Part two: Mat Motors

The episode yesterday with the motorcyclist reminded me of an encounter a friend had a few weeks back while returning to KL from Kuala Selangor.

She was driving along with a friend, both minding their own business when a bunch of mat rempit (I intentionally refuse to capitalise M and R) started following them. They made faces at my friend and her friend - and they were rightly ignored.

I guess they didn't take too lightly to being ignored so they picked up rocks and started hurling them at my friend's car. A sure way to get someone's attention huh.

The poor girl now has dents all over her car from the rocks. It was scary to say the least for the two girls but I must say, their encounter was a close call.

Not so lucky were a couple who made it to the news just the day before. A boy was sending his girlfriend back to her home somewhere near Kampung Pandan on a motorbike when they were followed by a group of mat rempit. They surrounded the couple and asked the girl to go with them. She refused and the boyfriend managed to slip his motorbike past them. They sped to follow him and he sped to leave them behind. Unfortunately, they caught up to him and kicked his bike. The couple fell. The boy died on the way to the hospital from head injuries and the girl was warded to treat some broken bones.

This whole mat motor/ rempit issue has gone too far. These fellas have become a law unto themselves. They have threatened and harassed and killed and yet they still roam freely. They appear from nowhere, crawling out of their black holes like rats and disappearing into them just a quickly. They cannot be traced. They can do anything and get away with it. They have and that's why they continue to be so brave.

Pack mentality. This is why I refused to be ragged back in university. When guys get together, there's no telling what they can drive each other to do.

So how are the authorities going to get these rats? They've got to start luring them out - bait them. Dangle some cheese. Enforcement needs to be stepped up.

Witnesses to such crimes should stay alert and memorise their motorbike numbers then report them to the police. That's the only way to ensure justice is done - spot them while they are out of their holes and in the midst of committing crimes, then tag them. Tag them so that when they come out of their holes again the police know which rats they need to trap.