Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has urged to continue the silat programme as a symbolic of the unification of the ummah and the community unity in facing challenges from within and without.
According to Bernama, he said that silat practitioners is the country’s third bastion of defence and it could help the government maintain the peace and prosperity of the country that the Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family) was currently enjoying.
“The harmony and peace must be maintained as our success also depends on the country being peaceful and well-governed.”
“However, all the country’s successes and achievements did not happen overnight. It is the result of the efforts of the previous generation of the Malaysian Family that should be continued by the current generation,” he said.
Ismail said that silat has not only taught practitioners about martial arts but more importantly to build a society with inner resilience, identity, discipline, good character and create a society with loyalty and love for the country.
“These elements are important in the government’s efforts to achieve the aspirations of the Keluarga Malaysia as outlined.”
“In order to realise the role that martial arts practitioners can play in ensuring the sovereignty and prosperity of the country is safeguarded, such assembly as this can benefit everyone,” he said.
Thus, he said silat needed to be safeguarded so that the culture that had been established for so long could be maintained and accepted by all levels of society.
He then called on silat organisations to expand the silat culture through various channels for public and private employees as well as institutions of higher learning as it is believed to be able to produce youths with noble values.
Ismail also said that silat plays a huge role in helping the government to prevent the country’s youths from unhealthy elements by inculcating good and noble character, self-confidence, disciplined and obedience to the leaders through silat training.
“The role played by silat is huge. In terms of culture and sports, silat can introduce Malaysia’s identity to the world. Silat should be institutionalised as a platform and discourse for knowledge development through strategies based on education, cultural heritage and sports agenda,” he said.
Everyone: mfs please fix the goddamn inflation.
— BigMama (@bigmamamaa) May 29, 2022
Government: we should all learn Silat.
Meanwhile, his suggestion has not been going well among netizens with many pointing out that what the government should do now is to stop racism instead.
“We don’t need Silat to have unity, we need you to stop with the racism,” a netizen said.
Some slammed the prime minister for not focusing on the current pressing issues such as the several rounds of price hikes.
“Can he talk more about how to revive the economy and how to help out the poor in Malaysia instead? And don’t forget the M40 also suffer so much! And the T20 mostly are not exactly T20. The millionaires and working T20 by definition is totally different life in reality…” another netizen said.
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