Abdul Karim: Growing youth participation in silat safeguards cultural heritage

KUCHING (Dec 29): The growing participation of Sarawakian youths in silat and traditional martial arts is a promising sign that cultural heritage will not be lost to time, said Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Jabat Sejagat Festival 2025 here on Sunday, the Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister said the strong turnout of young participants showed that efforts to revive martial arts heritage are bearing fruit.

“Tonight, I do not see only elders and veterans before me, but many youths as well.

“This proves that our efforts to revive silat and martial arts among the younger generation have achieved meaningful success,” he said.

Jointly organised by Sarawak Malay National Association (PKMS) and Rumpun Silat Sarawak (RSS), with support from the ministry, the four-day festival brought together martial arts practitioners from within and outside Sarawak.

Abdul Karim said martial arts today go beyond heritage preservation, having developed into recognised sporting fields featured in regional and international competitions.

“Silat is no longer seen solely as Malay heritage. It has become a martial art embraced by both Malays and non-Malays, and is now a competitive sport at platforms such as the Malaysia Games (Sukma) and Southeast Asian (SEA) Games,” he added.

He also reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to supporting future editions of the festival, expressing hope that it will become an annual event.

“Congratulations and well done to everyone involved, directly or indirectly, in making the second Jabat Sejagat Festival a success,” he said.

Held from Dec 25 to 28, the Jabat Sejagat Festival 2025 concluded with Silat Helang Putih Perkasa (SHPP) Kuching emerging as overall champion, followed by RSS Miri as first runner-up and SHPP Sarikei A in third place.