26 August 2008

Parliament gets another silat man

Congratulations to The Honourable Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on his return to Parliament following his victory at the Permatang Pauh (Pulau Pinang) by-elections today. This marks his formal return to politics after a ten-year hiatus, during which he was jailed on charges of sodomy and corruption, the former of which was overturned several years later.

Datuk Seri Anwar is determined to force a switch in government by the 16th of September 2008, the anniversary of the day that Malaysia came into being. He effectively promises to become the next Malaysian Prime Minister by that date.

Thus, it is especially significant to Silat Melayu: The Blog that Datuk Seri Anwar is a former Silat Cekak student who studied from the late Ustaz Hanafi Haji Ahmad in the 1970s and was recently anointed as Ketua Imam Khalifah Besar of Silat Seni Pusaka Gayong Malaysia.

If he does become the Prime Minister, we at Silat Melayu: The Blog expect to see positive changes in the local silat world, including a refocus on the more positive aspects of the art. Of all the Malaysian Prime Ministers, only Tun Abdul Razak and Tun Hussein Onn were openly regarded as pesilat and were staunch supporters of Silat Seni Gayong from its inception.

May Allah bless his journey if it is His Will.

Original Article by Mohd Nadzrin Wahab

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