poorly attended due to these unsettling issues. Here is the link to see full statement by FIM.

http://www.fim-musicians.org/post/boycott-mpo-auditions#more-2872


In this case that is set to embarrass the national oil company despite its efforts to create one of the world’s premier venues and best orchestras at the Dewan Filharmonik in Malaysia.


For MPO, they stated that this is their “cost-cutting” strategies. Yeah, true, they have to cut cost when you know how much money they spend for maintaining this international standard philharmonic orchestra in Malaysia.


Lim Guan Eng revealed that the cost to maintain the musicians is a whopping RM3.5 million per month.
“As much as 95 percent of the foreign musicians are paid between RM16, 000 and RM28,000 a month and given two months paid leave every year. The conductor is paid RM130, 000 a month while the (conductor’s) assistant is paid RM50, 000 a month,” he said.


“For the past 10 years since it was established, this orchestra has ‘swallowed’ a total of RM500 million,” he added.


This amount really shocks me!!!!!!!!


For most of the Malaysians, they really love and enjoy in classical music with international class of orchestra and we proud for it. It is true. So for utilitarianism, MPO should terminated those 9 musician player and offer lower pay than existing musicians for recruit new musicians to cut cost and maintain it for greatest number of Malaysians. Are really the scarified of 9 musicians was worth?

For me, there have a better way to solve this problem!


We understand that Petronas who own this philharmonic need huge of money to maintain and invest. However, are they invest in the right way? Are we really need foreign musicians for performance? Does it worth to invest so much of money for recruit foreign musicians?


From the words Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra what are you expect that?
I trust that most of the people same with me- wish to see Malay type of opera or music performance at MPO. If you are the tourist from another country, I’m sure, you also would expect and like to see Malay style of performance at MPO.


Therefore, what for MPO invest such huge of money to recruit foreign musician? MPO can use this money and invest to develop and educate Malaysian in music industry. Through the effective educate program, MPO is able to recruit musician among Malaysians and perform our culture to visitors.


It is good for MPO to perform Malay culture and cut cost through invest in educate Malay musician. It also can be avoid such of dilemma between Malaysia and other countries.


Showcase our own culture is always the best way to attract tourist and promote Malaysia.


Return back for this case, it has been five months since nine European members of MPO were told to pack their bags and BALIK KAMPUNG. The MPO’s chief executive Nor Raina Yong Abdullah refused to comment and keep silence about this.


This is not the proper way for MPO to face and solve this case. The management had decided to terminate the 9 musician players without any reasoning and cease the employment contract. This is an unprofessional work ethics and it ruined the reputation of our country when this scandal spread among others country.