boon's log 0207.01: Skidmarks...

We've been hearing the term Mat Rempit eversince the movie hit the silver screen some moons ago.

It's been in the newspaper and the 7 o'clock news, 12 o'clock news, coffee shop chit chat, office gossips, YouTube, public toilet door graffiti, i-hate-rempit-blogs etc...

It's EVERYwhere! It's a hit! Way to go! We've successfully super-over-glorified this public menace! We've gladly welcome the plague into our society! I support the statement made by North Seberang Prai district OCPD Asst Comm Wan Abdullah Tuanku Said, "Branding illegal racers as Mat Rempit has emboldened them to carry out their activities."

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I'm sure some of you have read about the Ipoh Policemen performing Mat Rempit stunts in Ipoh in the Star on Dec 17. They actually had the picture of 2 Policemen demonstrating the "... Scorpion stunt, where the pillion rider bends over backwards until his helmet touched the road." If you can try to remember the picture (sorry I could not get it in here, since Star.com did not publish the picture)... Anyway, just imagine the rider doing a "Wheely, where he lifts the front tyre of the motorcycle, with the pillion rider bending backwards with his head (helmet on) touching the floor). All our two stunt riders had on them were their helmets as safety / protection gear. As far as I remember, even those kids on TV who does skate-board stunts or BMX-stunts, wore more protective gear than these guys. So question is:

1/ Is the local authority promoting these Mat Rempit Stunts?
2/ If so, is the local authority promoting risk taking? These two policemen, only clad with their motor helmets(!!!).

Goodness gracious! We've even talked about building a freaking race-track for them! Using the tax-payers' money and build a legal-illegal-race track! What a load of crap!

"A spade is a spade. They are illegal racers and a road menace. They ride their motorcycles dangerously, disregarding the safety of other road users." - OCPD Asst Comm Wan Abdullah Tuanku Said

For me - Crap is crap. They should be called Sampah Masyarakat (Society's Crap). They've not only rule and terrorized the roads in the middle of the night, they've also cause a lot of other unnecessary nuisance and troubles.

In the words of White Goodman (Ben Stiler) of GloboGym in the movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (yeah, I caught it over on CineMax last weekend; a B- movie, but I thought it was pretty entertaining, though) - they are the skidmarks on the underpants of society (S.U.S.)!

Why am I so frustrated with them? First of all all the news about people's cars getting smashed, policemen being assaulted with rocks and stones, thefts, sleepless nights because of the super loud exhaust pipes of these S.U.S.

AND

my latest brush with these skidmarks on the Underpants of Society...

On the Saturday before the new year, I was traveling back from Batu Ferringhi at 3AM after a chit-chat session with my relatives at my parents'. Upon reaching the Tulang Korner area, there was a bunch of these hooligans (I reckon about 20 of them) riding their bikes in front of me. I trusted my senses not to drive too close to them and let them have their way - they practically occupied the whole road, anyways.

Suddenly, one the last ones in the pack threw something out from his right hand - something that seemed to have a fuse attached to it. As soon as my reflex action kicked in, I jammed on my brakes, with that projectile exploding just a few feet in front of my car! And the group just speeded away and took a right turn at the Island Plaza traffic lights. Thank God that I did what prompted in my heart, not to drive too close to these *idiots*.

I could not imagine what would have happened to me if I were to have driven a little faster / closer - the firecracker would have blown up the windscreen and caused a bad accident on the road in effect or if it exploded underneath the engine, it would have made things much much worse...

Don't get me wrong, I do not hate them as people - but the things that they do and their selfish acts, disregarding the safety of the people around them (let alone themselves) just puts me off and they should be removed from the roads and have their licenses confiscated permanently.

What could we do? I've thought of keeping a camera in the car and snap a photo of these menace when it happens again - but then again, what would happen next if you were to have taken their photo? Would you even get the chance to get to the nearest police station? Or would you have been hunt down by these folks and bashed up so badly, you cannot even live to tell a single soul?

Is it safe anymore to travel along our streets at night? Honestly, as much as we can do as a community, i think we really need the help of our Police Dept to step up on reducing (if not eliminating) this sort of menace and have the media or any other authorities stop glorifying and indirectly promoting this sort of activity.

boon "glad-to-be-alive" out...