KUALA LUMPUR: Bullying will not be tolerated at any university or educational institution in the country, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
"It (bullying) happens because the culture is being tolerated. This would not happen if the culture is rejected," said the Prime Minister during the Temu Anwar programme at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) in Sungai Besi here on Friday (Nov 1).
Anwar added that those in charge of academic institutions should be responsible to stop bullying culture
"That is a police matter (on recent bullying cases). This is a general advice that can happen at tahfiz school, secondary schools, Chinese vernacular schools and others – this must stop.
"This matter requires the involvement of headmasters, principals and vice-chancellors as well as college heads. They are responsible to end this heinous culture... or else the children will suffer," he said.
In a statement on Oct 30, the Armed Forces said it was investigating a case where a UPNM cadet was allegedly bullied and tortured by a senior.
A video of the incident went viral, showing a student pressing a hot iron against another's chest.
In July 2024, the Court of Appeal reinstated the death penalty for six ex-UPNM students in the fatal bullying case of fellow cadet Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain in 2017.
The panel had earlier allowed an appeal on the sentence by the prosecution and reinstated Section 302 of the Penal Code against the six as they found the trial judge had erred when he reduced the charge.
Justice Hadhariah Syed Ismail, who chaired a three-judge panel, described the crime committed against Zulfarhan, who was branded with a hot iron all over his body including his private parts, as "shocking and rare".
