KUALA LUMPUR: The frustrated mother of a Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) student involved in a bully case, which is still under police investigation, expressed unhappiness over the delayed outcome of the probe.
The woman expressed concerns saying it has been three weeks since her family received any updates on the case. She is worried that the case may have faced a stumbling block.
Expressing her distress over the lack of updates, the woman who has been refered to only as 'Puan F' said her family has not been told about any new developments by the Education Ministry.
She said former Deputy Education Minister Lim Hui Ying, who has seen since been appointed as Deputy Finance Minister following a cabinet reshuffle on Dec 12, had previously invited her and her family to a meeting.
She said the meeting was supposed to be held at 2pm at the Parliament House on Dec 12, but it had to be postponed to another date which has not been determined.
"I hope they have not forgotten about the case. My son's case is an opportunity to set a precedent that political intervention has no place in our justice system, be it at administrative- or at legal-level."
She said the school's administration and ministry had failed them; and she hoped the police and Attorney-General's Chambers would not fail them in this matter.
"If the new deputy minister is willing to reach out to us, we would be happy to meet with him," she added.
Lawyer and activist Wan Azliana Wan Adnan, who is representing the victim's family, said it was premature to pursue a judicial review against the police or government over their failure to prosecute the bullies.
She said during a previous case with a victim from another school, they waited until the bullies had completed their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia and only then had there been a court charge.
"It's too soon to be filing a judicial review against the police or the government for failing to prosecute the bullies. Perhaps we could give them a chance to sit for their exams first," Wan Azliana said.
When asked about this, the victim's mother said:
"I have no objections to them (the bullies) completing their SPM first. I was just concerned about there being no developments from the A-GC and police.
"When I asked the police, they had indicated that the case was forwarded to the A-GC after the submission of the medical report. They are awaiting a decision from the A-GC," the mother told the New Straits Times.
Meanwhile, Azliana said had given a presentation in front of Malaysian Women's Aspiration Organisation (Aswa) representatives and 10 PKR members of parliament on the topic of bullying among school students last month
She said the briefing, which was arranged by Balik Pulau MP Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik garnered positive feedback.
"They were eager to know about an update on the MCKK bully case, but I could not since the case is still under investigation.
"I think we need to do a follow up. There was good feedback from the briefing, and they fully agree that bullying in schools is no longer a disciplinary issue. It is a crime," said the lawyer.
Kuala Kangsar district police chief Assistant Commissioner Omar Bakhtiar Yaacob had said that police came across viral messages relating to the incident on Nov 4 after it was posted on Instagram.
Police had said the bullying took place on Sept 24 at about 10.05pm. In the incident, the victim- a form four student- was allegedly beaten up by a form five student.
The victim was then taken to the Kuala Kangsar Hospital by the school for further treatment. Further checks showed normal physical findings and the victim did not suffer any serious injuries.
Police had said the bullying took place on Sept 24 at about 10.05pm. In the incident, the victims were allegedly beaten up by a group of form five students.