Focus on Malay martial arts

Warm welcome: Wan Ali greeting Mawan (second from right) while RSS secretary-general Mohammad Haneef Ali (left) and the ministry’s acting permanent secretary Hamdan Sharbini look on in Kuching.

Some 400 silat masters from all over Sarawak will converge at Stadium Perpaduan for the 4th Silat Convention from Sept 28 to 30.

Rumpun Silat Sarawak (RSS) president Datuk Wan Ali Tuanku Yubi said the convention was aimed at promoting Malay martial arts and getting the teachers updated on silat’s latest developments.

“The idea is to get the teachers to learn new techniques and familiarise themselves with updates in martial arts which they could incorporate in their lessons,” he said during a courtesy call on Social Development and Urbanisation Minister Datuk Seri William Mawan Ikom in Kuching yesterday.

A total of six working papers will be presented and deliberated upon at the convention to be attended by some 5,000 people.

Among the paper presenters will be Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, Housing Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg and Special Adviser in the Chief Minister’s Office Tan Sri Adenan Satem.

Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, who is the RSS patron, is scheduled to officiate at the event’s opening.

Mawan said his ministry was supportive of silat’s development in Sarawak because it had cultural and social significance.

“We will help coordinate the convention as it is part of our social outreach programme. Our silat exponents have done us proud by winning a gold, two silver and five bronze at the recent Sukma,” he added.

RSS has 11 regional branches and 23,000 members.

Written by VANES DEVINDRAN
Photo by ANDRE OLIVEIRO
Sourced from http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/7/14/sarawak/6657916&sec=sarawak

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