KUCHING: The Malay cultural heritage should be preserved so that it can be passed on to the younger generations.
Tupong assemblyman Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman stated that throughout history, the Malay race had proven themselves to be a developed community, particularly in the fields of economy and trade.
“We have heard a lot of success stories about the Malays in their journey across the world. One of the leading factors in their success highlighted the influence of their Malay characteristics or culture.
“That is why we want to emphasise the importance of preserving the Malay culture or heritage for our future generations,” he told reporters after officiating at the Makan Namat Pencak Silat ceremony held at the Old State Legislative Assembly (DUN) building here, last Sunday night.
He said such effort was aimed at nurturing appreciation among the youth towards the leadership of past Malay pioneers and to educate them on discipline.
Touching on silat, Fazzrudin said the indigenous martial arts focuses on aspects of loyalty to the guru (teacher) and perguruan (school).
“Thus, through silat, the students will be taught to be obedient and instill a high level of discipline within themselves,” he said.
“If such attitudes are nurtured among them, they will naturally practise them in their daily lives and contribute to society.”
Fazzrudin who is also the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) deputy youth chief, added that that such activities can also prevent youths from being involved in social problems such as drug abuse and gambling.
He stressed that silat is not exclusive to only the Malays, as he had also seen the involvement of other races in the indigenous martial arts in national games, such as the Sukma Games.
