Mat rempit - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A Mat Rempit is a Malaysian term for "an individual who participates in illegal street racing

Street racing

Street racing is a form of unsanctioned and illegal motor racing which takes place on public roads. Street racing can either be spontaneous or well-planned and coordinated. Well coordinated races are planned in advance and often have people communicating via 2-way radio/citizens' band radio and...

", usually involving underbone

Underbone

An underbone is a small motorcycle built on a frame consisting mostly of one large diameter tubular component.The stylistic difference between a motorcycle and an underbone is considerable and they are sometimes known as "step-throughs" or even marketed as scooters in the West.The fuel tank...

motorcycles (colloquially known as Kapcai) or scooters

Scooter (motorcycle)

A scooter is a motorcycle with step-through frame and a platform for the operator's feet. Elements of scooter design have been present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motorcycles identifiable as scooters have been made from 1914 or earlier...

. Not all Mat Rempits are involved in street racing; some of them perform crazy stunts for fun, such as the wheelie, superman (lying flat on the seat), wikang, and scorpion (standing on the seat with one leg during a wheelie),or shuttu le katti.

Mat Rempits usually travel in groups and race in bustling city centres on weekend nights. In recent times, Mat Rempits have been linked to gangster

Gangster

A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....

ism, gang robbery, street fighting, assault, vandalism, theft and bullying. Most motorcycles used by the Mat Rempits do not meet standard specifications, or have been modified extensively for greater speed, or just to make the exhaust noisier.

Additionally, some Mat Rempits do not have valid motorcycle licenses, do not pay road tax

Road tax

Road tax, known by various names around the world, is a tax which has to be paid on a motor vehicle before using it on a public road.-Australia:...

es, and ride stolen motorcycles. A growing number of housing estates have also been turned into racing tracks. It is estimated that there are about 200,000 Mat Rempits in Malaysia.

In some other countries, the term Mat Rempit is also used, but more to refer to one as a motorcycle lover or rider (Mat Motor), as opposed to an illegal motorcycle racer. Sometimes, the term "Mat Rempit" is misused to refer to any individual who rides an underbone

Underbone

motorcycle. Related to this is the Mat Konvoi, which claim to be the non-racing version of Mat Rempit.

Violence

In April 2009, Malaysia's Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said that the Mat Rempit had become violent and brazen instead of just being a public nuisance. He said “We have to come down hard on the Mat Rempit who have started to become involved in robberies, snatch thefts and are even attacking innocent road users." He also added that "Parents must be more responsible and should not allow their underage children to drive cars or ride motorcycles"

Etymology

The word "Rempit" comes from "ramp it" (ramp the throttle). According to Kamus Dewan

Kamus Dewan

Kamus Dewan is a Malay language dictionary published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. It is the best selling Malay dictionary in Malaysia ....

, the definition of "Rempit" is "the act of whipping with a cane". An alternative source of the word is derived from the noise made by a 2-stroke motorcycle. "Mat" is a Malay slang term used to address or to refer to a male person who is usually of Malay descent but is generally used derogatorily.

Mat Cemerlang

Khairy Jamaluddin

Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar is a Malaysian politician, and the son-in-law of former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Since 2008, Khairy has been a member of the Malaysian Parliament representing the constituency of Rembau...

and Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim from Putera UMNO attempted to rebrand "Mat Rempits" as "Mat Cemerlang". Khairy suggested that "Mat Rempits" should become the "Eyes and Ears" of the Malaysian Police Force.

Adopt Mat Rempit

Datuk Mohamed Jaafar from UMNO suggested that Mat Rempit should be adopted to guide and save them from indulging in dangerous activities.http://www.kennysia.com/archives/2006/11/adoptarempit.php

Kelantan to build track for Mat Rempit

Kosmo! reported that Mat Rempit in the state of Kelantan

Kelantan

Kelantan is a state of Malaysia. The capital and royal seat is Kota Bharu. The Arabic honorific of the state is Darul Naim, ....

will be allowed to show off their skills at a special track http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/1/nation/21113632&sec=nation to be built by the state government soon. The Menteri Besar of the state of Kelantan, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said the track in Tanah Merah

Tanah Merah

Tanah Merah is a territory and town in the state of Kelantan in northeast Malaysia.The capital and main town is Bandar Tanah Merah where is situated nearby Sungai Kelantan.It is bordered by Pasir Mas in the north, Machang to the East, Kuala Krai to the South East, Jeli to the South West and...

was not a waste of money.

