Speech by:
Y.A.M. Tunku Tan Sri Imran Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Ja’afar
YSD Chairman

List of Attendees:

1. Tun Musa Hitam - Former Chairman of Yayasan Sime Darby
2. Puan Sri Normah Hashim - Governing Council Member, Yayasan Sime Darby
3. Dato’ (Dr) Faridah Merican - Executive Producer & Co-Founder, klpac
4. Joe Hasham - Artistic Director & Co-Founder, klpac
5. Representatives from the YSD Donor Companies
6. Artistes and members of the arts industry
7. Media

Assalamualaikum and a very good morning!

1. I am very happy to welcome all of you to the exclusive announcement of the fifth edition of the Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival (or YSDAF). Today, we get to disclose what is refreshingly new about the highly anticipated YSDAF, as we prepare for an exciting 2025 season.
2. Since our inception in 2014, YSDAF, the brainchild of former YSD Chairman Tun Musa Hitam, has become a significant cultural event in the country. It has drawn in more than 63,000 participants through an array of nearly 1,500 arts events that bridge communities, and provide a platform for the disabled to express themselves using the arts.
3. This year, we are taking a gigantic step forward in expanding impact. Instead of you coming to us, we are coming to you. YSDAF 2025 will extend beyond the familiar confines of the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (or klpac) - to ten different locations across six states in Malaysia, reaching remote areas and city centres - making high-quality arts experiences accessible to more Malaysians!
4. I wish to express our gratitude to our three donor companies, Sime Darby Berhad, SD Guthrie Berhad, and Sime Darby Property Berhad, for supporting us to achieve even more in the arts; and to Faridah, Joe, Ian, Yue May, and everyone at klpac, for assisting us and making this expansion possible.
5. Ladies and gentlemen, YSDAF this year introduces several firsts, especially our first national tour—from the North to the South, and from the East to the West of Peninsular Malaysia. This strategic expansion is also part of our efforts to democratise access to the arts, ensuring that Malaysians from all walks of life can experience it.
6. And for this year’s edition, for the first time, we have the privilege of adding the Government of Malaysia to our list of supporters, who had provided a generous matching grant through the Ministry of Finance, thus enhancing our impact in the arts with greater inclusivity among all communities.
7. Central to our festival’s ethos, inclusivity continues to define YSDAF 2025. Our commitment is reinforced by this year’s Pitch Start initiative, which integrates persons with disabilities (or PWD) into our creative processes, ensuring a rich diversity of perspectives.
8. This is part of our broader effort to build a truly welcoming festival experience, including, soon, a training session in disability equality and services for our festival ambassadors, to enable them to effectively support the PWD community attending YSDAF. Since 2014, we have trained over 330 festival ambassadors!
9. With “Community: Side by Side” as our guiding theme, we are making the arts a universal language in Malaysia, featuring a lineup of over 130 arts activities from Kedah to Johor. Our festival kicks off in April, moving from rural kampungs to urban centres - starting with Merbok, Kedah and will culminate in a festival finale in August in Elmina.
10. Along this journey, similar to every YSDAF held since 2014, we shall once again be a powerhouse for job creation—providing over 1,000 new opportunities for local arts workers and artistes, catalysing both cultural and economic growth.
11. Ladies and gentlemen, Today, you will get a taste of what’s to come in the months ahead. YSDAF 2025 is all about art without borders! We are excited to showcase an exchange of art forms that will appeal to everyone in the rural and the urban areas, across Malaysia. Everyone will not only be presented with an exquisite taste of their own arts and culture, they will also be exposed to others’ as well. And wherever they live, and whatever their age and background is, there will be something for everyone to connect with and appreciate!
12. Thank you to everyone at klpac, our volunteers, artistes, and donors for bringing the 5th edition of YSDAF to life. Thank you also to our media partners for sharing the magic of YSDAF far and wide.
13. To all attending today and, in the future, prepare to be part of something extraordinary as we move forward side by side to celebrate, learn, and grow through the arts. We look forward to experiencing this journey with you, as we bring arts into the heart of communities and conversations across the nation. Thank you!