Eddy Nalapraya decides to quit as chairman of Persilat

JAKARTA (JP): Incumbent chairman of the International Pencak Silat Federation (Persilat) Eddy Nalapraya said he had no intention of running for a fifth successive term.

"I've been the chairman for four periods and I believe it's time for me to resign. Besides, I will be 70 years old next year, and I want to spend more time with my family," he said during a media conference in the lead-up to the 10th World Pencak Silat Championship to be held here in mid-November.

He said he would help Persilat country members find a fit and proper candidate to fill in his shoes.

"I understand that the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI) will nominate me for the position. Let's see if we can find someone else to replace me," added Eddy, who is also chairman of IPSI.

He said it was quite difficult to choose a Persilat chairman because according to its statutes, candidates must come from one of Persilat's four founding countries, namely Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia or Singapore.

"The regulation is meant to preserve the martial art as a tradition that is rooted in this region of Malay culture. Pencak silat isn't all about sports. It also contains cultural values," he said.

Established in 1980, currently Persilat has 40 country members which are divided into five regions: Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

Eddy was speaking at the Pencak Silat Center in the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah complex, East Jakarta.

The championship will be held at the center from Nov. 14 through Nov. 19. Persilat will hold its congress to elect a chairman for the next five-year term on Nov. 18.

Meanwhile, in order to attract more spectators to watch the championship, the championship organizing committee has decided to mix it with entertainment.

"We were inspired by the Sydney Olympics, where the organizers managed to blend sporting events with entertainment," said one of the committee members, Rachmat Gobel, also a businessman. He would not elaborate, however.

Noted singers Iis Dahlia, Trio Libels and Yuni Shara will perform in the opening ceremony on Nov. 14

RCTI TV station will broadcast the ceremony and each of the finals live. (nvn)