Parents must play a major role to stop Mat Lajak menace

Schools are urged to have special exhibitions on the dangers of using modified bicycles to curb the Mat Lajak menace. — filepic

JOHOR BARU: The illegal bicycle racers (Mat Lajak) problem is not just confined to major cities but also taking place in towns as well.

Despite the death of eight children several months ago and continuous police operations, these groups are still doing their “stunts” on public roads.

There are also viral videos of these young racers doing “superman” like stunts on roads and they do not mind being filmed.

Lately Kluang police detained a group of six boys for using their modified bicycles and riding dangerously along Jalan Sentul in Kluang.

The six, aged 13 to 17, were riding bicycles which had no brakes or bells.

All of them were later warned and released to their guardians.

Similar issues have been reported in other districts in Kulai, Muar and Batu Pahat.

So what have we all learnt from the Feb 18 episode when a car ploughed into a group of cyclists near the Mahmoodiah Muslim cemetery in Johor Baru at about 3.30am and eight children were killed.

Saleswoman Sam Ke Ting, 22, has claimed trial to a charge of ramming into the cyclists.

So far the police have been carrying out operations to nab this uncooperative group in a series of operations in the wee hours of the morning.

Schools in Johor have also been directed to make announcements during their assemblies to make sure students “do not roam” on the streets way past midnight.

There are also some who suggested a separate race track to be built for the Mat Lajak to show off their skills or even have a race to pick a champion Mat Lajak.

But are these actions enough to address the problem of young children loitering on our streets in the wee hours of the morning?

I am a firm believer that discipline should start at home and in the saying spare the rod and spoil the child.

We just cannot leave policing our children to the police or the school. How much can they do?

Soon after the February tragedy, Permaisuri of Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah in her Facebook posting urged Malaysians to stop the blame game and instead work with the authorities to find a solution.

“Hurtful and angry words will not bring them back to life,” read her post.

Since then what have we done to address the issue?

As parents are we keeping tabs on the whereabouts of our children or who their friends are.

These young Mat Lajak if not corrected now, may end up as Mat Rempit once they are able to get a motorcycle.

Drastic action needs to be taken immediately as if these children are not stopped now, high chances are that they will “graduate” to become a problem in future.

These youngster groups, which can number up to 30 to 100 sometimes, can also be easy targets for drug paddlers to push their “party drugs” such as syabu and ecstasy.

These teenagers can also be easy targets for paedophiles or sexual predators who might want to have fun in exchange for money.

So the next time you see this Mat Lajak group gathering in the wee hours, do not just turn a blind eye but instead do something, such as contacting the Johor police hotline at 07-221 2999.

If their parents are unable to control them, at least we can pin our hope on the police to do their part to keep the children off the streets, including seizing their modified bicycles.

Schools should also have special exhibitions on the dangers of using modified bicycles and even parents should be invited for special talks on this matter during school gatherings.

It is time for us to also do our part to help combat this menace and prevent the children from turning our roads into race tracks, and not just pose a danger to themselves but also to other roadusers.