I WAS finally relieved when the Appellate Court recently acquitted the driver in Sam Ke Ting’s case. I, too, was a victim of a road accident several decades ago, thus I can understand how Sam felt, especially after she was sentenced to six years’ jail by the Johor High Court last year.
Perhaps, most of us have forgotten about the sad incident in which Cpl Mustaghni Tabri succumbed to serious head injuries after being hit with a blunt object while carrying out his duty to nab Mat Rempit in 2012.
Unfortunately, before the Mat Rempit menace could be curbed, another menace – Mat Lajak – emerged several years ago. Who should be blamed for these social ills from getting out of control?
Although I feel the authorities have not done enough to curb the menace, parents must bear more responsibility for allowing their children to indulge in such dangerous activities on public roads in the wee hours of the morning.
Most parents are aware of those activities but prefer to ignore them until a critical or fatal accident happens. Most of the unsafe modifications carried out on these bikes are either partly or fully borne by the parents.
Often we see parents carrying a child in front and another tucked between them on a motorcycle. There are also parents, especially mothers, who sit in the passenger seat carrying a toddler on their laps. These children are too young to realise that these actions are not only wrong but also extremely dangerous. Over time, these young minds may absorb the wrong traits unconsciously.
Parents who have the tendency to commit these so-called minor misconduct on public roads should not be surprised if one day their child joins the Mat Rempit/Lajak gang as one of their brazen members. Bear in mind that they are always trying to outdo each other and thus may perform stunts on their bikes that are risky, which can cripple or kill them in a split second.
The adage “do what I say, not as I do” is still unwisely adopted by some mulish parents in disciplining their children. Sadly, some parents think it is okay if they do not commit misconduct in front of their children. Unfortunately, most children are not so naive and they are aware of their parents’ discreet misconduct.
If you want to bring up well-behaved children, nurture them when they are still young and do not forget to be an exemplary parent.
Children are innocent and curious but they are also active in their formative age. They need a lot of parental love and proper guidance before they can grow up as wise and well-behaved adults.
The best kind of parent you can be is to lead by example – exhibiting the kind of behaviour that you want your children to adopt.
Also, do not forget that children are more vulnerable than adults as they have unlimited and unfiltered internet access in this digital age.
Patrick Teh
Ipoh
