Karyawan, which brings together local artistes, said performers should stick to what they do best, entertaining others with their songs and films.
Artistes who want to get involved in politics should do so “properly”, it added.
“They should do it properly by joining a party and studying the issues in detail before coming out with some concrete proposals to improve the people’s living conditions.
“Taking potshots at the government only lowers people’s respect for the artiste community,” Karyawan president Freddie Fernandez told FMT.
Sheila, whose hits include “Antara Anyir Dan Jakarta” and “Sinaran”, took to Twitter to lament the high cost of living and weak ringgit.
“Food is expensive, ringgit is weak, cost of living is high & jobs are scarce.
“Msians are becoming tired & angry for being squeezed over debts we did not create.
“Stop making excuses & looking for faults. Focus on the job of getting our country back on track! Disappointing!” she had said.
Fernandez said Sheila’s tweet demonstrated the freedom Malaysians had to voice their opinions on social media platforms.
“We should be grateful for the fact that we are allowed to air our views freely, and there are no curbs on individual freedom, unlike in some other countries,” he added.
Under previous administrations, he said, there had been no social media, and any form of negative report against the government was tightly controlled.
Fernandez said the government was doing more to develop the creative industry than other countries in the region, through agencies like the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) and the National Department for Culture and Arts (JKKN).
It had also allocated RM20 million in Budget 2018 for the development of cultural activities, he said.
“The industry has every freedom to do anything it likes.
“Of course, for public broadcast, there will be limits due to sensitivities, but in social media, as we have seen, there are platforms available to air views of any kind.”
Fernandez said the nation should be grateful for the support given to the industry.
He added however that this was not the first time artistes had been critical of the government.
Several artistes had joined opposition parties and stood as candidates in a bid to oust the government, he said, but all had lost while the ruling government returned to power.
Meanwhile, the Artistes Association of Malaysia (Seniman) said all artistes had the right to air their opinions on social media as it was an individual platform.
“What was expressed by Sheila Majid is an individual right. Everyone has their own views.
“Our country is not always in good condition. It has its ups and downs,” Seniman president Zed Zaidi said, adding that this was normal.
Zed said the economic crisis in the 1990s had forced celebrities at the time to seek opportunities outside their industry.
He added however that artistes need to be mindful of their fans when expressing opinions on social media.
“People believe what artistes say. We need to be more careful on social media.
“We don’t want to add to our sins.”
Singer Sheila Majid laments high cost of living and weak ringgit