Silat Pusaka Gayong master appointed Pulau Pinang Co-Deputy Chief Minister

Pesilat were surprised today to hear of guru Mohd Fairus Khairuddin's appointment as co-deputy Chief Minister of Pulau Pinang following the recent upset elections, which rocked Malaysia.

Guru Fairus is the current Gurulatih Tertinggi and Chairman of the Wilayah Persekutuan chapter of Pertubuhan Seni Silat Pusaka Gayong Malaysia. He has been titled by the perguruan as Imam Khalifah Besar and Panglima Singa Malaya.

He has also received recognition as Grandmaster by the International Grandmaster Society, Japan, USA & Saudia Arabia, Master & Life Membership by World Organiser of Martial Arts, USA (WOMA-USA) and Master Instructor from the World Head of Society & International Council of Masters & Grandmasters.

Pulau Pinang chief minister Lim Guan Eng today announced PKR's Penanti state assemblyperson Mohd Fairus Khairuddin and DAP’s Perai representative P Ramasamy as his deputies. Mohd Fairus will be the Deputy CM (I) and Ramasamy, Deputy CM (II).

"This decision is to ensure all the communities in Penang are represented and this government is for all," Lim, who was sworn in yesterday, told a press conference at his office in Penang this morning.

The new chief minister hoped that with the arrangement, Penang will be propelled to a higher level.

"We do not sideline any community which certain quarters are trying to portray. We want to be your (Penangites) friend and it is our strong commitment that all Penangites will have a stake in the state government," he added.

Today’s announcement came as a surprise as party insiders have earlier indicated that the new state government has no intention to retain the deputy chief minister position.

Mohd Fairus, a newcomer in politics as well, said he will look into issues which are of concern to the Malay community in the state, such as education.

"That will be one (aspect) but it is not all because we are here to represent all communities," said the 32-year-old politician, who holds a master’s degree in business administration from United Kingdom.

We at Silat Melayu: The Blog and SilatMelayu.Com congratulate guru Fairus on an amazing upward move in his life. We pray that he serves his community well and continues to prove that values within Silat can be translated into everyday life.

Edited from malaysiakini.com