KL not a place for mat rempit races, say Malaysians

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians are strongly against the plan to set up a night track around the Kuala Lumpur city centre for mat rempit to race.

A poll conducted by The Star Online yesterday showed that 92% of respondents did not agree with Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor’s proposal on Monday.

More than 3,000 people took the poll in less than four hours after it was posted via polldaddy.com.

The question put up was: “Do you agree with the plan to close certain roads in Kuala Lumpur to allow mat rempit to race?”

Readers of The Star Online’s Facebook page also expressed their disapproval of the plan.

“I seriously don’t understand why we need to have this proposal,” said Jason Lee, adding that such a move would likely encourage more mat rempit to carry out illegal racing activities.

“We already have the F1 circuit in Sepang to hold these sort of races all year long. Why not there instead of making our city even more unpleasant?” he asked.

Reader Ann Ang queried the purpose and benefits of the idea.

“If I were a tourist, I would view this as making the city more dangerous at night. How well the authorities can control the situation is a matter of consideration. Any motorised vehicle is a weapon in the wrong hands,” she said.

Ang urged the ministry to look into making youths think, act and do more useful activities for entertainment such as singing, dancing, and participating in debates.

“I am amazed that instead of banning, we are encouraging such activities,” she added.

Jazz Alan Bane Kyrie said the plan needed a more detailed study on the possible negative effects, adding that the legal implications of such a proposal should be considered to prevent mat rempit from seeking compensation for injuries or death.

“If any personal or public property is damaged, they should be liable to pay for the repair or replacement cost,” he said.