UMNO Youth Chief and Melaka State Assembly Representative (ADUN) for Merlimau, Datuk Dr Akmal Saleh, called out a political party, which he referred to as “the most champion”, for criticising the ‘RXZ Members Ride Edition Melaka 3.0’ programme, but allegedly stayed silent on the issue of drunk drivers.
The 2-day event in Melaka concluded yesterday (13 December) and saw thousands of motorcyclists gathering in the state. While Dr Akmal didn’t specifically mention any political party, it is believed that he was referring to a statement by DAP Melaka and the Kota Melaka Member of Parliament (MP), Khoo Poay Tiong, who blasted the event for allegedly affecting public tranquillity and traffic safety.
DAP Melaka and Kota Melaka MP criticised the RXZ Members Ride Edition Melaka 3.0 event
In a statement, DAP Melaka said that based on public feedback, throughout the event, especially late at night, there were activities of high-speed motorcycle riding and noise pollution that disturbed public order.
For illustration purposes
It added that the movement of large groups of motorcyclists in the city area left a negative perception among tourists, thus affecting Melaka’s tourism image.
Meanwhile, Khoo was quoted in the statement as urging the Melaka Police Chief to take the public complaints seriously.
âI urge the Chief Minister to give serious attention to this matter. When planning and approving any major event, the state government should not only focus on the fanfare and the number of attendees, but must also take into account the quality of life of the residents, traffic safety, the city’s image, and the long-term impact,” said the Kota Melaka MP.
Dr Akmal’s response to criticism of the eventÂ
Following this, Dr Akmal, in a Facebook post, said that just like how we want others to respect our rights, we should also respect the rights of others.
He added that while some praised the RXZ Members Ride Edition Melaka 3.0 event, others criticised it. The latter is due to a few participants who didn’t obey traffic rules, to which the UMNO Youth Chief agreed and urged these offenders to be reprimanded and condemned.
Datuk Dr Akmal Saleh
However, Dr Akmal believed that one should not generalise the whole event based on these few bad apples.
“To conclude that the event was totally terrible â I disagree with that. Try to ask, out of the tens of thousands who attended, how many broke traffic laws? I believe many more rode properly and prudently. How many hotels received bookings? How many small traders made a profit? And what is more important is how we celebrate the spirit and interests of our friends in motorsports,” the Merlimau ADUN said.
Moreover, Dr Akmal stressed that he strongly agrees with criticising the actions of the few who violated traffic laws, but urged the public not to judge all those who attended the event.
He then called out a political party, saying,
“My message to the political party that is ‘the most champion’ in criticising this RXZ event: When it comes to drunk drivers, you stay silent and mute, but when it’s about other people, you can’t wait to criticise everywhere! Go away with you!”
So, what do you guys think of the whole situation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.Â
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