THE Consumers Association of Penang is demanding the authorities put an end to the Mat Rempit menace once and for all.
Illegal street racing has been going on for decades without any solid solution to resolve this social ill.
With the recent incident at the Lim Chong Eu Expressway, the time has come for the government and respective authorities to come together to find a permanent solution.
Most of these illegal street racers, or Mat Rempits, are youths, and they perform stunts on their motorcycles without considering their safety as well as that of other road users.
These street racers also tend to modify their motorcycles into racing machines, which are done by motorcycle shop operators. Therefore, the government must look at disallowing these shops from carrying out any modifications.
A multiagency task force has to be established to consider criminalising motorcycle modifications carried out by shop operators, destroying confiscated motorcycles involved in illegal races, and making Mat Rempits to perform community service as practised by our neighbour, Singapore, under the Corrective Work Order.
Most people blame the Mat Rempits for poor discipline, which may have started at school as well as at home. All these can be traced back to the education system we have today.
Discipline has to be cultivated from young. Children take everything they have acquired at school and at home into adulthood, to the outside world.
Today, the police have difficulty enforcing the laws because of weak enforcement over the years. Parents are also to blame for being complacent in disciplining their children. Some children may be from dysfunctional families.
Parents have to be responsible for their children and be aware of their whereabouts. They cannot plead ignorance if their children stay out late.
The authorities have to educate young parents on family planning and good parenting. Although parents may be busy struggling to put food on the table, they should still monitor their children. The laws must be strictly enforced to stop this menace.
Mohideen Abdul Kader
President
Consumers Association of Penang
