A DEVIL-MAY-CARE attitude means showing a reckless, carefree or cheerful disregard for consequences, danger or rules.
That idiom would quite accurately describe the actions of a few Taoist residents who were caught on camera sparking a fire when performing open worship amid lots of dry shrubbery involving lighting of candles and burning of both joss sticks as well as joss papers.
This act of extreme inconsideration, never mind potential arson, supposedly took place in the vicinity of Sierra 16 Puchong in Selangor.
This news of flames flickering too close to homes was widely shared on social media. One such example was the post on Threads by durian entrepreneur StephenChowSC (@the_durian_guy) who highlighted this act of extreme inconsideration by asking “whose neighbour? 😆”
View on Threads
The post has garnered d 2.9K likes, 329 comments, 666 re-posts and 1K shares at the time of writing, an indication that this incident was catching fire online.
Apply common-sense before burning
Aside from the lack of civic consciousness, many commenters, including their own Chinese brethren, were swift to condemn the perpetrators’ lack of gray matter for lighting flames in such an area.
Even though the comment was in Chinese, the use of an explicit word made it clear to all and sundry what one contemptuous observer thought of their actions.
In fact, an unimpressed netizen hit out that these fire starters should be punished heavily for “wasting the bomba’s (fire brigade) time”.
One medical practitioner Dr Chok Jun Hoong professed shame at what he succinctly described as “top notch Ah Beng behaviour”.
He further enlightened a Malay netizen who was unclear on the description by calling them “Chinese samseng (thugs) or the Chinese version of Mat Rempit (illegal street racers).
The lack of common sense and civic consciousness was also explained as a generational issue with one traditionalist remarking that today’s youngsters perform the rites to ask for favours, not to respect the souls of ancestors.
This practitioner of Hungry Ghost rituals also pointed to the number of videos uploaded by Malay netizens that show worshippers blatantly disregarding safety issues by burning offerings by the roadside or in common areas such as basketball courts, thus risking potential fire hazards.
Some Malay observers were bemused that these worshippers were not able to use simple common sense when performing their prayer rituals, most notably could they not at least put the flammable materials in containers rather than burning it on the ground.
Another simply asked why was anyone conducting open burning at a timr when the country is already choking on haze.
The sense of frustration was compounded by a netizen who complained that the authorities would do nothing.
Claiming that he lodged a report with the Department of Environment (DOE) but the very fact that his complaint was dismissed as mere case of rubbish burning, merely underlines the laissez faire attitude of government departments to such blatant flouting of laws.
The sentiment that the law was unevenly applied was also rife with more than one commenter making pointed remarks that the Chinese seem to get away with everything, unlike the Malays who would be punished for the slightest of offences.
One law-abiding citizen underlined the relevant statute that could be used to prosecute these alleged fire starters – Section 29A of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 (Amended 2024).
Apparently, offenders of open burning that leads to air pollution and forest fires can be subject to minimum fine of RM25,000 up to a maximum RM1 mil or an imprisonment for up to five years or both.
With the clear video evidence of open urning in the vicinity of the fire, it was asked why no action from the authorities yet? “Were they just going to stand by and just look?”
One bemused commenter surmised that given it is a ritual to feed hungry ghosts, please engage your brain before starting a fire that could easily become huge and uncontrollable.
An image of the raging fire from the commenter’s sibling’s residence underlined the potential for tragedy such carelessness could give rise to.
It is hoped that all Malaysians be more civic conscious and not let a tradition of respect for ancestors descend into 3R (race, religion and royalty) polemic.
“Freedom to worship” does not equate to “freedom to cause arson/nuisance”. – Sept 21, 2026
