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Transport Minister Anthony Loke has directed the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and the traffic police to set up roadblocks around Kota Bharu Airport this evening (25 April).

It is the second time in under three weeks that Loke has mobilised enforcement at the same location.

A poster circulating on social media advertised a “Konvoi & Lepak Mat Motor Bersama YB YB” — a motorcycle convoy and gathering with elected state assemblymen — organised jointly by the Government Backbenchers Club (BBC), and PAS Youth Kelantan.

The event was scheduled for between 5 pm and 7 pm, with the convoy route passing through Kota Lama, Kota Bharu Airport, the town centre and the area behind AEON Mall.

The tagline on the poster read: “marihh kito gegarkan kota lama” — loosely translated as “let’s shake up Kota Lama together.”

Fine print at the bottom added: “kawe bersama puok demo, mari kita sama sama konvoi, kita hadir dengan tertib dan hormat, bukan untuk rosakkan keadaan” which loosely translates to “I am with you, let’s convoy without causing trouble”.

A Facebook post by PAS’s Melor assemblyman, Wan Rohimi Wan Daud, confirmed the convoy would depart from Masjid Muhammadi at 5 pm, routing through Kota Bharu Airport, the town centre, and a public recreational space before concluding at 7 pm — a slightly different endpoint from the poster’s advertised route.

No Exemptions, Not Even For YBs

Responding on Facebook, Loke described the convoy as highly irresponsible, citing the airport as a strategic security zone that must be protected at all times to ensure smooth passenger movement.

He raised two direct questions for the organisers.

Had they obtained approval from the relevant authorities, and if congestion caused passengers to miss their flights, would the organisers pay compensation?

He announced that all motorcycles entering the airport area would be inspected — including those ridden by elected assemblymen.

Any YB riding a motorcycle will not be exempt.

From Racing To Roadblocks

The backdrop to today’s intervention matters.

Kota Bharu Airport’s new terminal was fully opened on 5 March — less than two months ago.

The federal government spent nearly RM450 million upgrading the facility, which Loke has described as a catalyst for Kelantan’s socioeconomic development and tourism.

Within weeks of opening, the terminal’s departure bay had become a mat rempit racing circuit.

The activity had been ongoing since Ramadan before going viral on social media, with airport users beginning to film and post footage.

On 6 April, Loke announced that JPJ would conduct large-scale enforcement operations at the airport, with motorcycles confiscated on the spot for anyone caught racing at the departure bay.

He called the mat rempit behaviour not just embarrassing but an act of sabotage against the airport’s safety and the state’s economy.

@xtra_my Tular video memaparkan sekumpulan ‘mat rempit’ berkumpul dan melepak di kawasan Lapangan Terbang Sultan Ismail Petra, iaitu lapangan terbang baharu di Kota Bharu, Kelantan. Perkara itu mencetuskan persoalan dalam kalangan netizen memandangkan lokasi berkenaan merupakan pintu masuk utama udara ke negeri itu. #fyp #xtra #matrempit #lapanganterbang #kelantan ♬ original sound – XTRA

The Kota Lama Question

The convoy does not merely pass through Kota Lama — it starts there.

Dr Hafidzah Mustakim, the Amanah assemblywoman for Kota Lama and the sole female member of the Kelantan State Assembly, had recently criticised the state government over mat rempit and loitering at the new airport terminal.

Her presence in the Kelantan State Assembly itself is historically notable — she won the seat in 2023 with a majority of just 202 votes, becoming the first woman ever elected to Kota Lama, which was seen as a significant shift in voter sentiment in the PAS-governed state.

Liyana Marzuki, a lawyer, former Deputy Public Prosecutor and prominent social commentator, alleged that the convoy is an attempt to intimidate and pressure Dr Hafidzah in her own constituency.

“This really looks like they want to intimidate and pressure the one and only female YB in Kelantan,” she wrote, calling it “hate politics and gangster politics.”

Another social media user echoed the sentiment, writing that it was “funny when a YB’s criticism of a social issue is answered with a convoy, as if to intimidate whoever dares to speak up.”

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