Heng: Heartfelt sympathies & salute to T. Nhaveen’s mother; Justice must prevail

The anguished tears of the mother of bully and assault victim T. Nhaveen and her heartbreaking pleas to the authorities that the death of her only son be the last person to die in the hands of bullies haunt Wanita MCA.  

Nevertheless, we note that the police have opened up investigation papers for murder into the five youths who allegedly beat up and sodomised Nhaveen to death.

In Nhaveen’s case, there is a need for collective social responsibility. His untimely death at such a tender age when he held a bright future ahead indicates that some of our youth in society are really sick, that they could be so evil, totally bereft of any iota of conscience that they could descend into such heartless and nasty ogres to so-call “man-up” a young man who has been described as a filial son and grandson and well-mannered boy.

School bullying by both boys and girls occurs in both primary and secondary school and majority of cases do not reach the press. This issue as well as gangsterism among students have long been neglected and must be addressed and tackled immediately. Joint efforts from all agencies are necessary.

Besides the law being imposed on the assailants, public education to promote awareness, conscience, kindness, peace, mutual respect and harmony is equally important. In this regard, we welcome the assurance by the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Dato’ Seri Rohani Abdul Karim that her Ministry will incorporate an anti-bullying campaign into the roadshows on the Child Act (Amendment) 2016 and sexual crimes.”

Likewise, Wanita MCA also implores on the authorities be it the Malaysian Communications And Multimedia Commission, Attorney General Chambers or Women’s Ministry to draft legislations against cyber-bullying and harassment as there are reports from overseas of victims who were driven to suicide in such cases.

Society has to cease having stereotyped notions that being a “man” equals to becoming a thug who bullies, and that soft-spoken, slender, pint size, polite males are deemed effeminate.

There needs to be swift intervention by the authorities especially when they are in the know of school bullying befalling. 

The authorities or persons in positions of trust and power must not take the easy way out by levying blame on the victim as to why one has been deliberately taunted, harassed physically or in cybersphere, and beaten to a pulp or left for dead by bullies.

People in authority who are complacent or stand idly by, not doing anything when they are fully aware of bullying occurring, are equally guilty of tacit support of bullying. Even worse, when they start to blame the victim, laugh group bullying off as “children playing and joking” or cajole the victim or the parents to retract reports made against their alleged gang of offenders and transfer their victimised child out of their school into another school.

Datuk Heng Seai Kie
Wanita MCA Chairman
Adviser of Prime Minister Department (National Unity & Integration) 
Deputy President of  the National Council of Women Organisation (NCWO)

-MCA online-