Do you remember Alain Robert? He was a daredevil Frenchman who once made headlines in Malaysia after a few attempts at climbing Malaysia’s iconic KLCC Twin Towers. The man’s first two attempts in 1997 and 2007 were thwarted by authorities but his third time in 2009 was what he would call “the charm”, when he managed to scale the building bare-handed, without the help of ropes or other types of equipment. He was apprehended after his descent and later fined RM2000 instead of being imprisoned for 2 months, for his dangerous actions.
Early this month, a Russian woman named Angela Nikolau wrote a thread on her Twitter about how she fell in love with Malaysia’s Merdeka 118 Tower and decided to “discover and share the views with others” (Angela Nikolau_Twitter). Although many of her followers were applauding and congratulating her on her success to be on the rooftop and sharing the video of her feat, the way she described how she fooled workers and security in order to get to the top of Merdeka 118 Tower — by wearing hijab so that she would be unnoticeable, getting naked halfway because she was overheated and hiding in a small confined space for long hours to get away from security — was not only insulting to the Merdeka 118 Tower’s security but also degrading to the Malaysian culture. Apparently, she scaled the tower with her boyfriend, Ivan Beerkus.
And today, another video came out on YouTube showing a group of content creators climbing the Merdeka 118 Tower, wearing construction worker clothing so that they would go unnoticed as they trespass into the building. In the video, one of the group members was seen cutting a tarpaulin that was blocking an entrance to get to the higher levels. By the end of the 7min 9sec video, the group was seen reaching the top of the tower in the rain, taking videos while standing near the edge — trying to showcase their bravery, possibly.
These two younger trespassers might not be in the same class as Alain Robert, but one thing remained true: they are trespassers.
Although daredevil tactics and slipping past authority are nothing new to these types of people who claimed that what they were doing was “art”, the act of fooling authorities and then sneaking into a secured building should not be taken lightly. These people knew what they were doing are wrong and going against the law of the country they are in — Nikolau acknowledged it in her Twitter thread and the YouTubers also acknowledged the danger of being caught in their Youtube description — yet, they still do it.
Was it because they think Malaysians are too “easygoing” when it comes to these things? Did they think the Malaysian authorities just couldn’t care less about their transgressions and would not take it up further with their embassies? Shouldn’t we not only fine them but also jail them, and if they are no longer in Malaysia, bar them from coming back into Malaysia in the future, because their actions could be posed a threat to national safety? Would the Ministry of Defence table a new law on such matters?
It is one thing that these people trespass on what belongs to us and share it online for others to see in the name of “art” or “artistic expression of freedom in the name of love”. But, what if there are those with bad intentions that could truly hurt and threaten the safety of innocent and unsuspecting Malaysians? Some things should not be taken lightly. There is an idiom that said: “to shut the stable door after the horse has bolted” would by then be just a little too late.
Aliza M. is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav.
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