THE RISE IN MAT REMPIT CULTURE IN MALAYSIA

 

The Mat Rempit culture in Malaysia refers to a youth subculture centered around illegal street racing, dangerous high-speed stunts, and nocturnal group gatherings on modified underbone motorcycles ("kapteks").

Core Characteristics & Activities

• Stunts and Riding Styles: Riders frequently perform risky maneuvers such as the "Superman" (lying flat on the seat), wheelies, "scorpions," and high-speed weaving through traffic.
• Vehicle Modifications: Motorcycles are typically altered with high-performance aftermarket exhausts for loud noise, stripped down, or tuned for maximum speed rather than standard safety specs.
• Broader Offenses: While many participants seek peer recognition and thrills, the subculture is frequently tied to secondary issues like lack of valid licenses, unpaid road taxes, public noise disturbance, and occasional links to street fighting, vandalism, or theft.
• Estimated Scale: Estimates suggest there are roughly 200,000 active participants nationwide.

Underlying Factors

• Identity and Belonging: For many youths—particularly school dropouts or those from lower-income backgrounds—the group provides brotherhood, status, and recognition that they may not find in school, formal sports, or conventional jobs.
• Lack of Accessible Motorsports: The high cost of track rentals, proper safety gear, and formal racing entry fees leaves young speed enthusiasts with few legal outlets to channel their passion.
• Economic & Urban Realities: Widespread motorcycle affordability, easy access to cheap aftermarket parts online, and car-dependent infrastructure with wide, quiet late-night roads facilitate the gatherings.

Enforcement & Solutions

• Punitive Measures: Law enforcement agencies (including the PDRM, JPJ, and operations like Op Road Thugs) regularly conduct roadblocks, arrests, bike seizures, and legal amendments under the Road Transport Act. However, enforcement often faces a "cat-and-mouse" dynamic where riders return after patrols pass.
• Holistic Approaches: Social activists, former racers, and analysts argue that police crackdowns alone cannot fix a deeper social issue. Proposed long-term solutions include:
• Early-stage primary school road safety education.
• Community engagement and socioeconomic support for at-risk youth.
• Building affordable, accessible stunt or circuit tracks outside city centers rather than legalizing hazardous inner-city street tracks.

Well everyone in Malaysia has seen them on highways, speeding like madmen in large groups and posing danger to other vehicles. Seeing them using skinny ass tyres does not help.

Malaysia always has Mat Rempits but I think it is getting worse at an alarming rate. But I’m unsure what can we even do about it.

As usual, we remind you to take your Memo Plus Gold daily. It will help to keep you alert and mentally sharp. For more information or to order for Memo Plus Gold, please visit : https://oze.my

What’s your opinion on the matter?

“PMX need not be personally present to hear out TunM’s RM150m civil suit against him”

 

AN interesting exchange between Madani backers and seemingly the pro-opposition faction has ensued over purported resumption of the RM150 mil civil suit by twice former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad against his historical political disciple and protégé Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

This came about after Threader R.H (@rashdan_hadif) highlighted that the said lawsuit will resume today (Oct 21) at the Shah Alam High Court and challenged PMX to make a personal appearance.

“If Anwar Ibrahim is not present tomorrow (Oct 21), this will prove that Anwar Ibrahim is a COWARD,” chided the self-proclaimed Kota Raja division UMNO Youth member.

The sharp-tongued post elicited a rebuttal from one HaSuriah Tahir (@suehasue) who recounted Dr Mahathir seeking to strike out a 2006 legal suit by PMX against his deemed “mentor” on grounds that it was “scandalous, trivial and troublesome”.

“Now in 2026 when he wants to sue Anwar, he doesn’t feel that it’s trivial anymore. Still busy with worldly affairs even when he can already smell the earth”.

Editor’s Note: PMX who was then recently released from prison and was beginning his political comeback had on Jan 27, 2006 sued Dr Mahathir for claiming at a September 2005 conference that he was dismissed as deputy prime minister in 1998 due to homose*uality with his se*ual orientation rendering him unfit to lead the country.

Another pro-Madani commenter chipped in that PMX’s personal presence is unwarranted, hence “suffice to send his lawyer/s”.

“Do you think Anwar has a lot of time to come to court? He’s the PM, walking up and down, meeting with foreign leaders inside and outside the country,” justified the legally literate عزمي (@aiznee.7).

Do you think PMX is like Hadi (PAS president Tan Sri Hadi Awang) who spends a lot of time outside but is often absent from Parliament?

