JOHOR BARU: Johor police have urged the public not to cheer mat rempits for their stunts or jeer police for acting against them when they violate the law, especially during the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO).
State police chief Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay was commenting on a video trending on social media since last night showing a few mat rempits pushing their motorcycles accompanied by a team of police on patrol while the takbir raya was being played. The scene drew a lot of criticisms from netizens.
He said some members of the community have disputed the matter and consider it as an insult to Islam.
“Some people said the police are insulting Islam. I think that is not right. We should note that the (mat rempit) action was carried out on Hari Raya eve and we managed to capture 47 local men aged between 18 and 30 and confiscated 26 motorcycles,“ he told a media conference here today.
“The community needs to understand. The people should be criticising the activities of mat rempits during Hari Raya eve. They are supposed to be at home and listening to the takbir raya and not performing mat rempit stunts.”
He was responding to a 1-minute 26-second video clip of a police raid to stop mat rempit activities on Saturday night, believed to have taken place in Bandar Penawar, Kota Tinggi.
He said the public should not give inputs as if to support the mat rempits by blaming the police.
“The situation should be the other way round, nonetheless, the police will keep performing such operations to curb these activities,” he said.
In another development, he also urged the public to channel information to the police on activities of ziarah Hari Raya (visiting) in large numbers and other acts violating the CMCO.
This is to enable the police to conduct immediate checks on the premises involved.
“If you have any information, channel it to the police and we will conduct an inspection as we have a special team to perform a house-to-house inspection during this Aidilfitri season,” he said.
He was responding to viral photos and videos that had been making rounds on social media since yesterday, among others showing a large group of motorcyclists believed to be performing ‘baraan or marhaban’ from house to house in Batu Pahat. — Bernama
