IPOH, Oct 4 — The government will allow due process to take its course following a civil suit filed by the family of a 16-year-old girl who was killed in a stabbing incident at a school in Bandar Utama last year, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran said today.
The New Straits Times reported that Kulasegaran said he would not comment further on the legal action as the matter involved the Ministry of Education and he did not have full details of the case.
“I don’t want to jump the gun. The actions by the government and the police will follow the normal process unless something unusual happens,” he told reporters after launching the Madani Kita Programme with the Buntong Community 2026 at the Kampung Tersusun Multipurpose Hall in Buntong here.
The civil suit was filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on October 1 by the mother and sister of Yap Shing Xuen, who was killed in the incident. According to a statement by Yap’s mother, the suit names several government agencies, the parents of the boy responsible for the fatal attack, and the boy himself as defendants.
The family said they believed the teenager’s death could have been prevented had appropriate measures been taken, particularly in addressing mental health issues among students.
Asked whether existing laws should be strengthened to include mental health provisions, Kulasegaran said the government was not currently drafting any new legislation on the matter. Instead, discussions were ongoing with relevant agencies and non-governmental organisations.
He also stressed the importance of helping parents better understand their children’s needs, including mental health concerns. Kulasegaran said he had recently met more than 1,000 parents during a programme in Serdang aimed at equipping them with skills to better support their children.
“The programme is conducted over 10 weeks, with three-hour sessions every weekend, to guide parents in understanding the needs of their children,” he said.
Kulasegaran noted that approaches to disciplining children had evolved over time, adding that mental health issues should be addressed more proactively. He said support should be extended to those affected, noting that mental health challenges also impacted a segment of the civil service.
“Action should be taken to help them,” he said.
