PETALING JAYA: An activist has called for an Anti-Bullying Act to treat bullying cases as criminal offences instead of disciplinary issues.
Anti-Bullying Act Campaign head Wan Azliana Wan Adnan also called for the senior responsible for pressing a hot iron against the chest of a cadet at the National Defence University (NDU) in Sungai Besi to be prosecuted.
“Failure to take appropriate action is tantamount to negligence and NDU should be held liable if it fails to take adequate measures and provide a safe space for students.
“Institutions are responsible for providing a safe environment and preventing bullying. How could this happen again at the same university, with the same bullying method?
“Did the university take action against those responsible in Zulfarhan’s case? The answer is no.”
She was referring to the 2017 death of cadet Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain after he was tortured by his peers at NDU’s Jebat hostel.
In May this year, the Court of Appeal sentenced six former NDU students to death for his murder.
The High Court tried them for murder but reduced the charge to culpable homicide not amounting to murder in 2021, sentencing them to 18 years’ jail.
DPP K. Mangai appealed the sentence and sought the death penalty as a deterrent against bullying and severe abuse.
She argued that Zulfarhan suffered a cruel form of torture, with 90 scalds covering 80% of his body, and an autopsy confirmed that the wounds were the cause of death.
On July 28, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said “there have been no further incidents since then, meaning that appropriate measures may have been taken by the university”.
Wan Azliana said similar incidents in the past highlight a deeper issue within NDU’s training and education framework.
She said in many cases, bullying becomes an ingrained tradition, especially in hostel environments, and when practices such as hazing are seen as rites of passage or tools to toughen up juniors, the behaviour becomes normalised.
“Bullies may try to assert dominance over juniors to feel a sense of control and show they are in charge. Limited adult or warden oversight allows bullying to go unchecked.
“Without discouragement from the school, alumni or broader society, these practices become culturally accepted and self-perpetuating.”
She said charging bullying as a crime could be a powerful step in addressing such cases as it would push schools and the authorities to act decisively. She also said the proposed Act could provide a clear legal framework to address bullying in educational institutions.
“Institutions should establish confidential systems that allow students to report bullying without repercussions so that they feel safe in sharing their experiences.”
From January to October last year, 4,994 bullying cases were recorded in schools, compared with 3,887 in the same period in 2022.
Wan Azliana said it is disturbing that someone could use something as brutal as a hot iron to harm another, and such actions go beyond bullying as they are cruel acts of physical violence.
“When bullying crosses into criminal behaviour, taking legal action could provide justice for the victims and deter others from engaging in similar actions.”
She said punishing bullies with suspension from school should no longer be on the cards when it is tantamount to assault.
