Monday, 9 April 2018
Political reaction
The widespread phenomenon of the subculture has driven some politicians in Malaysia to voice out concern and need to help rehabilitate the people involved in activities pertaining to that culture. Khairy Jamaluddin and Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim from Putera ". Khairypits" should become the "Eyes and Ears" of Malaysian[clarification needed]
In 2006, a Member of Parliament representing Jenderak, Pahang suggested that the Mat Rempit should be accepted and guided to save them from indulging in dangerous activities.[11]
In 2008, newspaper Kosmo! reported that the Mat Rempit in the state of Kelantan would be allowed to show off their skills at a special track to be built by the state government in Tanah Merah.
Sunday, 8 April 2018
Violence
In April 2009, Malaysia's Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said that the Mat Rempit had become violent and brazen instead of just being a public nuisance. He said "We have to come down hard on the Mat Rempit who have started to become involved in robberies, snatch thefts and are even attacking innocent road users and we also need to use harsh tactics to catch the Mat Rempit that try to runaway from the roadblocks ." He also added that "Parents must be more responsible and should not allow their underage children to drive cars or ride motorcycles"
Mat Rempits often end up being hospitalised after they fail to perform their actions or stunts such as 'superman', 'spider' and many more. Every weekend, around 10 people are hospitalised after being involved in accidents when riding motorcycles at high speed.
According to Selangor police chief Datuk Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah, it was the parents who are the ones who should be blamed on this and while Kuala Lumpur deputy police chief, Datuk Amar Singh said that it was due to lack of parents' attention, Amar also pointed out that especially when they are in a big group, they would act beyond the limit by attacking the authorities and challenging traffic laws indiscriminately, further pointed out that their peers will challenge them to do something outrageous like assaulting police officers and challenging road rules, just to prove that they're not cowards." [10]
Organization and traits
Mat Rempits usually travel in groups and create disturbance in bustling city centres on weekend nights. Mat Rempits are usually associated with gangsterism, gang robbery,[3][4] street fighting, assault,[5] vandalism, theft and bullying. Most motorcycles used by the Mat Rempits do not meet standard specifications, or have been modified extensively for greater speed, or just to make the exhaust noisier.
Additionally, most Mat Rempits do not have valid motorcycle licenses, do not pay road taxes, and ride stolen motorcycles.[6][7] A growing number of housing estates have also been turned into racing tracks.[8] It is estimated that there are about 200,000 Mat Rempits in Malaysia.[9]
Etymology
The word "Rempit" comes from "ramp-(rev)-it" (ramp the throttle). According to Kamus Dewan, the definition of "Rempit" is "the act of whipping with a cane".[2] An alternative source of the word is derived from the noise made by a 2-stroke motorcycle. "Mat" is a Malay slang term used to address or to refer to a male person who is usually of Malay descent but is generally used derogatorily.
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