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| Deadly moves: The Helang Putih Perkasa team showing some of the movements in sparring. |
Rumpun Silat Sarawak (RSS) secretary-general Muhammad Haneef Ali said the objective of the four-day convention was to encourage and promote the art of silat among the people especially the younger generation.
“Through the convention we were able to develop the art of silat through ideas and discussions among the participants,” he said, adding that the participation of the young was vital in keeping silat alive.
The convention, which started last Friday and ended on Monday, was jointly organised by RSS and the Social Development and Urbanisation Ministry.
The opening ceremony at the Sarawak Indoor Stadium in Petra Jaya last Saturday, where 400 silat masters showed their prowess, had attracted some 5,000 spectators.
“I think this year’s silat convention is very interesting especially the silat demonstration by the Debus Team from Java,” said a spectator, Mohd Fezull.
He said the performance by the silat exponents from West Kalimantan also thrilled him and the other spectators.
Mohd Fezull hoped this art of self-defence would also be extended to other races apart from the Malays.
Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said at the opening of the convention that greater effort was needed to encourage the participation of the younger generation. He also said women should take up silat to protect themselves.
“I will personally sponsor anyone who wants to spread silat teachings in Sarawak,” said Taib.
Silat originally developed in Indonesia, Peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand and Singapore. It was also traditionally practised in Brunei, the Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam.
There are 23,000 RSS members from all over Sarawak but many students had not join the association.
Written and Photo by REEN REIRA
Sourced from http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/10/1/southneast/7129451&sec=southneast
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