Kota Kinabalu: Assistant Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Fairuz Renddan hopes the relevant authorities and schools take firm action and not protect bullies in schools.
“If there is a bullying victim, then clearly, there is a bully. This matter must be dealt with seriously and the perpetrator must be given a stern lesson. Those in charge must act promptly to resolve it.
“It is unacceptable to shield the identity of an immoral bully simply because he or she is also a student.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});“If today they bully their schoolmates, what will they become tomorrow when they leave school and enter society? Who will they bully then? These are the seeds of criminal behaviour that can ultimately damage the harmony of our communities,” he said, in a statement Friday.
Fairuz said the recurring incidents of bullying are like a thorn in the flesh and must be stopped for the safety and wellbeing of students.
“We send our children to school to learn, to gain knowledge, to make friends and to work hard towards becoming valuable members of society.
“What is the point if these efforts are undermined by the presence of harmful individuals like bullies, while the authorities and schools remain silent, protect them and allow victims and their families to suffer in silence due to this grave injustice?
He was apparently referring to the teenage girl who attempted to jump into the Sungai Padas last Sunday, believed due to bullying.
On the case went viral on social media involving a Form One female student from SMA Tun Datu Mustafa Limauan in Papar, who fell to her death from the third floor of the school building last Wednesday, he said:
“As a father myself, I am heartbroken by such tragedies. I think of my own children in school.”
The victim was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital but was pronounced dead on Thursday night.
“We raise our children with utmost care, never imagining that they might die because of something so senseless and unthinkable,” he said, and expressed his condolences.
“I sincerely hope that justice will prevail. Do not protect bullies. Do not allow the culture of bullying to persist in our schools. Put an end to this once and for all...take firm and decisive action,” said Fairuz.