Hari Raya open house is always something special for my family and me. It is there that we usually gather and meet up with relatives and friends, though we meet them quite often else where, raya open house is different because this is the only time when we can eat to our hearts content, when food is usually plentiful and also the spread is luxurious.
My cousin Ami is stationed is Mozambique and comes home when ever duty calls, therefore open house to him is mandatory as he longs to meet up with everyone, is his open house that we attended last week. For traveling convenience, we pooled a car with my brother and his wife. My brother who is a former professor at one of the Malaysian top universities still maintains his lecturing skill when in conversation with us. Any topic that is being introduced to him will be articulately deliberated by him!
On my way home, we spoke a lot about the food, the penang laksa was superb, of course with my brother on board, he even gave us the secret ingredient to the tasty kuah laksa, which is an open secret to the world.. blend the fish bones. In my mind, even the newly born knows about this ‘secret’. Also it is a known fact that Ami’s wife Lia is a fantastic cook, at least by my standard! Though of late my cooking standard have moved up the scale but my siblings still refused to endorse it, perhaps not until it’s certified true by my bapak who usually is the ultimate stamping endorser.
On our way home, while enjoying the topic of discussion, food of course, out of the blue we were jolted by a sudden stream of kapcai raiders, weaving in and out of the lanes, one even single wheeling with the front wheel tilted up high, probably an act to inform the road users that he is the king of the road.
Our topic of discussion took a natural suave too-the mat rempits naturally.
While my hubby and my brother found them well engaged in the topic, my mind began to wonder- what exactly do these people or youngsters are after? Simply thrills or short cut to death?
I simply jumped to my own conclusion, perhaps they are too idle and need some form of activities?
It scares me to death, looking at how these youngsters ‘dancing’ with their wheels, granted even if they really end their lives on the road, they have got nothing to loose, but what if they are crippled for life, blind and helpless or remain a vegetable on a hospital bed?
I am not going to dwindle on the emotional bit, I know parents will be heart broken if accidents take away lives of their loved ones, but the issues that bother me right now is ‘who and what is being done to address this road menace?
Many people detest Mat rempits because of their life styles and crimes associated with this group of bikers, and people are now furious, as they are getting bolder. But who are these Mat rempits and why are they behaving the way they are now?
A government institute conducted a research on Mat rempits and their life style. Forty-eight per cent of youngsters polled cited boredom when asked why they became Mat rempits who ride recklessly, often endangering other road users. So boredom has been cited as one of the main reasons why youths become Mat rempits
So my earlier/quick conclusion has similar bearing with the findings.
Youth Development and Research Institute has recently conducted similar research, and the study showed that 38% of the Mat rempits polled said they indulged in such activities to fill their spare time while 27% cited peer pressure. Again the 38% falls into the category of boredom.
And as to the demographic profile, the study shows that 87% of them are aged between 14 and 25 years.
Source STAR
As for me I feel sad, and appalled seeing good young Malay people turn into bad hats. And my thoughts are well supported by Uncyclopedia that describes mat rempits as follows
Quote “Mat rempits were formerly Malay retards and idiots. However they evolved into sub-intelligent primates somewhere in 1971 and joined the circus as clowns. In 1982 they stopped growing tails, and moved on to 70cc motorbikes because they no longer have tails that might get burnt accidentally by the exhaust pipe.
Although they were considered retards during that time, they somehow managed to perform Hollywood stunts in real life. Through their understanding of air resistance, they created a super-low-cost-and-fuel-efficient method of riding the motorbikes. The Mat rempits is Malaysia's super-low-cost-pastime for Malay retards to show-off their biking skills on the traffic-ridden streets of Kuala Lumpur.
These kids are so desperate, they must do zig zag like a monkey, look backwards at full speed (very important tactic) and suddenly stop at roadside smoking, phone calling, etc. The crazier they drive, the sexier they look, it seems.
' Unquote'
Source http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Mat_Rempit
I shed my tears in silence because, if what is written here is true, what a waste of human resources for the country
Indeed they are retarded in their thinking, so do we punish them or guide them? By the same comparison, if we have a retarded child, do we ignore him/her or do we guide him/her?
Now, the horizon is getting clearer, they are retarded in their thinking and at the same time are bored, because they have ‘so much spare time’
According to one school of thought, our Government has been too lenient towards these people and given them a lot of chances to turn over a new leaf. (“A chance for Mat rempits’’ -The Star, Sept 19).
This probably has some connection with the statement made by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak , who said that a rehabilitation programme for Mat rempits would be launched next January aimed at improving their leadership skills, social interaction, self-empowerment and such.
I believe the Prime Minister is on the right track, but the track must complete ‘the loop’, the program must be holistic and done with end in mind. Whilst NS is a good program as suggested by one reader, it is just one of the activities, more should be crafted for them.
