By Ashley Sim and Chris Bishop
KUCHING, Feb 27: Silat is no longer the sport of the orang kampung (village people) as it is now an international event, says Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
Abang Johari stated this during the ‘Sarawak Premier International Silat Championship (SPISC) 2023’, which was held today at the Stadium Perpaduan Kuching in Petra Jaya here.
“I’m proud to say that silat is no longer the sport of orang kampung, and is no longer just a sport in Southeast Asia. It has become a global sport that is played in Europe, the United States, and Africa.
“We will promote this sport professionally so that we can include silat in the world agenda,” he said.
Furthermore, Abang Johari also welcomed silat practitioners from around the world, particularly those from the 11 countries that travelled to Sarawak to perform and compete in the Silat competition.
“Of course, there will be winners and losers, but what matters most is that the spirit of silat, which is the spirit of discipline, is present, and we can cultivate this disciplinary culture in ourselves to pursue other human endeavours.
SPISC 2023, which will be held from February 27th to March 5th, 2023 at the Stadium Perpaduan Kuching, has drawn 800 silat exponents from 22 teams.
Among others present at the event were Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) Speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohammad Asfia Awang Nassar, Sarawak Minister for Youth, Sports, And Entrepreneur Development (MYSED) Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia (PESAKA) president Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin, and Rumpun Silat Sarawak (RSS) president Muhammad Haneef Ali. — DayakDaily
