10 May 2021

Press statement by MCA Youth Spokesperson Jacob Lee Yee Yuan


Rape-joking teacher: Education Ministry must reveal investigation report to public pronto & action to be taken


Public outrage continues to fester following news reports that the School had issued a warning letter of expulsion to SPM student Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam citing her being absent from school for three-days consecutively.

The upsetting thing about this entire incident on exposing a teacher who jests about rape is the manner in which the police, Ministry of Education (MOE) and the school authorities have dragged their feet. They have yet to clarify the issue appropriately with transparency. Such apathy and nonchalance can result with female students feeling insecure about our education system as they attend classes with anxieties about their personal safety at school. This would indeed be detrimental against our Malaysian education system.

MCA Youth reiterates our position:
1)        MoE must announce the results of any investigations, and provide regular updates on the progress of investigations to restore public confidence in education authorities;

2)        MoE must ensure that school cannot deploy any methods to pressure Ain, but instead, take protective measures to protect Ain;

3)        Execute the appropriate disciplinary action on the perpetrators found guilty must;

4)        MCA Youth stands ready to provide legal aid, and defend the rights and interests of all female and male students who have been the target of sexual harassment, and school bullying.

As two weeks have gone by, this matter has attracted the attention from all walks of life and many parents. MCA Youth looks forward to an immediate response from MoE. Unfortunately, the responses shown by the relevant authorities, especially MoE are a mere “under investigations, investigations, and investigations.” With expectations let down, disappointments abound.

The relevant authorities cannot avoid this issue any longer nor ignore the pressures exerted by the school against Ain. Abhorrence permeates when online news reports that the principal’s Facebook posting had purportedly labelled Ain as “hypocrite”, “anak setan.”

Even worse, the Facebook posting also allegedly included, “Ajarlah anak kurang ajar”. This is akin to a call to vigilantism against an underaged teenager who was doing the right thing. It is a failure of leadership by the principal and an indictment against the noble teaching profession when school authorities jeopardise a student’s personal security further. 

MCA Youth hopes the government and all the relevant units will deal with this matter as early as possible with urgency. Serve the public, especially victims of sexual harassment and bullying wholeheartedly. Power comes with responsibilities. The powers-that-be wield an unshirkable responsibility to defend the basic rights and interests of students, in addition to protecting the safety and security of students, failing which, the rakyat’s confidence in the authorities will erode.

Jacob Lee Yee Yuan
MCA Youth Spokesperson

-MCA online-