Man Goes Around Klang Valley With Banners Asking to End Drunk Driving in Malaysia

By Syakir Roslan  •  06 Jun 2020 in News

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If you haven’t been catching up with the latest news, drunk driving has become a real hot topic in Malaysia over the past week. After a slew of fatalities caused by drunk drivers made headlines, many Malaysians were understandably outraged, to the point that even Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin called for harsher punishments in DUI-related cases.

These incidents have caused heightened racial and religious tensions within some communities despite a large number of Malaysians understanding that those factors have nothing to do with the issue.

With all the chaos going on, a Selangor man took it upon himself to encourage Malaysians to put a stop to drunk driving as well as the racial and religious hostilities that surround the topic.

As seen in the picture above, the man wearing white – Mohd Azhar Osman (also known as Mr. J), drove around Klang Valley at night (on June 4), passing by areas such as Kuala Lumpur, Klang, Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya with several banners that featured messages highlighting the dangers of drunk driving attached to his car.

Unsurprisingly, his messages were met by positive reactions from people of all colours and creeds with some even signing their names voluntarily on the banners in support of Mr. J’s cause. According to the Malay Mail, he explained that he came up with the idea to do this spontaneously as he usually kept quiet for such matters.

“When I saw more and more news and posts about drink-driving online, I had to say something,” explained Mr. J. Despite the positivity that flooded his Facebook page, Mr. J is worried about the possibility of negative comments inciting more racial tension. He stresses the importance of maintaining peace between Malaysians, especially because he lives in a multi-cultural community.

While some Facebook users tried to start arguments on his page, the majority of comments he received were mostly positive overall. Additionally, Mr J. also voiced out his support to implement stricter DUI laws as a means of preventing future tragedies and to put off people from driving under the influence.

Mr. J clarified,

“We all have to take great care and responsibility in maintaining our harmony and unity. These accidents were caused by individuals, not a race or religion. I don’t want the actions of a few drunk drivers to affect the lives of others just because they are from the same race.”

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