Mat Rempit menace, what say the other OCPDs.
It is indeed heartening to read in The Star the promise made by the Seberang Prai Tengah OCPD Assistant Commission Mohd Anil Shah Abdullah of his pledge to tackle the annoying Mat Rempit problem in the state.
Here is what he had said: “I will make sure that the Mat Rempit menace is eradicated from my district.”
He followed up by reassuring that the police would continue with operations to keep these Mat Rempit in check.
Mohd Anil made the pledge following the arrest of an unemployed 20-year-old youth who had on April 1 allegedly hurled a brick at a traffic cop, causing the latter to suffer face and ear injuries and fractured his left collar bone and left palm.
Hats off to Mohd Anil for taking the initiative to personally look into the Mat Rempit problem which has been going on for some time.
Now, what about the other four OCPDs in the State? Are they going to follow suit to clamp down on these unruly motorcyclists who have even gone a step ahead from indulging in illegal motor racing to intimidating and robbing motorists?
As MP of Tanjong, I do received lots of complaints of these Mat Rempit racing all over George Town in the wee hours of the morning with their deafening modified motorcycles.
Surprisingly, there is a deafening silence from the siren of the patrol cars whom we expect to chase after them.
I am sure the police would have gathered enough information from their intelligence as to where the Mat Rempit congregate and when do they rendezvous and if so why aren’t the patrol cars despatched there to do curb?
If Mohd Anil can openly promise to eradicate the Mat Rempit in his district, it is only proper that the other four OCPDs do likewise in their respective district.
Two weeks ago, I was the victim of a roadside assault and robbery on Jalan Sultan Ismail (KL). I was robbed of my money, watch and phone, then beat with helmets when I refused to hand over my credit cards. Fortunately I was able to escape and run to Sheraton Imperial Hotel, where security kept them out and called the police. By then my head was bleeding and I was bruised all over. In the meantime, they ransacked my car before running off.
When the police arrived and I related my incident, they were honest with me; there was no point in making a report as nothing would come of it. The police were right. Even though I had managed to spot the licence no of one of the bikes, it turned out to be a fake plate. The issue remains unresolved.
Does this story sound familiar? After reading many articles on the mat rempit problem, it seems that my story is not an uncommon one. None of us victims ever seem to receive justice, and the mat rempits usually get away scot-free, ready to commit more snatch-thefts, assaults, robberies or rapes.
Whatever has been done so far, it has not been enough. The problem still exists, and seems to have gotten worse. Mat rempit-related crime is still being reported frequently, and I’m hearing more and more cases involving people I know or people they know. Have we become so numbed to hearing these stories everyday that it is no longer important to do something about it? Are we so defeatist in our attitude that we have accepted this danger as a part of living in Malaysia?
I would like to pose some questions for consideration by your readers. Why is it that our society cannot effectively punish and control these criminals? Are the police unwilling to do their jobs properly, or simply unable to? Is it a matter of law enforcement, or are the punishments set by our laws simply not severe enough? What kind of punishment can we impose and enforce which will deter these criminals? How do we make this problem a priority for our government?
I am ashamed to admit that before this happened to me, I merely read the stories, and while resenting the mat rempits for what they did, I did not feel a need to take any action myself. I implore all of you who have not yet become a victim not to make the same mistake. Imagine how bad this problem could get if left unchecked. How bad will you let things get before you decide to take action yourself? When you yourself have been robbed and beaten? When your wife or daughter has been raped and murdered?
I hope that all of you who have taken the time to read my letter take more time to consider the situation and write in with your thoughts. This is a problem which will not go away unless we (the public) do something. If all of us band together and take action, maybe we will be able to set something in motion which will eventually remove these criminals from our streets.
Comment by Hann — Wednesday, 15-08-2007 @ 15: 45.00