KUALA LUMPUR: Rock star, actor and hardcore biker Datuk Awie recently launched the Wings Motor Gang Society (WMGS) motorcycle club at the Tadom Hill Resort in Banting, Selangor .
Made up of bumiputera riders who own high-powered bikes of 700cc and above, the launch also saw the 49-year-old rocker, whose real name is Ahmad Azhar Othman, riding a bike while wearing a tanjak (traditional Malay headgear) instead of a helmet together with similarly-clad bikers.
Pictures and videos of the event were uploaded on the club’s official Instagram account @wingsmotorgangsociety.
In a news report by Astro Gempak, the Wings frontman, who is also the club’s president, said: “The tanjak and baju Melayu cekak musang have become part of the club’s mission to strengthen the identity of Malay bikers who enjoy this motoring pastime. Is it wrong? We’re not at all breaking any of the road laws.”
Awie added that all of the convoys would have accompanying police outriders. He also said that the stretches where they donned the tanjak instead of wearing helmets were confined to specific distances and carried out with permission from the authorities.
“These areas and stretches were under the supervision of traffic police. We did it all without neglecting the safety aspects,” he said.
Unsurprisingly, his statements still drew quite a bit of criticism and negative responses from Netizens. Many had left unflattering comments.
A few of the less heated ones included: “Not wrong to assert your identity. But for the sake of safety, utilise the helmet.”
Another read: “The helmet is a safety measure. When you’re on the road and have an accident, which one do you think will protect your head from the impact?”
One Netizen even went on a tangent to chastise the rocker with: “Wants to raise the dignity of the Malay race but borrows from the hooligan and gangster motorcycle cultures of the USA who ride Harley Davidson bikes.