Talib (third left, seated), Swee Hee (second left, seated) and others pose with the honourees. — Photo by Muhammad Rais Sanusi
KUCHING: Martial artists should be proud of their achievements and contributions in their own fields, said Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Integrity and Ombudsman) Datuk Talib Zulpilip.
Pointing out that “no success comes without efforts”, he said they had worked tirelessly to gain certain level of recognition.
“Your perseverance, integrity and hard work should be emulated by not just those from the martial arts world, but also people from outside the field,” he said at the World Hall of Fame Award luncheon at a hotel here yesterday.
Talib, who is honorary president of Nanyang Wushu Federation of Sarawak, said the World Hall of Fame Conference gives recognition to martial artists of all styles including cultural arts and traditional and complementary medicine.
“It is an international event that offers a platform for us to exchange ideas and skills with martial artists from other countries,” he said.
He asserted that martial artists should uphold mutual respect, tolerance and enhance cooperation among themselves so as to promote global peace and harmony.
The presence of international martial artists, he added, would help boost the tourism industry in Sarawak.
On traditional and complementary medicine, Talib said his generation had somehow abandoned this field for some reason, but was quick to add that some doctors in China adopted acupuncture for heart surgery in those days.
“I think it is time for us to learn that there is an alternative way of seeking treatment.”
The World Hall of Fame Conference was organised by the International Martial Arts Research Institute.
Since 2003, it has been giving recognition to numerous martial artists from all over the world namely China, Taiwan, Canada, Singapore, the United States, Korea, Germany, New Zealand, Russia, India, Bangladesh, Argentina, Iran, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and Malaysia.
President of the institute, Prof Dato Sri Dr Song Swee Hee, said the World Hall of Fame Conference is to recognise and honour dedicated martial artists who have contributed tremendously to the development and promotion of martial arts.
“All these martial artists have dedicated many years of hard work to practise and promote their arts to members of the public without any recognition and awards,” he said.
Song termed them as ‘unsung heroes’ who had contributed to the welfare and recreational needs of their own communities without expecting any monetary rewards.
As such, he hoped the World Hall of Fame Award will be an incentive for honourees to keep up with their good work and bring the standard of martial arts to a higher level.
“The ancient philosophy of the warrior or martial artists is still relevant in today’s society as it focuses on moral values and integrity.
“The way of the warrior involves the moral values of self-reliance, self-discipline, self-worth, diligence, resilience, tolerance and determination.
“These values are very essential and important to be inculcated in our youths today,” added Song.
The honourees were Assoc Prof Dr Martin Sewer from Switzerland, Prof Dr Shamsudeen Eusoof Caadir (Malaysia), Sergey Kuznetsov (Russia), Master Alexander Klug (Switzerland), Master Peter Gasser (Switzerland), Dr Pascal Alain Pluess (Switzerland) and Clarice Song Xiu Hui (Malaysia).