‘Not all are road thugs’
What does it take for these ministers to understand the gravity of the problem?
By Raj Kumar
SEREMBAN: The "road thugs" (samseng jalanan) label given to Mat Rempit, youths with a penchant for street racing is a bit too much, said Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek.
He said only a handful of Mat Rempit were involved in crime while the majority were just ordinary youths looking for some fun.
"This explosion of culture happens in many countries like that shown in movies like Tokyo Drift and The Fast and The Furious," he said after presenting prizes to "Golf Amal 2009" participants at Sekolah Datuk Abdul Razak here yesterday.
Shabery said the scenario was similar to that during the 1980s when the community was against the craze for Scrambler motorcycles and Breakdance.
Despite disagreeing with the label, the minister said Mat Rempit groups were looking for trouble racing in the streets rather than at the tracks.
"Mat Rempit are not interested in real racing. They can always join racing clubs if they want to. The closure of Batu Tiga track and the distance of Sepang track is not an excuse. Building more race tracks is not the solution. They just want to show off to other road users."
Shabery urged the authorities to tackle the Mat Rempit problem at the source, particularly the role of parents as most of the motorcycles used were owned by family members. — Bernama
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This is a fella who goes around in a car driven by a driver, with a bodyguard and sometimes, escorted by public funded policemen. He does not see the problems faced by the public. He does not come up with any solution, he can't do anything about the problem. Yet, he jumps up and down at the very mention of branding Mat Rempit.
The police, on their side, tried to brand these thugs in hope that they will feel insulted and change. Although the police are not effective at curbing the menace of these Mat Rempit, at least they have started something.
Branding alone without enforcement would not help but politicians should learn not to stand in the way of police in curbing these menace. Kudos should be given to the police for admitting and attempting to curb the Mat Rempit menace. But every time the police or the public starts to complain about Mat Rempit, low life politicians will start slapping our wrists.
Datuk Shabery, if you can't do something good, then do not hinder others doing something good. It is sad that politicians like Datuk Shabery, who once looked like a politician with ethics, now turn to the easy way to garner support.
He should see what are the problems caused by the Mat Rempits to the public. Is Datuk Shabery willing to give up his driver, bodyguard and police escort when he and his family drive to the city? And while he is doing this, he should also make it a point to visit every victim and the families affected by the Mat Rempit. And he should also make it a point to deduct RM1 from his salary every time a Mat Rempit hurts someone or commits a crime.
