Eddie Nalapraya reelected as IPSI chief
Eddie Nalapraya reelected as IPSI chief
JAKARTA (JP): Eddie Marzuki Nalapraya was reelected as
chairman of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI) in the
three-day national congress at the Pencak Silat Training Center
in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, East Jakarta.
Eddie received support on Saturday from four of five regions
representing IPSI's 26 provincial chapters in the country and
representatives of pencak silat schools. He will serve another
four-year term.
He said he would hold a one-year training program to prepare
athletes for the 2001 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala
Lumpur. The training will start after the 2000 National Games
(PON) in Surabaya in June.
Indonesia considers Vietnam as its major rival in the sport
after the latter won the overall pencak silat title in the 1999
SEA Games with seven golds. Indonesia, where pencak silat
originated, was second with five golds, below its target of eight
golds.
Eddie also pledged to train juniors throughout the country.
"Without sustainable training, there won't be good fighters,"
he was quoted by Antara as saying.
Eddie will be assisted by Oyong Karmayudha, Abdul Hamid and
Darmaji.
Eddie, a retired Army lieutenant-general who is also the chief
of a group for the native Betawi people of Jakarta (Bamus
Betawi), previously appealed to the congress to consider his age
in deciding upon his suitability to remain as chairman.
"I have been chairman of IPSI for 20 years and I am 68 now.
There should be someone to replace me," he said.
Republika daily quoted Eddie as naming three possible
successors: former chief of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command
Prabowo Subianto, Suhana Budjana and Rosano Barak. Prabowo was
said to be the strongest contender.
However, congress members decided Eddie should remain as their
leader.
"Pak Eddie is the right man for the position and nobody could
replace him. He must lead the pencak silat body," Isak Montolalu
from IPSI's Irian Jaya chapter was quoted by Media Indonesia
daily as saying. (ivy)