Go after real criminals! Schoolboys who lack maturity need counseling & guidance

Noting that the two teenagers held under remand for a TikTok video for a rant about the SPM History paper were released yesterday, MCA Youth is concerned over the hasty and harsh actions of the police in raiding their homes and arresting the duo.

The adolescents had apologised for the video and this indicates remorse.

MCA Youth is concerned that not only had their detention disrupted their studies whilst sitting for major examinations, their interrogation by the investigating officers will leave an indelible trauma on them for life, besides stigmatisation by their schoolmates and other family members.

Were these boys armed robbers, human traffickers, radicalised terrorists, online scammers, contraband smugglers, kidnappers, murderers, etc to warrant such drastic action?

While the Kita Boleh! Harapan GE15 Action Plan had “committed to protecting media freedom and advancing free speech to ensure that justice can be collectively championed” and pledged to “repeal draconian provisions of acts that can be abused to restrict free speech such as the Sedition Act 1948, Communications and Multimedia Act ...”, taking these two youths into custody runs counter the Harapan GE15 Action Plan and smacks of a return to Mahathirism.

Respecting teachers as a noble profession, MCA Youth can’t help but wonder if the teacher who lodged the police report did so under instructions from the school principal, or if that teacher held some form of personal grudge against the schoolboys?

It cannot be disputed that emotions arising from human frailty can overcome reason. Do schools not have SOPs on lodging police reports against students?

What student in the annals of history has never complained about his/her teacher, or exams? If every underaged person or young adult or any experienced working individual or retired senior citizen were to be arrested for expressing dissatisfaction over social media over issues they felt strongly about or were aggrieved at, or sports spectators heckling their opponents, our lockups would be overflowing with such “suspects” being probed under Section 233 of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission Act, as well as under the Minor Offences Act which deals with "insulting behaviour".

A simple browse on the readers’ comments of online news portals, gives indications of whines and even swearing too in response to news reports. How does one draw the line at interpreting “insults”?

Home Minister Dato’ Seri Saifuddin Nasution and Digital Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil need to justify why the authorities had treated the youngsters as hardened criminals in contravention of the Harapan manifesto.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh and Minister of Women, Family and Community Development need to explain if they agree with the actions of the police, the two Acts being used to investigate and what forms of counseling will be given to the two teenagers as well as the related teacher.

Yes, such laws remain necessary to safeguard against incendiary diatribe against race and religion. The authorities will gain confidence if they were to actually act against people, especially public figures who preach intolerance, divisiveness and sow distrust, instead of not revoking their permanent residency.

MCA Youth Spokesperson

Ryan Ho Kwok Xheng