Promote silat to other races – Musa

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TAWAU: Silat, as a martial art, should not only be limited as a sport but also as a platform to attract youngsters from among the different races and ethnics.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman said the Silat Festival was a base to strengthen relationship between each other.

Musa hoped that silat is not only for the Bumiputras but could also be promoted to other races as such martial art tends to contribute in enhancing unity among the people in the spirit of 1Malaysia.

He was speaking during the closing ceremony of the

five-day Silat Nusantara festival that started on May 15 at the Tawau Community Hall here yesterday afternoon.

“The state government feels confident that it can generate quality silat athletes as well as elevate the sport in order to compete globally.

“We can see many silat courts in the villages throughout the country. It can become a popular martial art and attract the interest of the people.

“In this context, I welcome the initiative by the Sabah Silat Federation (PESAKA) in organizing such a festival as it is good for silat development,” he said.

According to him, the cooperation from all parties, including the government and private sectors, non-governmental organisations and the community is a must in supporting PESAKA.

For the IPTA Putera category, Shah Alam Polytechnic won three golds and two silvers while the Community College here won three golds, one silver and one bronze medal in the IPTA Puteri category.

For the Sabah-closed category, KUNTAU A team won three golds, three silvers and one bronze in the Putera category and five golds and one silver medal in the Puteri category.

For the international Putera category, Malacca won two golds, two silvers and one bronze while Singapore A won three golds, one silver and three bronze medals in the Puteri category.

The international Putera category was awarded to Zubair Ahmad (bronze), Mohamed Elyasak Said (bronze), Muhamad Nur Fahmy Fareed (silver) and Mohd Azmi Salleh (gold).

The Singapore A team won the Sabah Chief Minister’s trophy while the KUNTAU A team won the Sri Kinabalu trophy in the competition.

The Community College Director General trophy went to Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM).

Also present were PESAKA president Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titingan, Assistant Infrastructure Development Minister Pang Yuk Ming, Kalabakan member of parliament Datuk Seri Ghapur Salleh, Balung assemblyman Datuk Syed Abas, Sebatik assemblyman Muis Picho, Tawau Municipal Council president Ismail Mayakob and other guests.