“Parents of menacing ‘basikal lajak’ riders sure to liken their kids to angels once fatal mishap occurs”

 

IGNORANCE is bliss.

Well, that’s the excuse proffered by some netizens for parents’ wilful ignorance of their children’s activities. This includes being a road menace with their basikal lajak antics.

Editor’s Note: Basikal lajak (modified speed bicycles) is a form of drag-racing using illegally-modified bicycles on Malaysian public roads. These bicycles typically do not have brakes or reflective lights.

Years after the infamous basikal lajak case in Johor Bahru that left eight young daredevils dead, it appears some parents are none the wiser about the perils of this “hobby”.

This was evident from a post on the Komuniti Damasara Damai Facebook forum where a concerned motorist, Ally Gar, posted an image of young tarmac terrors showing off their skills on a public road.

Urging other road users to honk to dissuade these cyclists from being a nuisance to others, it was hoped that they would take their activity to safer environs. The poster proclaimed that this was necessary lest these junior Mat Rempit (illegal bike racers) come into harm’s way.

The post has generated 563 likes, 475 comments and 48 shares at time of writing, indicating that it has raised concern among those living in the Damansara Damai vicinity.

A few commenters openly queried how come these boys’ parents were none the wiser regarding their dangerous past times.

Some observers repeated the oft-heard lament of parents of Mat Rempit/basikal lajak victims – “My son was a good boy”. By which time, it was a little too late as such laments were usually heard at funerals of these “good boys”.

One commenter was of the opinion that mere honking would not deter these daredevils. It was postulated that the cops a.k.a. PDRM (Royal Malaysia Police) need to be called to enforce some much-needed discipline.

Perhaps a slap across the face for the parents would knock some sense into them before it is too late. This commenter grumbled that such parents were too quick to “make babies” but were severely lacking when raising them.

One former basikal lajak aficionado admitted to riding helter-skelter sans brakes in the sleepy hollow of Baling in the 1980s and 1990s.

It was normal for youngsters to indulge in thrill-seeking activities but conceded that there was hardly any traffic back in those days in his hometown. But since it is very different now, he hoped these kids would take their testosterone-boosting rides to safer surroundings.

It beggars belief that there are parents out there who do NOT know what their kids are up to. This isn’t like secretly surfing porn on a handphone but an activity that requires a purpose-built machine – one equipped with vital safety features such as brakes and reflective lights.

Such a contraption can’t be hidden and most certainly would have cost some money to acquire.

Malaysians cannot let this race polemics enter this issue. Yes, majority – if not all – of these daredevils are Malays from the B40 segment.

But that shouldn’t legitimise this basikal lajak phenomenon and for it to be a production line for future Mat Rempit or more morbidly, fodder for the coroner. –  Focus Malaysia