KUALA LUMPUR: Since March 2014, a total of 579 street artists were given permits to busk on the city’s streets, Dr Zaliha Mustafa says.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) said that they include 374 under the music performance art category and 205 under the category of creative visual arts such as clowns, mascots, magicians, and henna artists.
She was responding to Prabakaran Parameswaran (PH-Batu) who asked about initiatives to elevate buskers in the capital city in Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (Feb 27).
With the upcoming Visit Malaysia 2026, she hopes that street artists, particularly buskers in Kuala Lumpur, will also play classic songs with a modern twist and help tourists recognize Malaysian traditional music like the gamelan and ghazal.
‘Buskers are also encouraged to dress well and appropriately during performances, and interact with the audience professionally and courteously,” she said, adding that batik or traditional wear will also showcase Malaysia.
She said that 16 locations have been designated as official busking areas.
“These include commercial and tourist zones like Bukit Bintang, Jalan Tengkorak Beraman, Dataran Merdeka, Medan Pasar, River of Life, Brickfields, and Jalan Alor.
“Also, in recreational and social zones such as public parks or suitable DBKL food courts,” she said, adding that each location allows operations between 9am and midnight.
She noted that many street performers were unaware of these busking zones.
For those performing without a permit, she said that most are performing in private areas or prohibited locations.
“Examples include busy intersections, traffic lights, and residential areas in city centres, which can be congested and dangerous,” she said to a supplementary question from Prabakaran.
She also said that the ministry would consider royalty payments as a potential source of income for street performers.
Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah (PN-Langkawi) has suggested in a supplementary question that a fee can be provided to the buskers as they enhance the ambience of the area.
“We are in the process of gaining input from buskers about elevating their status,” said Zaliha.
