Mat Rempit
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Police stopping hundreds of motorcyclists at the Kerinchi Link in Kuala
Lumpur recently in an effort to curb the Mat Rempit menace
A group of Mat Rempit conquered Kuala Lumpur's street on Saturday night
A larger group of Mat Rempit in Terengganu
Mat rempit road rage over two car
Mat rempit with his
bohsia on their wheelie stunts
A
Mat Rempit is a Malaysian term for "an individual who participates in
illegal street racing", usually involving
underbone motorcycles,
[1] colloquially known as
Kapcai, or
scooters.
Not all Mat Rempits are involved in street racing; some of them perform
stunts for fun, such as the wheelie, superman (lying flat on the seat),
wikang, and scorpion (standing on the seat with one leg during a wheelie).
Mat Rempits usually travel in groups and race in bustling city
centres on weekend nights. In recent times, Mat Rempits have been linked
to
gangsterism, gang robbery,
[2][3] street fighting, assault,
[4]
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.
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."
[5]
Additionally, some 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]
In some other countries, the term Mat Rempit is also used, but more
to refer to one as a motorcycle lover or rider (Mat Motor), as opposed
to an illegal motorcycle racer. Sometimes, the term "Mat Rempit" is
misused to refer to any individual who rides an
underbone motorcycle. Related to this is the Mat Konvoi, which claim to be the non-racing version of Mat Rempit.
Etymology
The word "Rempit" comes from "ram(rev)-it" (ram the throttle). According to
Kamus Dewan, the definition of "Rempit" is "the act of whipping with a cane".
[10] 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.
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.
Political influence
There are numbers of political influence in helping Mat Rempit.
Mat Cemerlang
Khairy Jamaluddin and Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim from Putera ". Khairypits" should become the "Eyes and Ears" of Malaysian
Adopt Mat Rempit
Datuk Mohamed Jaafar from
UMNO suggested that Mat Rempit should be accepted and guided to save them from indulging in dangerous activities.
[11]
Kelantan to build track for Mat Rempit
Kosmo! reported that Mat Rempit in the state of
Kelantan will be allowed to show off their skills at a special track to be built by the state government soon.
[12] The Menteri Besar of the state of Kelantan, Datuk
Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said the track in
Tanah Merah was not a waste of money.
| “ |
They
(Mat Rempit) always make their mothers and wives worry. With the track
they will have a proper place to express their feelings and show their
bravery and heroics |
” |
Kedah considering circuit for Mat Rempit to race
The Government of the state of
Kedah is looking into the possibility of building a circuit
[13]
for Mat Rempit to race and overcome the menace, saying another option
was to create more job opportunities for them as most of them were
jobless. Azizan said:
| “ |
We will first study if the circuit in Kelantan has effectively curbed the menace |
” |
Notable massive operations
On 3 May 2009, the Bukit Aman Traffic Division of the
Royal Malaysian Police, together with the
Road Transport Department,
have launched a major integrated operation to crack down on both car
and Mat Rempit motorcycle illegal racing. More than 115 motorcycles were
impounded in the major operation which was held simultaneously in
Kuala Lumpur, Selangor,
Penang and
Negeri Sembilan.
[14]
