But in the end Malaysia Still Boleh!

But for all the wrong things... Here is another mess that isn't being properly addressed in our country. The Mat Rempit. Basically, thugs on small CC motorcycles that are between 70cc to 125cc who tune them up to perform speeds exceeding 120kph. They ride in groups and they act like gangsters on the road. Should one of them ever collide with your vehicle, and is hurt, it would be deemed to be your fault and should you get out of your vehicle or not escape, you will be beaten up with their helmets and whatever weapons they have. It has been reported previously that they have attacked without reason.

What does the police do... apart from not being around, well, they occassionally run "operasi" and do silly things like throw them in jail for one night or make them push their motorcycles 2 kilometers to the police station. Frankly, they should have their bikes confiscated and they should face a jail term. The fines should also be for each offence in terms of each modification on their bike, which I have always understood is illegal. It was illegal to change mufflers and modify engines and so forth, but none of this is enforced even when they are caught.

So what happens? They get back on a few weeks later and make a damn niusance of themselves.

Again, something our government has failed to address. They catch the Chinese pirated DVD sellers who are just making an "honest" living. Well, at least they are not hurting anyone or being a nuisance to anyone other than the MPAA. But so what, people buy DVDs not because they cannot afford to goto the cinema, it's to collect and also watch all the nice bits that our friendly people at FINAS / Ministry of Information a.k.a Censorship Board censor. Things like partial nudity, swear words - including bitch and bastard, kissing scenes and so forth. It's our only avenue to get the real deal. And of course, buying the original means forking out about RM120+ for the Region 1 version, which is a lot more than what the Singaporeans pay.

So back to the Mat Rempit... they are violent, the source of all sorts of vice, they are usually high on drugs and they are a real threat to society. How do they compare to some DVD seller just making a living and feeding his family? Hey... prioritise la... anyway, the government will pay for this dearly in the next elections.

There are stories from the DVD sellers that I will share soon enough, and they are all about how the enforcing authorities line their pockets, and this is not even about straightforward bribes... if there is one thing these people are good at, it's finding the best way to make their lives easier... always.