UKM Offers Psychosocial Treatment To M’sian Who Made 11 Speed Bumps Near His Home Due To Stress

By Ameera Rosli  •  18 Jan 2021 in News

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In case you missed it, on 14 January, a 40-year-old man named Nor Muhamad Roslam Harun caused a ruckus when he installed 11 asphalt speed bumps near his housing area in Kampung Padang Luas, Jertih.

The speed bumps were not even 40 metres apart, making it difficult for neighbours to drive in and out of the area.

Racking up dozens of complaints, police showed up to the man’s residence to advise him to remove the speed bumps. According to Roslam, they approached him politely which led him to hire a bulldoze operator in order to swiftly remove all 11 bumps and an additional 2 that were already there.

The situation went viral on the internet because it was an abnormal response towards noise pollution in his neighbourhood. Roslam got the idea to build the speed bumps because many drivers were being inconsiderate and driving at fast speeds during odd hours. Roslam stated,

“My bedroom faces the road which is why the noise of the cars and motorcycles have disturbed my sleep. I feel stressed because of this and I even have mental illnesses that I haven’t gotten treatment for. I initially built small slopes but since the tar hardened quickly, it became steep speed bumps that cannot be traversed by most cars, only 4-wheel drives.”

The 40-year-old took this matter so seriously and was fed-up to a point where he used RM1,080 of his own Employees Provident Fund (EPF) money to install the speed bumps.

After causing the inconvenience, he apologised over his actions.

Today (18 January), Unit Khidmat Psikologi dan Kaunseling (UKPK) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) has offered psychosocial treatment to Roslam after hearing of this incident.

The institution contacted him via phone call and through their conversation, they found out that Roslam had been suffering mental stress, but had no idea where to seek help. With that, they offered him their services.

Currently, Roslam will be undergoing physical and psychiatric evaluation to determine the state of his mental health as well as to gauge other environmental factors that could have had an influence on his behaviour. They will also observe whether there are external stressors such as bullying that might have happened.

After monitoring the responses of netizens about Roslam’s actions, Dr Nazirah Hassan, a lecturer at the facility, said,

“People are advised to refrain from judgment when it comes to the actions of Nor Muhamad Roslam. When an individual is suffering from mental stress, they need support and attention from others around them, not harsh criticism.”