By Gabriel Lihan & Jasmine Badun
KUCHING: Many local people are agreeable to suggestions to punish negligent parents whose children cause harm to the general public.
This is in response to Johor’s quite recent ‘basikal lajak’ case that caused many parents and individuals to express their outrage on the bad parenting that led eight kids to lose their lives in a collision with a car while riding modified bicycles.
The accident took place at 3.20am on Feb 18, 2017. A clerk, Sam Ke Ting, who was 22 years old at the time, was driving along Jalan Lingkaran Dalam in Johor Bahru when she crashed into the teenagers aged 13 to 16.
Charged with reckless driving under the Road Transport Act that provides a maximum penalty of 10 years’ jail and RM20,000 fine, Sam was acquitted twice by the Magistrate’s Court.
After the prosecution appealed, the High Court found her guilty of reckless driving and sentenced her to six years’ jail, and a fine of RM6,000 or six months in default if she did not pay the fine.
However, due to the contentious circumstances surrounding the case, the conviction ignited a fierce debate on social media over whether justice is truly being served.
This has jolted the government into action, and it has been asked to look into ways of preventing children from going out at odd hours, especially during those times when they should be in bed.
Some people say the car driver must bear responsibility for the deaths of the children but others say that the parents should also be held liable.
A Universiti Putra Malaysia researcher on road safety said there was a high chance that Sam could not have seen the teenagers in time.
Citing sensory conspicuity theory, he said humans were not capable of reacting to fast-moving objects such as ‘basikal lajak’ that could go as fast as 60 to 70 km per hour.
That is why for the sake of safety, riders are encouraged to wear reflective vests or jackets and white helmets, he said.
As for the modified bicycles, he noted that they were uncommon on public roads, and so Sam should not be accused of not driving carefully.
JASVEENA KAUR, 40
Entrepreneur
The highway is not a playground for kids. The deaths could have been prevented if the parents had kept the kids at home. The parents who went to sleep knowing that their kids were out playing at night showed they did not have any control. For the father who thought his son was cycling nearby and just went to bed; who does that? How can you even go to bed knowing that your underage son is out playing during bedtime?
CHERYL NG, 35
Teacher
It’s a social issue. Parents and the community in general need to step up and be more proactive in discipling and guiding our children and youth. The ‘basikal lajak’ case was really unfortunate. I feel sad for all parties involved. What a loss! May it be a wake-up call for all of us.
LEANDRO MCRAE, 26
Head of a centre
I agreeable to legal action against the parents and I believe that’s the best way to ensure that the ‘basikal lajak’ case — or similar cases — wouldn’t happen in the future. The parents should not be allowed to think that they are blameless, or to wash their hands off the deaths of the children.
JOHNSON FUNG, 24
Contractor
There is no possibility of prevention, especially where the law has no effective measures to govern people who are recklessly negligent of their safety.
Yet in the case of the ‘basikal lajak’, it is evident that the law is not justified by the judicial and legal proceedings to protect the innocent. A reform of the system must be taken into account for such a disastrous oversight.
NABILA AMIRA, 21
Student
The dangerous behaviour on the road causes more harm than peace. There’s no one to be blamed for it except ourselves as parents, citizens, and organisations. A child learns from the elders and conditioned by the environment. They learn through observations, verbally and physically. Parents should reflect on their wrongdoings and teach their kids to behave well. Thus, it is right for a stakeholder to take action against the parents concerning the bad behavior of their children to keep other road users safe.
