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Things we still don’t know about Mat Rempit crash

Most of us who have access to social media may have seen the video of Mat Rempit involved in a horrific crash at the Kesas Highway early on Tuesday morning. With more than 450,000 reported road crash cases a year, we Malaysians may have seen enough road crashes.

However, watching the latest viral videos and photographs on that illegal race that came through WhatsApp, Facebook or Twitter, we were shocked to see how ugly it had been. We are also shocked to see how far our society has regressed after 58 years of independence.

Immediately after watching the videos, most people probably react in the same way: “Oh my God! Sure mati lah”. Or, “How many people died?”

No, we’re not amused by the number of deaths, but for illegal racers to stumble and fall at breakneck speed, probably between 120kph and 150kph, it’s only logical to think that no one would survive.

Perhaps only few of us studied Physics beyond secondary school, but we are not that stupid as not to understand the impact of crash at that kind of speed.

Therefore, I am sure many would feel like a fool when reading the Bernama report that quoted Shah Alam district police chief ASP Shafien Mamat that only one person was injured in the crash. I repeat: Only one person was injured. I didn’t hear the police say anyone got killed. How amazing!

Now, I am sure that most of us who have seen the crash video and still photographs also wonder what happened to the rest of the Mat Rempit who were nastily thrown out of their motorbikes and dragged for metres on the guardrail and tarmac at the crash scene. Are their bodies made of steel and strong, like a Superman?

Berita Harian reported that the police are hunting for five Mat Rempit in the video. This gives the impression that, after the crash (and surviving unscathed!) they must have fled the scene. Again, amazing!

Never mind, I still give my benefit of the doubt. Probably our Mat Rempit are really Superman. But I am sure that many will disagree with me because, logically, the human body cannot take such an impact from that kind of crash. Besides, the viral photographs from the unidentified sources also showed some gory images of the victims.

So, who are we to believe?

The question now, are we to trust the social media, mainstream newspaper reports or the police?

Yes, we must always be careful with the social media as there are lots of sick minded rumour mongers out there who create all sort of stories (and photographs), either for the sake of trolling, getting likes, creating disharmony or for whatever personal agenda that they have.

Having said that, the credibility of the mainstream media is pretty much questionable, too. We all know that the mainstream media has been ‘tamed’ and is lame in their reporting. Poor reporting quality, lack of investigating journalism skills; and most of the time, the mainstream media would probably play down the stories for reasons that only God knows why.

Now, can we believe the statement that came from police in this case? For fear of being arrested if I say I didn’t, I choose to believe it. I do not want to say that there is element of covering up either, because I don’t think that any VVIP kids were involved in this crash.

The kids must be coming from some low-cost flats or brought up in a poor neighbourhood. So, I do trust the police that only one person was injured, as the news was reported by the national news agency Bernama , and not Mongolian Daily News or something!

Then, what was the highway operator doing?

However, this leads to another question. If the event really took place along the Kesas Highway as reported, I am wondering why the highway operator did not notice the illegal gathering of Mat Rempit and spectators, probably numbering in hundreds, and notify the police for prevention?

Isn’t the Kesas highway equipped with CCTV cameras and traffic patrol team? Highway users pay hefty sum of money at toll gates a few times along the highway, and I am wondering why the safety on the highway is so loose.

Pity the driver (or owner) of the Proton Exora that was hit in the accident. He or she must be innocent, but was at the wrong place and wrong time. If the highway operator was doing its job, such as informing the police, no such race would have taken place on Kesas.

Last but not least, I feel sorry for my beloved country. I see a failed nation, not only in terms of economics and politics, but also in social lives. I also feel sorry for myself because I don’t know who to trust anymore.

But I trust my feelings that if we don’t pull the brakes, we’ll continue to regress. Forget Vision 2020. What happened to the National Integrity Plan?

Malaysia can only succeed if we speak the truth, face the reality, work out on the issues, be firm, and be transparent. We are now living in the age of digital media.

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