Caution urged for silat exponents, after accidental death at wedding

Malaysian National Silat Association president Tan Sri Mohd Ali Rustam says the usage of keris was only disallowed for silat demonstrations and training sessions in schools. – The Malaysian Insider pic, December 23, 2015.Malaysia National Silat Association (Pesaka) president Tan Sri Mohd Ali Rustam called on all silat practitioners to be more careful when holding martial art demonstrations to avoid any untoward incident.

This advice came following the death of Mohd Amil Zulkarnain Jafar, 17, after he was accidentally stabbed on the chest by his teenage cousin with a keris (Malay dagger) during a wedding ceremony in Kampung Patau-Patau, Labuan, last Saturday.

“I convey my condolences to the victim’s family. Such an incident is very rare,” Ali said. He, however, added that Pesaka did not intend to prevent the use of weapons during silat demonstrations as it was an age-old tradition.

According to him, using the keris was only disallowed for silat demonstrations and training sessions in schools.

Meanwhile, crime analyst Kamal Affendi Hashim said anyone wishing to perform a silat demonstration should wear a safety vest and be watched closely by the trainer.

“Wearing of a protective vest should be imposed to prevent such a tragic incident from recurring. Besides that, the trainer must ensure that those performing the demonstration have the experience of using a sharp weapon and be closely monitored during the show,” he added. – Bernama