Recently, our king decreed a nationwide anti-bullying campaign to curb the growing problem of bullying in our nation. This is great news, considering the way this problem of bullying is escalating and affecting our nation in a very worrisome way.
We have seen and heard of bullying in various forms. Some of us too have suffered the consequences, be it in the family, in our schools, colleges or universities, work places or within the communities we live in. When I read of how this problem has infected our nation, I asked myself, “Why do people resort to bullying?”
Bullying comes in various forms, shapes and sizes. It exists on a spectrum. It is often a repeated and hostile behaviour towards those who are younger, smaller in size than they are, those who work as subordinates or those who belong to the minority groups. So, what comes to my mind? Sibling bullying in families, classmates bullying another classmate, bullying in colleges, as well as in universities or hospitals.
Bullies like to use insults and threats to intimidate their targets. They often spread rumours and lies. This leads to an intentional exclusion of the person in the class or place of work. I feel that a more subtle form of bullying also exists in the working world – some people are purposely deprived of their benefits or shortchanged just because a superior feels that “You don’t need them”. And today, with the advancement of technology, cyber bullying is an increasingly common problem among young people.
To me, bullies are cowards who suffer from insecurity. They feel insecure when another person is more popular or more capable. So, they resort to all kinds of ways to humiliate or ruin that person’s reputation or self-worth. Bullying is also a result of someone who is trapped in the feeling of being powerless. So, when they succeed in bullying someone, they have a moment of joy, whereby they feel powerful. It is often a learned behaviour. Kids watch how the adults bully one another and they follow, thinking that is the way to resolve a conflict or a problem. Adults members of groups see how their leaders bully in words and deeds and they simply imitate .
Truly, we need to nip this problem before it gets out of control. Too many have suffered and paid the price unnecessarily. We need to relearn and unlearn. May this anti bullying campaign effectively re-shape our people and nation. Let us build Malaysia through respect, truth, justice and righteousness.
In Malaysia, there are helplines like Befrienders KL, Talian Kasih 15999 Hotline or MIASA Crisis Helpline available if you need to talk to someone.
God bless our king! God bless Malaysia!
August 2025
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Mei Wong (mwrejoice@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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