Tesla Model 3 Kicked, Spit On Bystanders – Malaysia Needs Anti-Vandalism Law to Curb Such Behavior
Road rage happens on the road, you know, but sometimes the rage doesn’t stop when the wheels stop. There are plenty of people who park their car only to return to find that their car has been deliberately scratched or dented. In these cases, they often have little recourse to claim compensation for the damage – even if they try to get CCTV footage from the parking lot operator.
A similar situation happened to TY Tai on Sunday, according to a Facebook Post went viral. In it, he claimed that a passerby kicked him. Tesla Model 3 while it was parked at Nexus in Bangsar South. The vandal, who appeared to be accompanied by his parents, then returned to spit on the car before leaving with his family in white shirts. Audi Q8 e-tron.
The incident was captured on both Sentry Mode on Tai’s Model 3, as well as security footage from the Nexus itself. It’s unclear whether the thief was unhappy with the car, Tesla in general, or Tai himself, and Tai doesn’t appear to know the vandal or his parents. In any case, the owner reported the incident to the police, but since there was no visible damage, authorities decided not to file a case.
This was clearly an unsatisfactory end for Tai, who had resorted to encouraging the perpetrators to come forward and apologize by promising to delete the post if they did. That’s hardly an incentive for vandals to do so, especially when they’re not being pursued by law enforcement, just on social media.
You might be surprised to know this, but there are actually no laws against vandalism in Malaysia – at least, that’s what Alliance for a Safe Community Lee Lam Thye wrote on Sun just that Sunday. If his name sounds familiar, it’s because Lee was formerly President of Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS).
Malaysia has the ability to punish those who cause calamities under Section 425 of the Penal Code, but this only applies to those who actually cause tangible damage – something Tai, again, has been unable to prove. Under the current bylaws of the Kuala Lumpur City Council (DBKL), these only apply to city property.
Lee has proposed an anti-vandalism law that would see convicted vandals sentenced to mandatory community service and repeat offenders jailed. But until such a law is passed, there is little victims like Tai can do other than publicly name and shame the perpetrators.
The lesson here is clear – the country needs to enact anti-vandalism laws to curb the prevalence of such acts. But really, do we Malaysians need laws or strict enforcement to stop us from becoming public menaces? Regardless of how you feel about a car or its driver, you should not take your frustrations out on other people’s property; that much is clear. If anything, know that if you try to do anything to a Tesla, you will likely have your face plastered on social media for the world to see.
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