Arrived back in Georgettown, Penang this morning after taking a short trip back to Terenggnau to visit my friend Mohd. Rafi who had an accident and the rest of my family. Rafi was on a motorcycle with his youngest boy when they came up face on with three 'Mat Rempits," Motorcycle racing maniacs very well known in Kuala Terengganu. These kids often under the influence of the cheapest and often the most mind bending drugs would race down the road at break neck speed performing hellish acrobatics while riding their bikes. I had the experience of picking up brains scattered all over the road at one time while living out near the Airport in Telaga Batin sometime in 1990s to 2004. These 'Hell's Angels' on their small bikes would roar back and forth in front of my house till wee in the morning hours depriving comfortable sleep to the neighborhood. I took it upon myself to declare 'war' on these characters.
Dressed in dark cloths and armed with a 'sling shot' or catapult, I hid in the bushes by the roadside and ambush them every time they zoom by and eventually they gave up after not knowing what kept hitting them. Rumor had it the the stretch facing my house back then was haunted by a black figure seen every now and then disappearing into the jungle nearby. Every weekend especially on Fridays, these suicide riders would be racing up and down the main road leading out of town right where my nephew's bakery is located and it used to be hundreds of spectators would line the road to watch and cheer these mindless 'daredevils.' According to my nephew it has become a whole lot less now since the community took the trouble to reach out and communicate with them on the evils of mindless racing. Most of these youths comes from poor Malay families and for lack of better things to do,were trapped into this hellish sport. (look on You Tube for 'Mat Rempit').
What happened to my friend and his son was another mindless incident that has plagued the State if not the Nation as illegal racing has become a land mark sport or way to commit suicide among the 'lost' and 'stoned' youth of the nation. Mohd. Rafi and his son got off easy fortunately as he slowed down on seeing the oncoming rider who had laid flat on his stomach across the bike while speeding towards him. He suffered minor injuries and so did his son, however the trauma I am sure would linger on. One of my nephews some years ago died from similar accident and he was only sixteen then. I know a family that lost two sons from the racing, they were racers.
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