Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Farcical UMNO Putera attempt to whitewash the Mat Rempit image
First of fall, allow me to state that the reason for the formation of UMNO Putera and Puteri wings under the ambit of UMNO Youth is just an attempt to give the little "restless emperors" in UMNO their own little fiefdoms to rule. I am sure not many Malaysians have been impressed with the actions of the UMNO Putera head Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim who in a bid to gain some visiblity and attract the attention of future patrons within the party, has made it his mission to elevate the image of the Mat Rempit to something of a 21st-century knight, replete with noble and chivalrous intentions. (Ladies, don't loosen your grip on your handbags anytime soon). Such nonsensical statements indeed is a surefire way of getting his picture and comments plastered in the newspapers as it did several weeks ago. It doesn't hurt when you get pictured together with the Prime Minister's son-in-law as well. Apparently, Abdul Azeez is planning a heroic campaign to change the image of these motorcyclists many Malaysians view with disdain and some trepidation.
He wants Mat Rempits to be Mat Cemerlangs from now on. He pleads their case, stating these boys are just merely misunderstood and in fact, they really are a good bunch of guys who is just looking for a way to express themselves. But what is Abdul Azeez's real intention in all this feel-good camraderie? I don't know about you but the idea of hundreds, maybe even thousands of Mat Rempits on motorbikes roaming the street with UMNO Putera sanctions, makes me a tad bit uneasy. And for what purpose? An idea of a militia-type wing within UMNO Putera may not so far-fetched now, considering elections may just be around the corner. For what purpose, I can only guess but some scenarios do spring to mind. There's always been a thuggish streak in UMNO Youth from those days; perhaps UMNO Putera feels there's a need to reinforce it with a street-wise group of bikers. Could this campaign be Abdul Azeez's attempt to make that breakthrough into the national UMNO landscape?
But first he's been forced into damage control mode. I hope he really puts a crisis manual in place as incidents such as this are going to crop up more often than not. Apparently 8,000 biker youths - male and female - ran riot in a small town in Lumut, allegedly drunk and misusing mosque facilities. Whether the story was encouraged by any aspiring candidate for the UMNO Putera top hat is an unknown variable. What is known is that poor Abdul Azeez has been forced to deny that his bunch of "Mat and Minah Cemerlangs" did anything wrong. Never mind that some of them are going to be charged in the Syariah courts for committing khalwat. The report also hinted at drunk and disorderly behaviour. It would be wise if Abdul Azeez spend some time pondering whether he has bitten off more than he can chew with his "brilliant" plan. ¶ 3:40 PM
He wants Mat Rempits to be Mat Cemerlangs from now on. He pleads their case, stating these boys are just merely misunderstood and in fact, they really are a good bunch of guys who is just looking for a way to express themselves. But what is Abdul Azeez's real intention in all this feel-good camraderie? I don't know about you but the idea of hundreds, maybe even thousands of Mat Rempits on motorbikes roaming the street with UMNO Putera sanctions, makes me a tad bit uneasy. And for what purpose? An idea of a militia-type wing within UMNO Putera may not so far-fetched now, considering elections may just be around the corner. For what purpose, I can only guess but some scenarios do spring to mind. There's always been a thuggish streak in UMNO Youth from those days; perhaps UMNO Putera feels there's a need to reinforce it with a street-wise group of bikers. Could this campaign be Abdul Azeez's attempt to make that breakthrough into the national UMNO landscape?
But first he's been forced into damage control mode. I hope he really puts a crisis manual in place as incidents such as this are going to crop up more often than not. Apparently 8,000 biker youths - male and female - ran riot in a small town in Lumut, allegedly drunk and misusing mosque facilities. Whether the story was encouraged by any aspiring candidate for the UMNO Putera top hat is an unknown variable. What is known is that poor Abdul Azeez has been forced to deny that his bunch of "Mat and Minah Cemerlangs" did anything wrong. Never mind that some of them are going to be charged in the Syariah courts for committing khalwat. The report also hinted at drunk and disorderly behaviour. It would be wise if Abdul Azeez spend some time pondering whether he has bitten off more than he can chew with his "brilliant" plan. ¶ 3:40 PM