When he comes, the entire village is boisterous (referring to opposition lawmakers flocking Hadi for photo opportunity whenever he shows up at the Dewan Rakyat). It seems like he only comes once or twice.

This is when one opposition-slant commenter teased that PMX “could spare the time to attend Siti’s (national songstress Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin) concert under the rain”.

“Even if he’s working round-the-clock for the rakyat, can’t he just spare an hour to attend the court hearing? This is about PMX’s reputation. He has been sued. Shameful,” jibed ء (@el.jahhh).

Case background

Recall that Dr Mahathir filed a RM150 mil defamation lawsuit (RM50 mil in general damages and RM100 mil in exemplary damages) against PMX at the Shah Alam High Court on May 3, 2023.

Additionally, a court order was sought for a written apology and an immediate retraction of the statements plus 5% annual interest.

The centenarian claims PMX delivered a defamatory speech during a special PKR congress at the Melawati Stadium in Shah Alam on March 18 that year.

In the speech, PMX in his capacity as the PKR president alluded to a leader who held power for “22 years and 22 months” whom he accused him of enriching himself, his children and his family as well as being racist.

PMX maintained that his statements made at the party congress were true and filed his statement of defence through his legal team.

The high-profile civil trial trial before Judicial Commissioner Datuk Donald Joseph Franklin has been re-scheduled to today (Oct 21), Friday (Oct 23) and Oct 29 after being postponed from Aug 19-20.

All in all, this case has been postponed several times mostly due to Dr Mahathir’s application.

The biggest postponement was in January 2026 when a five-day hearing (Jan 13, 14, 28, 29 and Feb) was postponed due to Dr Mahathir’s broken hip following a fall and his subsequent admission to the National Heart Institute (IJN).

Again in August this year, the scheduled hearing on Aug 19-20 was deferred to today (Oct 21) due to the change of the third Judicial Commissioner.

“Even the commencement day of the case in October 2025 was adjourned for half a day after Tun said he was feeling unwell and on medication. So, not attending tomorrow is not an issue of cowardice; lawyer representation in civil summons is indeed valid,” justified Meta AI. – Oct 21, 2026

 - Focus Malaysia

PN deregistration a test of strength for Gerakan, MIPP, says analyst

 Anbumani Balan says the two parties must show they can draw support without relying on allies.

Political analyst Anbumani Balan questioned the role of Gerakan and MIPP in attracting non-Malay support for PN, given recent election results.

PETALING JAYA:

The deregistration of Perikatan Nasional (PN) will test whether Gerakan and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) can attract support on their own or must continue relying on their coalition partners, says a political analyst.

Anbumani Balan said the loss of the PN platform would force both parties to assess their ability to win votes independently.

Anbumani Balan.

He said the two parties were supposed to help PN broaden its support among non-Malay voters, but their effectiveness was in question given the latest election results in Johor and Negeri Sembilan, where neither contributed any seats to PN.

“This is the time to judge political truth by the reality of votes, not perceptions, rhetoric or positions in a coalition,” he told FMT.

“If their own strength cannot be proven, a place in a coalition is merely borrowed political standing, not proof of public support.”

Gerakan held seats historically but its electoral fortunes have declined sharply over the past two decades. It now has only one elected representative: Kulim assemblyman Wong Chia Zhen in Kedah.

Meanwhile, MIPP won none of the five seats it contested in its Johor electoral debut this year. All five MIPP candidates also lost their deposits.

The Registrar of Societies (RoS) deregistered PN on Tuesday after finding that the coalition’s explanation failed to rebut the grounds stated in an earlier notice.

The RoS acted on a complaint by Bersatu, which alleged it was denied the right to attend, speak and vote at the PN Supreme Council meeting on July 16.

PN secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan was reported as saying the coalition would challenge the deregistration and seek a stay of its implementation.

Lau Zhe Wei of International Islamic University Malaysia, however, did not see the deregistration causing any drastic change to the political landscape, as PN’s component parties could still form new partnerships.

Lau Zhe Wei.

He said the more pressing questions were what form that cooperation would take and which logo would be used in elections, including the upcoming polls in Melaka.

Lau said Gerakan and MIPP had so far shown a tendency to stay with PAS, and could use the logo of PAS or Wawasan if they did not want to contest under their own.

“If they are truly intent on being with PAS, they can do so at any time,” he said.

Melaka will head to the polls on Nov 14, with nomination on Oct 31 and early voting on Nov 10. - FMT