They were just illegal (motorcycle) racers or pelumba (motosikal) haram before somebody introduced the much catchier term mat rempit, which everybody then picked up. Under pressure to crack down on the menace, the police now want to call them samseng jalanan or street gangsters. I don’t get why we don’t just call them illegal racers. Currently, those convicted of illegal racing face a minimum RM5000 fine or up to five years in jail. The police are proposing to make the jail sentence mandatory, which I think is a bad idea.
Our existing prisons are already crowded to throw illegal racers into them as well. Building more prisons, and staff and maintain them, are expensive. Besides, a mandatory jail sentence is the best way to introduce relatively innocent illegal racers to hardcore criminals like robbers and murderers to “learn” from. A “tougher” sentence like mandatory prison does not necessarily make a stronger deterrent, especially without effective enforcement. How many illegal racers (will) actually get caught? On the contrary, it may actually make the offenders more brazen in avoiding capture.
Illegal racing should be treated separately from snatch theft. Instead of a mandatory jail sentence, perhaps it is more effective to confiscate their rides. Any motorcycles found to have illegal modifications or used for illegal racing are to be immediately seized and then burned. All right, the burning part may be a bit melodramatic and environmentally unfriendly, so let’s recycle them instead. Oh, and the mandatory jail sentence is changed to a mandatory 5000 hours of community service. We could definitely use the slave labor to reduce our dependence on cheap foreign labor.
So there you have it: minimum RM5000 fine or up to five years in jail (as per existing law) + immediate confiscation of vehicle + mandatory community service for illegal racing. Any thoughts?
nak senang kot? sekali keje. tak payah pening-pening. pemalas.
ReplyDeletethere is already a minimum deterrent sentence? yup that should be made mandatory if you want to throw off the kids glove. I don't knowlah why we are foreever overlegislating without enforcement..making new laws makes better press kut..
ReplyDeleteconfiscation and slave labour in addition to making the minumum sentence mandatatory is the way to go...even if they are sponsored by gambling bosses the confiscations will make no economic sense if their rides keep getting confiscated..
Jail time is not mandatory yet but the police are proposing it to be so. Making new, tougher laws is easy, and allows them the appearance of doing something. Enforcement is a different thing altogether.
ReplyDeleteLike the idea to demolish the seized bike. But normally these hardcore illegal racers use stolen bike...so, not much lost for them anyway.
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