The Jakarta Provincial Government plans to make pencak silat a mandatory extracurricular activity in schools. This plan was announced by the Vice Governor of Jakarta, Rano Karno, while accompanying Governor Pramono Anung to pay respects at the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, where the Father of Pencak Silat, Eddie Marzuki Nalapraya, was laid to rest on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. Meanwhile, the Vice Chairman of the Jakarta DPRD from the Gerindra Faction, Rani Mauliani, requested that the plan be carefully reviewed.
The Vice Chair of the Jakarta DPRD Gerindra Faction, Rani Mauliani, asked the Jakarta Provincial Government to thoroughly review the plan to make pencak silat a mandatory extracurricular activity in schools. She believes that additional activities such as extracurriculars should be tailored to students' interests.
"Pencak silat is indeed a culture worth preserving, but making it a mandatory extracurricular activity needs careful consideration. It should still be tailored to students' interests," said Rani as quoted from the official Gerindra website on Sunday, May 18, 2025.
According to Rani, pencak silat holds high historical value and needs to be carefully designed if it is to be made mandatory in schools. Therefore, she warned that the program to be implemented by the Jakarta Provincial Government should not appear forced or carried out without adequate preparation.
"Don't let the implementation seem hasty due to lack of preparation. It would be a shame if it starts but its future is unclear," she said.
She also highlighted the potential of pencak silat to create new job opportunities for trainers. However, Rani emphasized the importance of a solid plan to prevent trainers from being disappointed in the future. "Pencak silat trainers certainly hope for certainty. But let's not make this just a promise without realization. We can recruit human resources from pencak silat studios in Jakarta," she said.
As the Coordinator of the E Commission of the Jakarta DPRD, Rani also suggested that mandatory extracurricular activities should continue to focus on activities that have been proven to shape students' character, such as scouting and flag ceremonies. "Personally, I am more supportive of strengthening scouting and flag ceremonies as mandatory activities. These activities shape discipline and the values of care, which are starting to fade among our students," said Rani.
The Jakarta Provincial Government's plan to make pencak silat a mandatory extracurricular activity is a form of respect for Major General (Ret.) Eddie Marzuki Nalapraya, the world father of pencak silat who passed away on Tuesday, May 13.
He is known to have played an important role in promoting pencak silat internationally, especially when, together with the Governor of Jakarta at that time, R. Soeprapto, he pushed for pencak silat to be competed at an international level through the 1st International Invitation of Pencak Silat. Then in 1987, the event was renamed the Pencak Silat World Championship.
The plan to make pencak silat a mandatory extracurricular activity was previously announced by the Vice Governor of Jakarta, Rano Karno, during the visit to Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), Jakarta, where the deceased was laid to rest before being buried.
Rano Karno stated that before his passing, the late Eddie expressed the hope for pencak silat to become an extracurricular program. "He really hoped for it, so maybe we will make pencak silat extracurricular activities mandatory in schools, so it becomes a sports choice for our children," said Rano.
Nevertheless, Rano said this does not mean that other martial arts will be prohibited. However, pencak silat must be available as an option for schoolchildren with the aim of preserving Jakarta's culture so that it does not disappear, through the philosophy of pencak silat.
On the same occasion, the Governor of Jakarta Pramono Anung also shared stories about how he remembered the late figure, who was also a former Vice Governor of Jakarta from 1982 to 1987. He referred to the late figure as warm. "Two months ago, along with Bang Doel, I was received by him at his residence in Puncak, and I felt warmth, hope, and a deep sense of togetherness," he said.
The former Vice Governor of Jakarta from 1982 to 1987 and a figure in pencak silat, Major General (Ret.) Eddie Marzuki Nalapraya, passed away on Tuesday at RSPI Pondok Indah, South Jakarta at the age of 93.
Major General Eddie's body was laid to rest at the Padepokan Pencak Silat TMII at 13:00 before being buried at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery, South Jakarta.
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