PETALING JAYA: Call it a sad song, musicians are having a difficult time riding out the movement control order (MCO).
There are seven days to go before the order is lifted, but for many all they have left is a meagre RM20 to last them through the week.
When entertainment outlets stopped operating on March 18 due to enforcement of the MCO, they effectively lost their only source of income. Most have dug deep into their savings to feed their families.
Shasha Zainal, a full-time singer for rock band Touch Mahal, in a Facebook post, said she had RM3.99 left in her bank account. That was last Tuesday. She is now getting by on food aid from the government.
“The only time I get to forget about these tough times is through singing. I am worried about how I am going to pay my house rent and handle other necessities,” she said in the post.
Worse than having to take handouts, she expressed worry about not having anything or anyone to fall back on financially.
“If this Covid-19 does not kill me, the stress will,” she quipped. Despite this, she was still prepared to share her personal supply of food with others in a similar predicament.
She told theSun that some “kind-hearted friends” have chipped in to pay her rent.
Veteran full-time guitarist and singer Peter Jay, 61, was having an equally hard time. He told theSun that even before the MCO, it was already difficult to earn a decent income.
He had to take a second job servicing water filters to supplement his income, but is now unable to do both.
Peter used to earn RM800 to RM900 a month as a musician while supplementing his income with the RM19 he earned for every water filter he serviced. Now his wife does chores for the neighbours to earn some money.
Full-time guitarist Mohd Rizly, 46, said he and his wife, and three daughters have now resorted to food rationing.
“As a musician, I live from paycheck to paycheck,” he said. He used to make RM1,400 to RM2,000 a month, depending on the number of shows he did.
“We only eat home-cooked food now. At the sundry shop I buy items that do not cost much. I buy a lot of eggs because they are cheap. When someone is hungry my wife will serve boiled eggs,” he said.
Persatuan Pemuzik Tempatan Selangor (PPTS) vice-president Edwin Nathaniel said efforts were being made to ask the government to help the musicians.
Note: In a move to alleviate the suffering of those who have given us much joy with their music, theSun is working with PPTS to set up livestream sessions via social media to enable fans to tune in and donate for the benefit of the musicians.
