Where is the political will to resolve the Mat Rempit? Getting out-of-hand

Where is the political will to resolve the Mat Rempit? menace?

On Dec 18, an ambulance driver and a nurse tending to a patient in the ambulance were assaulted by a group of Mat Rempits.

The incident took place close to the traffic light junction near the North-South Highway’s north Taiping toll plaza. The driver had switched on his emergency lights and hailer to alert the group of his presence.

But instead of giving way to the ambulance, the Mat Rempits responded by ramming the back of the vehicle and yanking the driver from his seat.

The nurse who came to his aid was knocked down as well.

If our emergency vehicles are not safe, what does that say about the safety of our roads? Will emergency vehicles need police escorts? Will police patrols be required to provide security along our highways?

According to the driver, that particular stretch of road is a recognised track for weekend races.

There have been many studies on the Mat Rempit menace. After the last major incident in which several lives were lost through bicycle racing in Johor Bahru, government expert Prof Madya Dr Rozmi Ismail said it was an accident waiting to happen.

After starting with illegal bicycle racing, many Mat Rempits then move on to using motorcycles.

A resident in Ipoh, who has been scarred by numerous encounters with Mat Rempits, said: “They do it for a number of reasons. They money that they can win from bets. The thrill of the chase. The rewards. It is alleged that some girls are won as trophies. Drug use is common at the gatherings.

“Some parents do not want to place their children under curfew, even if they find that their teenage children wander off in the middle of the night to socialise with friends.

“These children should be tucked into bed, ready for school the following day.

“The Mat Rempit menace grows and festers. The children have no boundaries.”

Residents who live along straight stretches of road and near highways are unable to have a good night’s sleep because riders hold illegal races in the early hours of the morning.

When the police are called, the riders disperse. The frequency of police call-outs means that the police are reluctant to attend to these calls because there will be nothing for them to deal with by the time they arrive.

At other times, residents who dare to intervene are given warnings and threats, or their cars are vandalised, so they suffer in silence.

People who use highways, during the day or at night, can suddenly find themselves surrounded by these racers.

It is terrifying to find your vehicle hedged in by hundreds of “kap chai” riders. The noise is unbearable. They rev their engines, waiting for a race to start or for the light to turn green.

Most people pray to be left alone, but sometimes the riders hammer their fists on the car roof or kick the sides.

If you fall for their taunts and respond, they may talk you into leaving your vehicle to start a fight.

Most people just ignore them and drive away when the light turns green, or head for the nearest police station.

We are at the mercy of these lawless kap chai drivers because there is no political will, no community spirit, no family commitment and no law enforcement to deal with this problem.

Mariam Mokhtar is an FMT columnist.

 

Where is the political will to resolve the Mat Rempit?

Getting out-of-hand Mat Rempit out of control.

The police IGP should resign if he cannot put an end to this menace.