I refer to the letter Would you kill a snatch thief?

I feel the writer was being very foolish in confronting the snatch thief. What if he had a knife or paran g (machete) on him or worse, a gun? The writer is very fortunate to be alive.

However, the more unsuccessful crimes a snatch thief commits, the more desperate he will get and he will be more willing to kill his victims in future attempts.

No doubt snatch theft is a problem in Malaysia. There is no easy solution to such a problem. Having gated communities and security guards is one way although there is nothing much a security guard can do even if he witnesses a crime because he does not carry firearms.

The question is - have the Mat Rempit in Malaysia become a major national problem which needs to be tackled by the Malaysian parliament? Clearly these Mat Rempit have certain things in common - they are academically poor with low SPM grades and have no skills or tertiary education.

They are either unemployed or have low-paying jobs such as unskilled general workers and store hands. They come from very poor backgrounds or broken families and get no financial assistance from their parents or relatives.

Also, they have compulsive and obsessive personalities such as addictions to drugs and alcohol and many have psychiatric or emotional disorders.

The Mat Rempit problem needs to be tackled during its infancy before it becomes so huge that it cannot be ignored and may become impossible to solve.

My suggestions would be :

1. Recognise mental illnesses as a disability so that people with psychiatric illnesses will get free counselling, medication and basic sustenance income.

2. Improve our drug rehabilitation centres which at the moment seem to resemble more of a prison facility rather than a help centre.

Former drug addicts need special and personalised after-care attention after being discharged as well as help in securing employment. It is important to conduct regular sessions (weekly or monthly) to check urine levels and to ensure they former drug addicts stick with the programmne.

3. School dropouts and failures at SPM level need to be given the opportunity to develop non- academic skills that will help them become self-sufficient. These include courses to train workers in non-academic skills so that they can be gainfully employed as mechanics, plumbers, electricians, bricklayers, cementers, tilers, carpenters, welders etc.

Also we should encourage other means of earning income such as sports, music and art. Unfortunately, in Malaysia, we tend to stifle creativity such as the recent banning of music concerts by the local governments and the denying of permits to singers to perform in halls and public places.

Entertainment has great potential and the trend of banning music concerts shows a lack of wisdom and care on the part of the authorities.

4. The need to improve our public transport system to reduce dependency on motorcycles by the lower income groups in Malaysia. This will make it acceptable and justified when applying stricter penalties such as the suspension of driving licenses of motorcyclists who break the law.

5. There is a need to simplify marriage procedures as many of the Mat Rempit are bachelors with no direction in life. Large dowries and lavish wedding ceremonies should be discouraged to enable the Mat Rempit to take responsibility in life, get married and settle down.

6. Mat Rempit are at the bottom of the employment chain meaning that in any organisational structure, they are the ones who earn the least. Thus it is necessary to have a minimum wage legislation to make it worthwhile for them to work instead of resorting to crime.

7. It is important to note that human beings all have the same needs - physical, emotional and spiritual. The way to tackle the Mat Rempit problem is simply that. Help them earn a decent living. Help them sort out their emotions and be able to build healthy relationships. Help them learn to empathise with others and to have a goal in life.

This is the way to sort out our Mat Rempit problem. It will take time, money, dedication and patience. There are no short cuts and the government should avoid using ineffective methods such as locking people up in prisons or trying to force religion down people's throats.