KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said says that the Anti-Bullying Tribunal Bill will be presented to the Cabinet on Friday (Oct 24).
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) said the Bill, which is almost complete, aims to establish a civil tribunal to handle bullying cases more efficiently, particularly those involving minors.
She said the tribunal would not replace existing disciplinary systems under ministries or agencies such as the Education Ministry, Mara and the Defence Ministry.
“The tribunal will come in at the second stage — for example, if there is an appeal or dissatisfaction. Each institution will continue to use its own system for handling bullying and disciplinary matters,” she said.
She told reporters this after attending the Town Hall Tribunal Antibuli: #GenerasiTanpaBuli (Siri Sabah) session here on Thursday (Oct 23).
Azalina said the proposal for the tribunal was first presented to the Cabinet on Aug 22, when the government agreed to form a special committee on bullying to coordinate strategies across ministries and agencies.
She said the tribunal will complement recent legal reforms, including amendments to the Penal Code (Sections 507A to 507G) and the Online Safety Act 2025, aimed at curbing bullying and harassment both offline and online.
Azalina said the tribunal would focus solely on civil cases, while those involving criminal elements would continue to be handled by the police and courts.
She added that the tribunal aims to resolve cases within 60 to 90 days, modelled after the Sexual Harassment Tribunal under the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.
“The current court process can take up to seven or nine years for a civil claim, but through the tribunal, we hope to shorten that to under three months,” she said.
She said her ministry had gathered feedback from educators, NGOs and parents through nationwide engagement sessions to help refine the policy paper being submitted to the Cabinet.
“The response has been positive. Once the policy is approved, the Bill will proceed to Parliament for tabling,” she said.
Azalina added that the proposed law takes a rehabilitative rather than punitive approach, consistent with the Child Act 2001, to protect children’s confidentiality and legal rights while ensuring accountability for their actions.
She urged Malaysians to share feedback on the draft Bill through the government’s PetaRI portal https://petari.bheuu.gov.my as part of efforts to gather public input before finalising the legislation.
Azalina, who described bullying as a “serious threat, not a joke,” said the issue demands a whole-of-government and community approach to ensure that victims’ voices are heard and future generations grow up in a culture free of fear and intimidation.
