By C C Pung
Justice of Peace
READING the reactions and statements of the education authorities over recent ugly incidents of rape and bullying in Malaysian schools, I get a feeling that while they were just superficially reacting to prevailing events and showed no sign of having a handle on broader and deeper levels, rape and bullying weren’t so bad.
How wrong was I!
Bullying incidents in school. Rape cases overall have increased sharply in recent years.
Police figures show most perpetrators and victims were Malays and the highest incidents of rape were recorded in Terenggani, Kelantan and Kedah.
The recent death of 13 year old Zara Qairina due allegedly to bullying brought bullying into the spotlight.
She was a student and boarder at a govt-run religious school in Papar, Sabah.
The suspicious circumstances surrounding her death kicked up a ceaseless round of massive rallies all over Malaysia calling for ‘Justice for Zara’.
An inquest into her death is on-going.
There have been allegations of attempts at cover up because, of the five girls of the same school being charged Zara’s case, at least one is allegedly the grandchild of a man in high office in Sabah.
Post-Zara, officials were talking about introducing anti bullying measures and punishment for perpetrators.
They gave an impression that bullying is a recent phenomenon, and not serious.
But statistics say otherwise.
In the last 20-odd years, bullying involving violence has rosen exponentially, and especially so in fully residential schools.
The last detail shows that these places are govt-run and the students are predominantly if not entirely Malays.
Attempts at playing down the disturbing trends are being exposed by the mass persistent rallies behind Zara’s suspicious death.
When the education ministry’s first response the the recent rape in a school was that the four rapists would be allowed to sit for their SPM exam next month, it exposes its tone deafness and denial of the decaying situation.
Lawyer and activist Siti Kassim highlighted in a recent blog the links between rising rape in the countrt and the majority Malay involvement.
Pundits have predicted that the Zara case could have a bearing on the outcome of the upcoming Sabah elections.
Are voters recognising worsening incompetence and bureaucratic shenanigans?
The GRS-led and fragmented Sabah govt is up against a resurgent Shafie Apdal-led challenge under Parti Warisan.
There is also growing sentiments for Sabah-based parties to helm state affairs.
That translates to an outright call to reject the likes of PKR and Pakatan Harapan led by PMX Anwar Ibrahim.
Editor: The views expressed here are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the talantang.com
