Illegal street racers, or in the well known names, Mat Rempit, is a serious issue that knock our country right now. Known for their kamikaze skills on the road, causing chaos in society, their unmannered attitude and the current is murdering people. Statistics shows that this group causes too many crime and problems. With their enormous amount, they felt like the road is belongs to them and nobody have any rights to punish them. This is why almost everyday we heard and see their actions and news on the media. Their popularity is equal to Mawi and Datuk Siti Nurhaliza until then, the film maker had decided to make film about them. So, as a Malaysian, what is our role in solving this issue? Do we need to blame themselves for all this or it is us who let this things happen? Let us see why this Mat Rempit issues happens and how we should solve it together. As we can see, almost all of Mat Rempit is in the youth group. We should realize that in this stage, their thinking, attitude and action were influenced by their peers. They used to follow their friends rather than their own parents and teachers advice. This peer influence is very strong and sometimes dangerous if they follow the wrong path for example the illegal racing. This is why the amount of Mat Rempit is increasing from time to time. Furthermore, the desire to try something new and challenging is one of the factors that lured them into the illegal racing. They felt that it is very admirable and outstanding if they can win the race or do suicide skills such as riding in the high speed or get away from the police road blocks. They love to break the laws since they think that it is just an amusement for them. So, how we want to solve this problem? How we want to settle down this issue that has been caused many problems to us? The government, politicians and police have done many things to settle this, but it seems like there are no stopping point for the Mat Rempit. We should give a compliment to Pemuda UMNO for their effort to convert this Mat Rempit to ´Mat Cemerlangµ by giving them an opportunity to change and UMNO membership. Although this step is like a politics campaign, we should bear in mind that maybe one day they will realize that there are people who concern about them and hoping they will change. Next, schools play an important role in order to solve this problem. I·m not saying parents since I know that some parents didn·t know their son·s attitude very much compared to the teachers and their friends. This is because in school, they used to be with their friends and we can determine their attitude very well by observing with whom they are making friends. Schools should collaborate with the police to identify which students involved in illegal racing and punish them by sending them to the counselor or in the serious case, dismiss them from school. This is very important in order to prevent this student to influence the other students to join him. Although this approach is too drastic and cruel, we should consider that the youth is tending to be influenced by their friends. Furthermore, in my opinion, the National Service Training Program or PLKN should include a module that thought the trainee to avoid and aware the illegal racing. They should be exposed to the danger of illegal race, the punishment that will wait them if involved and how to enjoy their life in the best ways. By implementing this approach, at least, the trainee can think wisely and preventing them to become one of the Mat Rempit candidates. As a conclusion, what I can say is, action speaks louder than words. It is useless if we just babbling around and blaming them for all this problems although some of them caused some serious case. We should cooperate with government, politicians and NGOs to track back how this thing happen and find a solution to solve it. The Mat Rempit should be thankful for the government and society for not treNewspaper cutting regarding the causes of Mat Rempit Minah Rempit step out of boyfriends· shadows A NEW breed of illegal racers is menacing the streets with their daredevil stunts ± and they are not boys, reported Harian Metro. These minah rempit do everything their biker boyfriends do, including racing for thrills, money and sex. The paper interviewed two girls, who confessed they started out by being groupies and gradually learned from the mat rempit how to do wheelies and other acrobatic stunts on their machines. A self-confessed 17-year-old minah rempit, who identified herself as Lia, said she learned the ropes from her boyfriend. ³I borrowed motorcycles from friends and three months later I could speed up to 130kph,´ she said, adding that her skills were still not as good as some other girls. Lia, who is being rehabilitated at the Darul Islah welfare home in Selangor, claimed girls who mix with street racing gangs are likely to be ³spoilt´ as they eventually become the ³trophies´ for the mat rempit who wins the race. ³I was nearly a victim after my boyfriend lost a race and I had to spend the night with the victor. ³I refused and coaxed the winner to take my money, instead,´ said Lia, who added that she regretted becoming a minah rempit. A similar tale was told by 21-year-old Jun. She said within a few weeks of learning to ride a motorcycle, she had plucked up the courage to do wheelies on her boyfriend¶s Yamaha RXZ. ³It¶s just to show off to the boys,´ said Jun of the reason why the girls were turning to racing. > Utusan Malaysia columnist Awang Selamat lamented that many Muslims had questioned the wisdom of the National Fatwa Council, which ruled that Internet investment is haram (forbidden in Islam). The paper, he claimed, has received numerous e-mails, letters and SMSes on the matter and many of them vented out their anger and criticized the decision. ³They seemed so blinded by money that they failed to see the reasons for the judgement,´ the columnist said. > Kosmo! warned shoppers that a major supermarket chain is duping them by changing the tags on frozen foodstuff that had passed their expiry dates. Living in fear of Mat Rempit gangs For Prof Rozmi Ismail and Kattryn Eng, the Mat Rempit issue is more than just a cyclical news topic. Rozmi is a Mat Rempit researcher and Eng is the mother of a victim who was attacked by a Mat Rempit gang recently. KOH LAY CHIN listens in as they discuss the phenomenon and why, they insist, the authorities must take action. The interview between the interviewer and Rozmi who is a Mat Rempit researcher Kattryn: What leads them to get so involved in this? Rozmi: I found in my study that one of the main factors is they are looking for fun. These are youngsters who are 15 to 17 years old, most of them dropouts. Most of them work as dispatchers, factory workers, burger sellers etc. They are looking for fun, they are sensation seekers. They want the thrill and to feel excited. Riding a motorbike is the cheapest way for them to do this. If you have RM10 or RM5, you can go round town for the whole night. They can¶t go to a hotel lounge or disco. For them, riding with their friends is cheap and fun, fun which they create themselves. Kattryn: So from your surveys and studies, what do you think is a good way to solve this problem? Rozmi: Firstly a very drastic action we have to take is amend the law. The punishment must be suitable; to make sure they don¶t do it a second time. Kattryn: You mean our current laws are too lenient? I¶d say yes, because from what I see they keep saying it is a juvenile case all the time. After 48 hours, they let them go. Because they are underaged, the Mat Rempit use that as an excuse. Rozmi: Yes, they cannot be charged under criminal laws because they are underaged. The majority of them are 16-years and below. They should be going to school. When I interviewed them and asked them how long they had been involved in these activities, most said one to five years. So you see the majority of them have been in this kind of life for a while. And those who are considered hard-core Mat Rempit, they have been arrested by the police, sometimes more than three times. But as you¶ve said, they get arrested but the police can¶t do anything. They get released the next day. Then it happens again next week. Kattryn: I think it would be much better if the police were to confiscate their bikes and not give them back, you know? Rozmi: We have to amend the law. The charge driving in an aggressive and dangerous manner should include Mat Rempit activities. When they are in a group, they are lost in a crowd. They behave as though they can do anything they want. Kattryn: And in the group, people are afraid. Like that day, when 20 of them surrounded my daughter, even the petrol station attendants, two of them, did not dare come out. They were scared. What can the authorities do to alleviate the real fear on the ground now, in terms of enforcement? Rozmi: The thing is it is very difficult to identify the culprits.