Syed Saddiq: 'Basikal lajak' riders can be 'saved' with right guidance

Youngsters racing basikal lajak (modified bicycles) are seen as a menace on public roads but Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman believed they can be "saved" given the right guidance.

He used the example of national cyclist Hariff Salle, whom he claimed had said in an interview that he, too, had started off with basikal lajak activities.

"We need to find ways that emphasise their safety so that they no longer race basikal lajak on the streets without safety equipment.

"I think the most important thing is we give them guidance. We need to educate them so that we can save them," he told a youth economic forum in Kuala Lumpur today.

The basikal lajak debate was reignited after the Johor Bahru High Court last month ruled that a woman did not drive recklessly when she hit a group of basikal lajak racers at 3 am on a highway.

Eight of the racers, comprising teens aged between 14 and 16, were killed.

Syed Saddiq said the government needs to take both an enforcement and educational approach in dealing with the matter.

He said some of the youths were skilled enough to modify their own bicycles and those talents could be put to good use if they were given technical and vocational education and training (TVET). - Mkini