As a comparison, let us look at life patterns of an average good students, immediately after his SPM, they take a rest for about 3 months or so, then continue with preparatory classes for professional courses. Perhaps similar study pattern could be established for these below average students. If smart students are given with scholarships and loans, they should also be given similar funds for them to acquire skills and specializations in vocational fields.
The point I am driving at is not to allow too much idle time for them. Let us do some brain rehearsal here, let us imagine that these mat and minah rempits are shown ways and become motivated to become successful people down the road, perhaps as modern farmers growing high quality mushroom that later lands commercially in Dubai, or successful professional house cleaners in place of our heavily dependent foreign maids, wedding planners, hair stylists, food caterers, beauticians, interior designers and the list is endless. Let us give them the fishing rods as what we do to our own children.
I strongly believe that the government has the required machineries and means but again the government alone will be too lonely to undertake this task, NGOs, religious associations, PTA associations, community groups, retired citizens, and so on and on, must step in to complement the programs, and they must be integrated well. However the government must prepare the space and trust for these groups to work in tandem.
I have 3 core areas that I wish to offer to the government:
• Develop a clear vocational path for mat rempits and school drop outs (this will cut off life lines to mat rempit population)
• Spend sufficient fund on them
• Monitor their progress and assist them to move on in lives.
This framework is probably quite similar to FELDA program at its initial stage, why don’t we repeat history?
My cousin Ami is stationed is Mozambique and comes home when ever duty calls, therefore open house to him is mandatory as he longs to meet up with everyone, is his open house that we attended last week. For traveling convenience, we pooled a car with my brother and his wife. My brother who is a former professor at one of the Malaysian top universities still maintains his lecturing skill when in conversation with us. Any topic that is being introduced to him will be articulately deliberated by him!
On my way home, we spoke a lot about the food, the penang laksa was superb, of course with my brother on board, he even gave us the secret ingredient to the tasty kuah laksa, which is an open secret to the world.. blend the fish bones. In my mind, even the newly born knows about this ‘secret’. Also it is a known fact that Ami’s wife Lia is a fantastic cook, at least by my standard! Though of late my cooking standard have moved up the scale but my siblings still refused to endorse it, perhaps not until it’s certified true by my bapak who usually is the ultimate stamping endorser.
On our way home, while enjoying the topic of discussion, food of course, out of the blue we were jolted by a sudden stream of kapcai raiders, weaving in and out of the lanes, one even single wheeling with the front wheel tilted up high, probably an act to inform the road users that he is the king of the road.
Our topic of discussion took a natural suave too-the mat rempits naturally.
While my hubby and my brother found them well engaged in the topic, my mind began to wonder- what exactly do these people or youngsters are after? Simply thrills or short cut to death?
I simply jumped to my own conclusion, perhaps they are too idle and need some form of activities?
It scares me to death, looking at how these youngsters ‘dancing’ with their wheels, granted even if they really end their lives on the road, they have got nothing to loose, but what if they are crippled for life, blind and helpless or remain a vegetable on a hospital bed?
I am not going to dwindle on the emotional bit, I know parents will be heart broken if accidents take away lives of their loved ones, but the issues that bother me right now is ‘who and what is being done to address this road menace?
Many people detest Mat rempits because of their life styles and crimes associated with this group of bikers, and people are now furious, as they are getting bolder. But who are these Mat rempits and why are they behaving the way they are now?
A government institute conducted a research on Mat rempits and their life style. Forty-eight per cent of youngsters polled cited boredom when asked why they became Mat rempits who ride recklessly, often endangering other road users. So boredom has been cited as one of the main reasons why youths become Mat rempits
So my earlier/quick conclusion has similar bearing with the findings.
Youth Development and Research Institute has recently conducted similar research, and the study showed that 38% of the Mat rempits polled said they indulged in such activities to fill their spare time while 27% cited peer pressure. Again the 38% falls into the category of boredom.
And as to the demographic profile, the study shows that 87% of them are aged between 14 and 25 years.
Source STAR
As for me I feel sad, and appalled seeing good young Malay people turn into bad hats. And my thoughts are well supported by Uncyclopedia that describes mat rempits as follows
Quote “Mat rempits were formerly Malay retards and idiots. However they evolved into sub-intelligent primates somewhere in 1971 and joined the circus as clowns. In 1982 they stopped growing tails, and moved on to 70cc motorbikes because they no longer have tails that might get burnt accidentally by the exhaust pipe.
Although they were considered retards during that time, they somehow managed to perform Hollywood stunts in real life. Through their understanding of air resistance, they created a super-low-cost-and-fuel-efficient method of riding the motorbikes. The Mat rempits is Malaysia's super-low-cost-pastime for Malay retards to show-off their biking skills on the traffic-ridden streets of Kuala Lumpur.
