Anuar Abdul Wahab

Biography

Anuar bin Abdul Wahab was born on 23 December 1945 in Bagan Tunjang, Sabak Bernam, Selangor. He attended Sekolah Melayu Sabak Bernam, Sekolah Ungku Aziz Sabak Bernam, and Sekolah Alam Shah, Kuala Lumpur. From 1957 he studied Silat Harimau, Silat Cekak, Silat Kuntau Betawi, and Seni Silat Helang Sewah in Kampung Kota Hutan Melintang, Perak, learning from different family members.

He died on 10 March 2009 at Kajang Hospital. His last book, titled "SILAT", was completed before his death. Grandmaster Aminuddin Anuar now leads publication of his works, including SILAT: Warisan Bangsa Malaysia (2016).

Involvement in Silat

From 1957 he studied several silat styles including Silat Harimau, Silat Cekak, Silat Sendeng, Silat Kuntau Betawi, and Seni Silat Helang Sewah at Kampung Kota Hutan Melintang, Perak, from family members except for Kuntau Cimande. In 1965 he learned Seni Gayung Fatani in Sabak Bernam, Selangor.

He founded Pertubuhan Seni Gayung Fatani Malaysia in 1976 as Chairman and Grandmaster. In 1983 PSGFM became a founding member of Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia (PESAKA). After his death the grandmaster position was left unreplaceable; all guru-guru agreed his eldest son was not the right candidate, and PSGFM only appointed Guru Kanan or Main representatives from each negeri.

Involvement in PESAKA

Tn. Hj. Anuar bin Abdul Wahab served on the Dewan Perguruan of both PESAKA Malaysia and PESAKA Selangor. He established Silat Olahraga by running national and state-level courses for coaches, referees, and juries from 1984 to 2004, and later founded Silat Seni through similar courses starting in 1995.

He organized the Kursus Muzik Silat Baku Malaysia and judged Pergendangan Silat in Kedah from 2002 to 2004. He also created the national Curriculum for Seni Silat Malaysia beginning in 2002. He acted as Technical Chairman for the 1987 World Silat Championships in Kuala Lumpur and the 14th SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.

Developing Silat at an International Level

Anuar Abdul Wahab served as secretary for the sponsorship committee that established the Persekutuan Silat Antarabangsa (PERSILAT) in Jakarta in 1979. He coached silat instructors from Austria, Switzerland, and France, and led workshops in those countries as well as Germany and North Korea. In 1996, he created the "Jurus Wajib" form for PERSILAT. He also trained the national teams of Thailand and Vietnam and contributed to forming the PERSILAT Council for Silat Seni, Beladiri, and Silat Olahraga judges.