17/10/2025

FRIDAY | OCT 17, 2025

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Respect must be earned: Youth groups Ű BY QIRANA NABILLA MOHD RASHIDI newsdesk@thesundaily.com PUTRAJAYA: Respect is not handed out like report cards—it has to be earned. That was the blunt message from youth groups, reflecting a generational reality that Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said Malaysia cannot ignore. She added that parent-teacher associations (PTA) have voiced concern about restoring the authority of teachers in schools, stressing that respect for educators must come first if discipline is to mean anything. “If parents do not show respect to teachers, it becomes difficult for them to enforce discipline. “But youth groups told us something equally important. Respect is not automatic, it must be earned,” she said. The contrasting views show how the meaning of respect has evolved with each generation, she added. “It is clear that different generations see respect differently, and that is exactly why we need to keep talking about it,” she told reporters after the Youth Roundtable Conference on Ending the Culture of Bullying and Building a Caring Generation yesterday. Yeoh said the Youth and Sports Ministry is reviewing feedback gathered from the roundtable to identify suitable interventions under the Rakan Muda programme. She added that the ministry would prepare a Cabinet paper containing recommendations for other ministries to consider and collaborate on, as part of a whole-of-government approach to address bullying among youth. “All forms of bullying, whether occurring in schools or outside involving young people, require a whole-of-government approach that engages all agencies and stakeholders. “So, what is important now is that we must move quickly. The memorandum is expected to be presented within three weeks.” Yeoh also said the roundtable served as a platform to hear the views of young people and their families on ways to end the culture of bullying and promote youth wellbeing to build a more caring generation. The programme was attended by 200 participants comprising experts, panel members, senior officers from ministries and departments, academics, NGOs and youth representatives. She added that the findings, contributing factors and recommendations collected would serve as key references for the ministry in formulating youth-related policies and development plans. Yeoh said one of the most interesting proposals raised by NGOs was the importance of establishing a mentoring system involving older youth, such as a “big brother, big sister” approach, as well as introducing professional youth workers. “We need more mentoring systems because they allow other groups to step in and help. Teachers and PTA members have core responsibilities and may not have time to address specific cases. “There are many young people and NGOs who are willing to help, and there is space for them to do so. But all mentoring and volunteer systems must include proper training to prevent untrained individuals from offering unprofessional or inaccurate advice,” she said. She added that scientific findings from the Health Ministry and expert insights should be considered to ensure interventions are informed, professional and effective. Yeoh also said under Budget 2026, the Finance Ministry has approved an allocation of RM5 million for her ministry to implement the Lawan Buli (Anti-Bullying) initiative. She said the ministry’s overall budget for the Rakan Muda programme would see a 60% increase, from RM25 million this year to RM40 million next year, with the Finance Ministry identifying specific programmes for her ministry to prioritise, including anti-bullying efforts.

Yeoh listening to a participant during the roundtable conference yesterday at the Youth and Sports Ministry in Putrajaya. – ADAM AMIR HAMZAH/THESUN

‘Boarding school misconduct case involves statutory rape’

of the Penal Code for gang rape and Section 8 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 for distributing child pornography. In a statement, the Kedah Education Department said the students involved would be expelled, adding that an internal investigation has been launched. “The department views this incident seriously and has taken immediate steps to assist the victim. Her wellbeing remains our top priority,” it said. The case has reignited public concern over sexual misconduct and student safety, coming just weeks after a similar case in Malacca in which four male students were charged with gang-raping a Form Three girl in a classroom in Alor Gajah. Education activists and psychologists say the back-to-back cases are a wake-up call, warning that the problem goes beyond student discipline to a deeper crisis of consent, culture and accountability within schools. They have urged authorities to strengthen safeguards, introduce comprehensive sex education and ensure schools remain safe spaces for learning. scams using fake QR codes to collect donations purportedly on behalf of the family. “Please do not donate through those links. If you truly care, just come here to pay your respects to my daughter,” she said. The victim’s stepfather How Boon Chin, 60, expressed frustration over the wave of misleading posts spreading online. He also questioned the school’s security measures, saying the incident raised serious concerns about safety enforcement. “Phones are not allowed, but somehow a knife could get in. The school must look into this.” Police confirmed that Yap, a Form Three student, was attacked by a 14-year-old schoolmate at 9.30am on Tuesday. The suspect has been remanded for seven days to assist investigations.

o Acts were consensual, but victim is underage and cannot be considered capable of giving consent: Police

Ű BY HASHINI KAVISHTRI KANNAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Adzli said videos retrieved from phones seized during the investigation did not show the sexual acts but contained other immoral material involving the victim. “The case has been classified as statutory rape under Section 376 of the Penal Code,” he said, adding that one of the suspects, aged 17, is the victim’s boyfriend. The suspects, aged between 15 and 17, comprise three students and a former student of the same secondary school. They were arrested on Sunday night after the victim’s father lodged a police report upon discovering a nude video of his daughter circulating on social media. Police also seized six phones for examination. Earlier, Baling acting district police chief DSP Ahmad Salimi Md Ali said the suspects were initially investigated under Section 375B “After stabbing her, the boy ran off, leaving my daughter locked inside. When the teachers broke open the door, she was already gone,” she said. Wong also denied online rumours linking her brother to the suspect. “My brother Wong Yoon Lim accompanied me to claim my daughter’s body. But some websites said he was the father of the suspect. That is not true, and he has lodged a police report. “My daughter is already a victim. Please stop circulating fake stories about how she died. She did not know the boy, had never spoken to him and was not in any relationship with him,”she said, describing her daughter as bright and disciplined. Wong also warned the public about online

PETALING JAYA: Police have confirmed that a recent sexual misconduct case at a Baling boarding school involves statutory rape, not gang rape, following evidence that the 15-year-old victim had separate sexual encounters with the suspects. Kedah police chief Datuk Adzli Abu Shah said investigations revealed that the victim had sexual intercourse with each of the four suspects on different occasions, including in an empty classroom, a oil palm estate and at her home. “The acts were carried out on a consensual basis, but as the victim is underage, she cannot be considered capable of giving consent or understanding the consequences,” he told an English daily yesterday. PETALING JAYA: Grief has turned to anguish for a mother who lost her teenage daughter in a brutal school stabbing, and now faces a wave of false claims spreading online. Wong Lee Ping, mother of 16-year-old Yap Shing Xuen, pleaded for an end to the misinformation surrounding her daughter’s death at SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (4). “Some websites said my daughter was stabbed 50 times. But the truth is she was stabbed 200 times, from the neck to the lungs and also on her legs,” said Wong, 44, yesterday. She said her daughter was attacked in the school washroom. “Police told us that the boy jumped down

Mother of stabbing victim decries false claims from the top of the cubicle because the door was locked. My daughter screamed for help and people heard her. Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com