One thing has been bothering me the past few days. Well, I read about it last week and have not seen anything else about it. I hope this means that someone has been shown the error of his statement and has been asked to be realistic about it.
For years now, we have nicely called the Mat Rempits as Mat Rempits. Basically, they are motorcyclists who race illegally on the streets usually at night. At first, I admit, they were impressive and fun to watch. Then, like all youths or very immatured people, they got big-headed and started showing off. They also got dangerous.
Generally, if they are only dangerous to themselves and killing each other, I won't give a rat's ass what happens to them. Less stupid people on the road, as far as I am concern. But, what they did was get dangerous for all road users.
Imagine this scenario: You are driving at night, maybe to get home from work, maybe to meet up with friends, maybe even just out for a drive with your family. Then you hear loud vrooming noises. Suddenly, some youths on motorcycles, a few with pillion riders, come zooming by. They're not moving in order. In fact, they are zigzagging in front of you, behind you while yelling out, probably making obscene gestures. Some of them are not even sitting in their seats; some are lying on them! You dare not swerve out of their way because they are everywhere. You evade one and you might run into another. You might consider honking them to warn them or remind them you are there, but they might take it the wrong way and gang up on you. Even worst, if you're a girl driving alone or even a few girls in the car, you definitely don't want to attract their attention. You'll be lucky if all they do is smash up your car and beat you up. Imagine being terrified for your safety, for your family's lives. Imagine having grown up watching about Hell's Angels in an American movie and this looks like one of the scenes. Imagine realising how this seems like a nightmare you cannot wake up from.
Then imagine people telling you that Mat Rempits are the good guys. That they should not be called street gangsters. That they should be renamed Mat Cemerlangs. That funds should be allocated to their well-being and enjoyment; funds which could be used in education, rural development and social welfare. Imagine how such acts of terror should be condoned and applauded and immortalised in movies. Imagine all the accolades for the illegal street racers, who are a menace and a danger to society, coming from people who are surrounded by bodyguards, who never drive on the roads themselves, who never look up to see the dangers their drivers need to drive through for them, who never experienced being on the road at night and in danger of meeting these gangs of motorcyclists.
Imagine all that and see how you feel about these people. See whether you sympathise with the police who have to tolerate the people who make the accolades as well as face the terrors on the streets. See whether you don't feel that something is wrong here and that something realistic has to be done.
See if, just this once, the police might actually be right and the lawmakers might just actually be wrong.
P.S: One rumour I've heard is that these Mat Rempits usually bet on their pillion riders, who tend to be female. In the 1950s ( and maybe even now), street racers in America used to race for pink slips (ownership of the cars). But in Malaysia, Mat Rempits race for the right to have sex with the female pillion riders. Rather hypocritical to think of them as the good guys then, isn't it? Yes, very Cemerlang they are.
For years now, we have nicely called the Mat Rempits as Mat Rempits. Basically, they are motorcyclists who race illegally on the streets usually at night. At first, I admit, they were impressive and fun to watch. Then, like all youths or very immatured people, they got big-headed and started showing off. They also got dangerous.
Generally, if they are only dangerous to themselves and killing each other, I won't give a rat's ass what happens to them. Less stupid people on the road, as far as I am concern. But, what they did was get dangerous for all road users.
Imagine this scenario: You are driving at night, maybe to get home from work, maybe to meet up with friends, maybe even just out for a drive with your family. Then you hear loud vrooming noises. Suddenly, some youths on motorcycles, a few with pillion riders, come zooming by. They're not moving in order. In fact, they are zigzagging in front of you, behind you while yelling out, probably making obscene gestures. Some of them are not even sitting in their seats; some are lying on them! You dare not swerve out of their way because they are everywhere. You evade one and you might run into another. You might consider honking them to warn them or remind them you are there, but they might take it the wrong way and gang up on you. Even worst, if you're a girl driving alone or even a few girls in the car, you definitely don't want to attract their attention. You'll be lucky if all they do is smash up your car and beat you up. Imagine being terrified for your safety, for your family's lives. Imagine having grown up watching about Hell's Angels in an American movie and this looks like one of the scenes. Imagine realising how this seems like a nightmare you cannot wake up from.
Then imagine people telling you that Mat Rempits are the good guys. That they should not be called street gangsters. That they should be renamed Mat Cemerlangs. That funds should be allocated to their well-being and enjoyment; funds which could be used in education, rural development and social welfare. Imagine how such acts of terror should be condoned and applauded and immortalised in movies. Imagine all the accolades for the illegal street racers, who are a menace and a danger to society, coming from people who are surrounded by bodyguards, who never drive on the roads themselves, who never look up to see the dangers their drivers need to drive through for them, who never experienced being on the road at night and in danger of meeting these gangs of motorcyclists.
Imagine all that and see how you feel about these people. See whether you sympathise with the police who have to tolerate the people who make the accolades as well as face the terrors on the streets. See whether you don't feel that something is wrong here and that something realistic has to be done.
See if, just this once, the police might actually be right and the lawmakers might just actually be wrong.
P.S: One rumour I've heard is that these Mat Rempits usually bet on their pillion riders, who tend to be female. In the 1950s ( and maybe even now), street racers in America used to race for pink slips (ownership of the cars). But in Malaysia, Mat Rempits race for the right to have sex with the female pillion riders. Rather hypocritical to think of them as the good guys then, isn't it? Yes, very Cemerlang they are.
Comments (2)
??? who has been calling Mat Repits Mat Cemerlangs? is this for real?
Some politicians think the Mat Rempits are misunderstood so they figured calling them a more touchy feelly name would make them repent. Even allowed movies to be made to glamourise them. Didn't work. In fact, the Mat Rempits got worst.