Hattem's family not placing much hope on compensation

ALOR SETAR - The family of drag racer Muhammad Hattem Rashdi is not placing much hope for compensation for the accident that claimed the youngest of five on Monday.

Hattem's sister, Noor Amalia Rashdi, 27, said the organisers visited the family on Tuesday to discuss compensation with their father, Rashdi Othman, 65, before taking their details.

She said their family hopes such an incident will not befall another racer in the future, as happened to the late Hattem.

"Whether there's compensation or not, we will accept the fact that it happened.

"However, we hope such incidents will not occur again to any other racer. Maybe the organisers or any future organisers would thoroughly observe the standard operating procedures of races in the future and improve them," she said when contacted on Wednesday.

Amalia said the family did not blame any party for the incident that took the life of the 22-year-old racer and instead thanked the aid and attention given to him prior to his untimely death.

She said the deceased's employer worked to care for his welfare until his burial at the Kampung Padang Lalang Islamic Cemetery here on Tuesday.

"Many have visited us until today; most were strangers. They knew of Hattem through social media, and some heard the news of the death and visited us. Alhamdulillah, many loved him," she said.

Sinar reported on Tuesday that the Youth and Sports Ministry wanted the organisers of the drag race to take responsibility for the tragic incident that caused the death of the professional drag racer Hattem in Pekan, Pahang, on Sunday.

The ministry's chief secretary, Dr K Nagulendran, said the Malaysia Drag Bike National ET Record Championship 2023 Road Tour 2023 did not receive approval from the Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM).

"The race did not receive MAM's approval. We (the ministry) have done checks. Afterwards, we will hold a discussion and perform further actions with MAM," he said.