The video was 22 seconds long. It went viral before the man in it knew anyone was watching.
On March 29, 2025, at Taman Satria, Senawang near Seremban, a 35-year-old soldier named Abdul Hafis Abu Bakar approached a 28-year-old woman, Syairah Md Sharom, who was in her car, punched her in the head twice, and on April 7, 2025 appeared in the Seremban Magistrate's Court pleading not guilty to one charge under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt. The incident occurred after Syairah's car allegedly could not avoid hitting the soldier's wife and daughter, who had crossed the road. Bail was set at RM2,000. The charge, if convicted, carries a maximum sentence of one year's imprisonment, a fine of up to RM2,000, or both.
This story was followed months later by a more serious case. In late March 2026, an army corporal allegedly assaulted seven recruits at the 25th Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment camp in Bentong, Pahang, leaving 24-year-old Private Muhammad Amirul Raziq on life support in hospital with brain damage. The assault allegedly stemmed from the corporal's dissatisfaction over weapon store cleaning duties. Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin vowed firm action, with a board of inquiry convened at army level alongside the police investigation.
Two separate incidents. Two different contexts. But both share the same core question: what is the relationship between a uniform and restraint?
The Malaysian public expects significantly more from those in uniform than from civilians in the same situation. Not because soldiers and officers are superhuman, but because the entire premise of their service is discipline, judgement under pressure, and the protection of civilians, not harm to them. The Senawang incident involved a civilian at the roadside. The Bentong case involved fellow soldiers under a superior's command.
(The above observation is my personal view, grounded in public expectation of uniformed service rather than any formal study.)
In both cases, someone with military rank chose violence when they had other options. And in both cases, the answer from the institutions was appropriately swift: investigate, charge, hold accountable. That matters. Not as performance, but as the consistent application of a standard that says the uniform does not insulate anyone from the consequences of their choices.
My Opinion
Discipline and respect are not just military values. They're what makes a society function. The moment we accept that certain people, because of their role, job title, or uniform, operate above the rules that everyone else is held to, we've already started losing something important. These cases are being handled through the proper channels. That's how it should work. And the public visibility that comes from viral videos and press coverage is, in this context, actually doing exactly what it should, which is ensuring that "handled quietly" is no longer an option.
Ronny M (ronny76netstuff@gmail.com) 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. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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