These kids are so desperate, they must do zig zag like a monkey, look backwards at full speed (very important tactic) and suddenly stop at roadside smoking, phone calling, etc. The crazier they drive, the sexier they look, it seems.
' Unquote'
Source http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Mat_Rempit
I shed my tears in silence because, if what is written here is true, what a waste of human resources for the country
Indeed they are retarded in their thinking, so do we punish them or guide them? By the same comparison, if we have a retarded child, do we ignore him/her or do we guide him/her?
Now, the horizon is getting clearer, they are retarded in their thinking and at the same time are bored, because they have ‘so much spare time’
According to one school of thought, our Government has been too lenient towards these people and given them a lot of chances to turn over a new leaf. (“A chance for Mat rempits’’ -The Star, Sept 19).
This probably has some connection with the statement made by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak , who said that a rehabilitation programme for Mat rempits would be launched next January aimed at improving their leadership skills, social interaction, self-empowerment and such.
I believe the Prime Minister is on the right track, but the track must complete ‘the loop’, the program must be holistic and done with end in mind. Whilst NS is a good program as suggested by one reader, it is just one of the activities, more should be crafted for them.
As a comparison, let us look at life patterns of an average good students, immediately after his SPM, they take a rest for about 3 months or so, then continue with preparatory classes for professional courses. Perhaps similar study pattern could be established for these below average students. If smart students are given with scholarships and loans, they should also be given similar funds for them to acquire skills and specializations in vocational fields.
The point I am driving at is not to allow too much idle time for them. Let us do some brain rehearsal here, let us imagine that these mat and minah rempits are shown ways and become motivated to become successful people down the road, perhaps as modern farmers growing high quality mushroom that later lands commercially in Dubai, or successful professional house cleaners in place of our heavily dependent foreign maids, wedding planners, hair stylists, food caterers, beauticians, interior designers and the list is endless. Let us give them the fishing rods as what we do to our own children.
I strongly believe that the government has the required machineries and means but again the government alone will be too lonely to undertake this task, NGOs, religious associations, PTA associations, community groups, retired citizens, and so on and on, must step in to complement the programs, and they must be integrated well. However the government must prepare the space and trust for these groups to work in tandem.
I have 3 core areas that I wish to offer to the government:
• Develop a clear vocational path for mat rempits and school drop outs (this will cut off life lines to mat rempit population)
• Spend sufficient fund on them
• Monitor their progress and assist them to move on in lives.
This framework is probably quite similar to FELDA program at its initial stage, why don’t we repeat history?
Salam kak..
ReplyDeletethis is azerq SK94, of coz i got this link from our STFOGA mailing group.
some of my close cousins (kat kampung) were school drop-outs. mak bapak diorg mmg mengambil berat, tapi bila hati budak2 ni dah tak nak belajar, takkan nak hambat mcm budak kecik sbb masing2 dah besar, lepasan PMR. paling tidak, diorang berlakon pegi/balik sekolah, tapi tak jejak pun sekolah. tau2 dapat surat dr cikgu. i've tried to help, tapi komuniti kolej hanya terima pelajar lepasan SPM.
bila saya tanya these cousins, mereka kata mmg dah takde hati nka belajar kat sekolah sbb boring kena duduk, baca buku dan menghafal. they want to learn hard skills. bila takde aktiviti, mulalah budak2 ni melepak dgn entah siapa2. dan bila dah berkumpul ramai2 dgn akal semua setengah masak, tau2 je la aktiviti apa yg diorg buat...
saya tak salahkan parents diorang. they are all my aunts & uncles, they are good ppl, mengambil berat hal anak2, mendidik dgn baik (masa sekolah rendah semua ok, takde masalah). in fact, these cousins of mine kalau jumpa sedara mara mmg akan tegur dan hormat. masih beradab.
too bad there's no options.. nak masuk sekolah teknik/vokay, tak layak sbb result PMR teruk. mcm terkontang kanting la pulak, in limbo.
i wish i could help. masih belum terlambat utk kita & mereka berubah & menyumbang ke arah kebaikan.
Waalaikumsalam Azerq,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. Apart from Vocational schools, there are also Community Colleges set up under the Ministry of Education. This could be an alternative channel for your cousins. You check the website. Another alternative is bengkel MARA.
Azerq,
I share your concern 'masih belum terlambat untuk kita membantu' as mentioned to Sis Alah, Sis Ju and Sis Roy (Roy reverted to my personal email) I am more inclined towards community development approach, However I am still looking around for a reasonably resilient framework, a framework that could be easily replicated will the least fuss.