Vigilantism is rife in Malaysia, with a mob of people attacking an Uber driver who allegedly molested a Vietnamese passenger in Penang. The driver is now in Penang Hospital after being beaten by a group of angry men, and has sustained injuries to his head, hands and left leg.
The driver picked up the woman at 4pm Tuesday, and was going towards Argyle Road when the alleged attack occurred. He is accused of unzipping his pants, exposing his private bits, and placing the victims hand on top.
Absolutely horrifying, and this is not great news for Uber. Between a KL passenger being robbed by her driver and his accomplice and losing her baby, to another driver picking up a ghost from local cemetery, it’s been a bumpy couple of months. What was once seen as a more-sober alternative to taxis, has passengers wondering if this sense of security is false. You may know who the driver is, but that doesn’t mean that you’re any safer.
However, it has to be said that the recent spate of vigilante activities in Malaysia is worrying. A man died in Alor Star after being beaten at a mall, accused of molesting a woman. Those who beat him are being investigated for murder. Now this. It is our civic duty to protect, and help those in danger. But we cannot take the law into our own hands, lest those hands turn out to be bloody.
