YOURSAY | Reckless politicians turn an accident into a racial issue

YOURSAY | ‘All had a share in the blame though not in equal proportions.’

Tracing Johor bicycle tragedy's descent down a slippery slope of racism

Vijay47: I fully agree this incident is taking us down that slippery road we are all accustomed to - racism.

Let me again state that almost everyone involved - the motorist, the teenagers, and their parents - had a share in the blame though not in equal proportions.

Many of the dead were as young as 13 or 14 years old. Where was the parents’ concern over their welfare, allowing them to be out on the roads at 3.20am, participating in dangerous antics where death was waiting to happen?

What makes me sick is their response after the guilty verdict - that they were now relieved. How easily grief can be substituted with the lust for blood.

And how familiar is this accident? We witnessed exactly the same sentiments in the case of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim. The case was used by political opportunists.

What action was taken against those who first started the fracas at the Hindu temple that later led to Adib’s death? Similarly, would the police be now charging the teenagers’ parents for want of parental care and supervision?

And unbelievably, the police are warning against those circulating old video clips of basikal lajak riders.

MS: The 30 teenagers racing their modified bicycles across the entire span of the road at 3.20 in the morning were doing exactly what their parents allowed, and in nearly all cases, enabled them to do.

That they posed a threat to motorists by ensuring that the fully blocked road will guarantee a collision and endanger their own lives has been deemed irrelevant.

The hapless woman had a right to be on the road at that time. None of the 30 did. Not on those ultra-low bikes and not at that time and definitely not in the fashion they raced.

If the words "dangerous and reckless" are to be used, they should have been applied to describe the conduct of the gang let loose by their parents whose irresponsibility matches those of their children.

Could then 22-year-old Sam Ke Ting have avoided colliding with these street urchins, for that is exactly what they are. No.

Could those who caused the accident by the poor choice they made, doing what no normal teenagers would be allowed to do by responsible parents, have avoided doing so? Yes.

But in tribal Malaysia, none of this is worthy of consideration, especially by politicians whose personal conduct, morals and integrity are always suspect.

From the get-go in February 2017, the vultures we know and detest swooped down, picking at the pieces on the road, to satisfy their lust for political dividends.

That set the tone for the rest of the tribe to do what comes naturally - ignore the facts, ignore the circumstances, ignore the cruelty to which the young woman is now subjected and see this as nothing less than a racial incident - exactly like the case of the fireman who would not have gone out if not for the hundreds of thugs who invaded the Hindu temple at 1 in the morning.

Malaysia's ignominious history: a combination of tribalism and feudalism simply ensures that every incident like this will be made racial and handled as such.

BobbyO: Indeed, both sides are victims. Those who died, as well as the driver.

The issue has been made into a racial issue by those who are not involved and who intend to milk the situation to fulfil their agenda. Like the case concerning the poor firefighter Adib.

These are heartless individuals who are not sorry or have any feelings for the dead children or even the driver.

Here, the question on the minds of the people is whether the decision of not granting bail was justified. As there have been numerous cases where bail was granted.

It gives the impression that there were people or certain forces bent on getting justice their way.

You cannot blame the people who have raised criticisms based on the legal points and circumstances of the case.

One: We must stay united as Malaysians and not play the Chinese vs Malay games, and we should call out the dirty politicians who are trying to racialise the issue for their own benefit.

These individuals are shameless dirty scumbags who do not care for the country’s future.

We must also call out the injustice of the current practice of jailing or not jailing someone who is still appealing their case. This is not about race but about treating everyone with fairness.

The Wakandan: After all is said and done, this is a road accident. The keyword is ‘accident’. This means to say the event was not deliberate. I have been involved in traffic accidents myself, though minor in nature.

One of it was obviously my fault - after sending my daughter to the airport, I came out of the parking area, still thinking of her, and inadvertently grazed against an oncoming car’s side door.

The other driver was visibly upset but I told him it was an accident. We settled the damage amicably, end of story. I wonder if that was a child that I knocked and he or she died, what would be the consequence?

This is the kind of accident that can happen on the road. As for Miss Sam’s case, I am still unable to comprehend how eight people could be killed by a single sedan car? It was a terrible tragedy indeed. Still, it was an accident, not deliberately done or planned to kill those deceased.

That was it. Now, she has to face the consequence according to the law, which has to be interpreted accordingly. All aspects of the case would be covered by the law, which led to a verdict.

How this can snowball into such controversy is because it has been politicised through racist points of view. Racism, from both sides, that makes this case become very ugly.

All this is really an exercise in futility as it would not change the fact that an accident had happened. The driver, at such a young age, must be traumatised, which changed her life forever as she knew it.

Besides that, there were the eight poor souls who perished. Nobody wanted this to happen but it nevertheless happened.

Wakhumsilli: Thank you, writer Zikri Kamarulzaman for a very admirable and heartfelt summary of this tragedy.

Yes, our hearts go out to all the victims and their families, including the young woman who had the misfortune of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.