A traffic accident in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur has gone viral on Twitter this week after a motorcyclist who ran a red light collided with a vehicle, got thrown from his bike, rolled across the pavement, then popped up, and appeared to immediately launch into a demonstration of the Southeast Asian martial art silat.
Behold, the video of the incident, whose timestamp indicates the collision occurred on Jan. 6, just after 4pm:
https://twitter.com/My_CrimeWatch/status/1214209665426264064
Another car’s dashcam footage captured the incident, showing the motorcyclist run the light, and a silver Perodua Alza unable to stop in time before hitting the biker, throwing him violently through the air.
But one man’s near-death experience is another’s opportunity to flex what appear to be a series of silat poses at a busy intersection, which is precisely what the man did, to the amazement of motorists and netizens.
Silat is a term that encompasses a number of martial arts styles indigenous to Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Brunei, as well as parts of the Philippines and Thailand. There are countless schools and styles, but all incorporate either opponent strikes, joint manipulation, weaponry, or a combination of the three.
Meanwhile, over in Twitterjaya (or Twitterville, to the uninitiated), users were racking their brains to come up with explanations for the man’s moves, with some users positing that he was simply trying to distract himself from the pain of the accident with his roadside routine.
Others had little sympathy for man given that he, y’know, kinda ran that light and all. But then again, while it’s impossible to say for sure, the video also shows the driver of the Alza appearing to slink away from the scene after the initial commotion dies down, which wouldn’t exactly be cool either. So at the end of the day, maybe we should all just forget about who’s “at fault,” and focus instead on who’s got some sick moves. Sound good?
