In a bid to curb the illegal motorcycle racing, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said that the government is looking at allowing legal street races.
However, he added that Putrajaya is not promoting illegal racing but trying to counter the problem it by encouraging alternative methods.
MMO quoted Tengku Adnan as saying that a large number of Malaysians turned to unsanctioned racing because it offered economical thrills. “I don’t want to call them Mat Rempit but Mat Moto. We will control the situation because we realise that this is an entertainment for them. They have no other way to entertain themselves because of the high costs,” he told reporters.
He also said that the government previously organised races in enclosed tracks but the public response was not favourable, which was why many returned to racing illegally in the streets.
Moving forward, the government will consider closing city roads once a week and set that aside for motorcycle racing. Tengku Adnan explained, “Probably in one week, one or two days, we will give it like the car-free day but only for Mat Moto to race at night. We don’t want illegal racing but we want them to race in a specific place. If they want to race, it’s okay but we give them a place where we can control with safety barriers and all.”
Tengku Adnan added that he has discussed the proposal with Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Mohd Amin Nordin Abd Aziz and that he would liaise with relevant parties in the government to come up with a programme.
“We will provide a suitable place and probably we will organise fiesta, we call food trucks selling food and other things to help them so that they will not have illegal racing. It’s not encouraging, but you see, we want to see what the people like,” he said.
What do you guys think though? Will organised street races in the city help curb the problem or will it work against the government’s favour?
Sources: MMO, Paul Tan, The Star Online / Featured image from Wikipedia.