Kedah considering circuit for Mat Rempit to race

The Government of the state of Kedah

Kedah

Kedah is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km², and it consists of the mainland and Langkawi. The mainland has a relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice...

is looking into the possibility of building a circuit http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/5/10/north/21140174&sec=north for Mat Rempit to race and overcome the menace, saying another option was to create more job opportunities for them as most of them were jobless.
Azizan said:

Notable massive operations

On 3 May 2009, the Bukit Aman Traffic Division of the Royal Malaysian Police

Royal Malaysian Police

The Royal Malaysia Police is a part of the security forces structure in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organization with responsibilities ranging from traffic control to intelligence gathering. Its headquarters is located at Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur. The police force is led by an...

, together with the Road Transport Department

Malaysian Road Transport Department

The Malaysian Road Transport Department ' ' is a government department under the Malaysian Ministry of Transport...

, have lanched a major integrated operation to crack down on both car and Mat Rempit motorcycle illegal racing. More than 115 motorcycles were impounded

Confiscation

Confiscation, from the Latin confiscatio 'joining to the fiscus, i.e. transfer to the treasury' is a legal seizure without compensation by a government or other public authority...

in the major operation which was held simultaneously in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

, Selangor

Selangor

Selangor also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity") is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west...

, Penang

Penang

Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...

and Negeri Sembilan

Negeri Sembilan

Negeri Sembilan, one of the 13 states that constitutes Malaysia, lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia, just south of Kuala Lumpur and borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the south....

Pop culture

Mat Rempit is the focus of several Malaysian films:

GILA - GILA REMAJA (1984)
ALI SETAN (1985)
LITAR KASIH (1996)
KL MENJERIT (2002)
KL MENJERIT 1 (prequel of KL Menjerit; 2005)
REMP-IT(2006)
Remp-It
Remp-It is a 2006 Malaysian film which focuses on the lifestyle of Malaysian motorcycle street racers, who are known locally as Mat Rempit. Produced by Metrowealth Movies and directed by Ahmad Idham, the film premiered in August 2006.- Synopsis :...
Bohsia: Jangan Pilih Jalan Hitam (2009)
Remp-It V3 (2009)
Adnan Sempit (2010)

Songs aiming Mat Rempits

Kazar - Memburu Impian (from Gila-Gila Remaja)
Spider - Salut (From Bintang 12)
Namewee - Kawanku
Yazer featuring Doul - Rempit
Ustaz Akhil Hayy Rawa - Relaku Rempit (parodying Spider's song called Relaku Pujuk)
JJ and Rudy (The Morning Crew) from hitz.fm
Hitz.fm
hitz.fm is a Malaysian national radio station managed by AMP Radio Networks, a subsidiary of Astro All Asia Networks plc. hitz.fm is Malaysia's leading English-language station with an estimated 1.5 million listeners .-Programming:...

- Not So Furious (parodying Teriyaki Boyz's
Teriyaki Boyz
Teriyaki Boyz is a Japanese hip hop group from Tokyo, Japan. The group consists of Ilmari and Ryo-Z from Rip Slyme, Verbal from M-Flo, rapper Wise and Nigo, the DJ and founder of the popular Japanese streetwear brand A Bathing Ape...

called Tokyo Drift)
Fairuz Hafeez- Kisah Mat Rempit / Mat Rempit Jatuh Tergolek

Deejays JJ and Rudy (The Morning Crew) from hitz.fm

Hitz.fm

hitz.fm is a Malaysian national radio station managed by AMP Radio Networks, a subsidiary of Astro All Asia Networks plc. hitz.fm is Malaysia's leading English-language station with an estimated 1.5 million listeners .-Programming:...

radio station have made a parody

Parody

A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...

of Teriyaki Boyz's

Teriyaki Boyz

Teriyaki Boyz is a Japanese hip hop group from Tokyo, Japan. The group consists of Ilmari and Ryo-Z from Rip Slyme, Verbal from M-Flo, rapper Wise and Nigo, the DJ and founder of the popular Japanese streetwear brand A Bathing Ape...

called We're Not So Furious, designed to mock Mat Rempit culture.

Mat Rempit was also the main influence for the song "Salut" by the Malaysian band, Spider

Spider

Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...

, in their album Bintang 12

External links

Malaysia Rempit in PJ
Malaysia Rempit Video
Illegal racers and spectators to face heavier fines and longer jail terms
Mat Rempit re-branding futile
Mat Rempit ‘untameable’
Mat Rempit beat up executive
Remp-It film
http://www.vidiac.com/video/2c9c2a21-50e3-4683-9e13-7c2f4538a6ab.htm

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