History of the Malaysian Karate Federation

Early Karate in Malaysia

A few episodes ago, I mentioned the Malaysian Karate Federation, and I wanted to elaborate on its history. In the early 1970s, before the Malaysian Karate Federation existed, there was an association called the Malaysian Karate Association of Malaysia. This association, however, wasn't a registered federation recognized by the Malaysian government or sports authority. It was essentially run by one man, Mr. Chuchu Suit, and the karate practiced was a mix of styles, including Kyokushin, Kinkan, Shotokan, Goju-Ryu, and others.

We had tournaments where I competed and even won a gold medal in my weight class and a third place in the all-category division. At the time, I focused solely on kumite and didn't care for kata or kihon.

Selection for the World Tournament and Disappointment

The association held a final selection for the second world tournament in Paris, which was under the World Organization of Karate (WOKO), now the World Karate Federation (WKF). During training for the tournament, I noticed that the karate of those who had previously defeated me was superior, particularly in competition kumite, stances, and techniques. This was because they had more contact with the Japanese instructors in Kuala Lumpur, while I was located further away.

I want to mention Sensei Clement Soo, who is very famous in Malaysia, and his student Koon Eu, who now lives in Australia. Sensei Clement's technique was excellent, and we became friends while training for the tournament.

Unfortunately, on the last day before the tournament in Paris, we received a telegram from the Malaysian government instructing us not to participate because another group, representing Shtoriu, had complained that our association was not an authorized or recognized government body. Despite traveling to Paris, we did not compete. This has been misinterpreted in some accounts of my life, and I want to clarify that we never took part in the tournament. We stayed in Paris for a few days, visited England, and then returned to Malaysia.

Forming Goshin-Ryu and the Birth of the Malaysian Karate Federation

Upon our return, we felt let down by the chairman of the Karate Association of Malaysia, Mr. Chu. Sensei Clement Soo decided to break away and form his own karate style called Goshin-Ryu. He invited me to be one of the founding members, and I gladly accepted. I still maintain a very good relationship with Sensei Clement Soo, a well-educated and highly respected gentleman. He further helped me improve my kumite techniques. I am deeply thankful to him and to Koon Eu for their guidance.

In the mid-1970s, Sensei Clement Soo contacted me about forming a registered national body, as the Malaysian Karate Association was not officially recognized. Representing my style, Shorin-ryu Seibukan, I attended meetings with Sensei Clement Soo, Michael Lim, and Sensei Naser from Shtoriu. Together, we founded the Malaysian Amateur Karate Federation (MAKAF), which still exists today. I remain one of the founding members of this federation, and it is now recognized as the national body for karate in Malaysia.

Coaching and Legacy

Around 1977 or 1978, we hosted the Asean Championship. Sensei Clement Soo and I were selected as national coaches. We built a team and brought them to Indonesia for the first tournament. The second tournament was scheduled for the Philippines around 1980. I coached these teams until I left the Malaysian Karate Federation in the mid-1980s when I moved to Germany.

I fought for Malaysia in Malaysian championships, but at that time, there was no officially registered national body. The national body was established by Sensei Clement Soo, myself, and the others I mentioned. I want to clarify this to avoid any misunderstandings. While we called the events "national championships," the national body was not yet formally registered until the mid-1970s.

I want to send greetings to all my colleagues and countrymen in Malaysia and the Malaysian Karate Federation. This is a brief account of my involvement in its history. I hope this clarifies the true story. Sensei Clement Soo is still in Malaysia and can verify these facts.

I hope to visit Malaysia in the near future. Some of my students are now in prominent positions within the national body.

Thank you.