06/12/2025

SATURDAY | DEC 6, 2025

18

Living under the weight of ‘nothing’ N OTHING. That’s the word stuck in my throat this whole week – heavy, stubborn and refusing to budge no matter lunch boxes, meetings and more bills. Life has become one long checklist. The rhythm is still there but the music is gone. How do you answer that without breaking something tender inside yourself?

Moderation the best way forward WE do not need to look far to see the rising tide of hatred, discontent and rude remarks – from netizens to everyday people. I’m not making a blanket statement but it would be naive to pretend everything is fine. There seems to be a decline in basic manners, morals and even moderation. I see it every day, like a broken record stuck on repeat. This is not the Malaysia we once knew and it is certainly not the Malaysia we want to become. I have always been an advocate of free speech. However, platforms should not be misused, abused or stretched beyond reason in the name of “vocal freedom”. Lately, things seem to be slipping out of control. Social media has become a prime example, a place where rotten apples thrive behind the safety of anonymity, plying their trade without consequence. I have always championed moderation, in words and actions, and I urge everyone to practise it to the best of our abilities. Inevitably, there will be groups whose only aim is to provoke and divide. My simple advice is this: do not give them your attention. Malaysians should choose the demure approach and not allow tempers to flare. It is my hope that moderation, manners and decorum take centre stage in our everyday life. We are, after all, a Malaysian family, who will always be there for one another. Yeap Ming Liong Selangor HashiniKavishtri Kannan is the assistant news editor at theSun. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com a flaw. “Nothing” is your spirit whispering, “Enough, please”. Nothing is the body’s way of asking for mercy. Nothing is a pause you didn’t choose but desperately need. Nothing is the truth rising to the surface, a reminder that you were never meant to carry everything alone. We are so used to performing that we forget this: Even a tired heart deserves rest, even a cracked soul deserves gentleness and even a weary Malaysian deserves softness in a country that keeps demanding hardness. So this week, instead of pretending to have something profound, I’m giving you my nothing – raw, unfiltered, trembling. And maybe, if I’m lucky, it mirrors something silent inside you too. If all you have left is nothing, then let that be your beginning. Let nothing be the quiet, painful room where you finally put everything down. Let nothing be the moment you breathe again. Because even nothing can bloom, even nothing can soften and even nothing can grow into hope – if we dare to rest long enough to feel human again. And if today all you can say is “I’m tired but I’m still here”, then that alone is enough.

“If all you have left is nothing, then let that be your beginning. Let nothing be the quiet, painful room where you finally put everything down. Let nothing be the moment you breathe again.

My daughter – sweet, sensitive, navigating a world that doesn’t always know how to hold her – looks at me with a trust that says I can protect her. I want to and try to . But some nights, I lie awake wondering if love is enough in a country that still hasn’t learned how to welcome children who don’t fit its rigid mould. And in between all this, there is work, expectations, roles and the endless performance of being “fine”. We Malaysians are experts at pushing through pain. We apologise when other people bump into us. We say “never mind” even when our hearts are breaking. We swallow our struggles like bitter pills because we were raised to believe vulnerability is an inconvenience. And so, “nothing” emerges – the emotional shutdown, the numbness, the quiet collapse. I know many of you reading this feel it too. Maybe you’re sitting in your car staring out at the rain, wondering why life feels so heavy. Maybe you’re scrolling in the dark after putting the kids to bed, your heart beating too loudly in your chest. Maybe you’re in the office where everyone looks alive but feels half-dead inside. Maybe you, too, have nothing left. So here is something you may need to hear: “Nothing” is not weakness, “nothing” is not failure, “nothing” is not

Malaysians don’t talk about this part; we talk about prices, about policies, about politicians who behave like performers. But we don’t talk about the emotional cost of surviving all this; the cost of pretending we are coping when our hearts are cracking; the cost of smiling so people don’t worry, the cost of carrying families, finances, futures – all while trying not to fall apart. Maybe “nothing” is the most Malaysian feeling right now – the nothing that comes from constant worry, the nothing that comes from holding back tears for the sake of the children, the nothing that comes from working so hard and still feeling inadequate – the nothing that sits in your chest like a borrowed grief you can’t name. Let me say the part we rarely admit: There are days when I look at my children and feel a fear I can’t articulate. A fear of being inadequate. A fear of the world swallowing them before they can even learn how to swim. My son – tall, curious, almost a young man – asks me questions I don’t quite know how to answer. “Why is life so stressful for adults?” he asked recently. P O I N T A V I S H T R I

Bullying – whether physical, verbal, psychological or online – has caused immense harm to children, teenagers, adults and even vulnerable employees. It is timely that Malaysia introduces a comprehensive legal framework to tackle this growing problem. The bill’s recognition of bullying as a serious societal issue is an important milestone. By clearly defining bullying behaviour and outlining preventive, punitive and rehabilitative measures, the government is sending a strong message that aggression, intimidation and harassment have no place in a civil society. However, as we welcome this bill, several constructive improvements can further strengthen its effectiveness: Clear and practical definitions While the bill defines bullying, further clarity on categories – physical, emotional, cyberbullying, group bullying and abuse of authority – will help enforcement bodies, schools, institutions and employers interpret the law consistently. Stronger protection for victims The bill should emphasise victim support, including: 0 access to counselling and mental health services; 0 quick reporting channels that protect anonymity; and 0 protection from retaliation after reporting. Victims often remain silent due to fear. The law must ensure they feel how hard I try. When people ask what I’m writing about, I whisper the same brave little lie: “Working on it”. But the truth is, I’m not working on anything. Sometimes the truth is simpler: I have nothing. And maybe this is the most honest thing I have written all year. It’s December, and it is the usual kind in Malaysia – the rain that refuses to quit, the roads that flood without warning and the sky that hangs low and bruised. Everywhere I go, people look tired though most won’t admit. It’s the kind of exhaustion you can’t sleep off – the kind that settles behind your eyes and stays. Maybe that is why I have nothing to say because nothing does not only mean emptiness; sometimes it means overflow – the soul carrying too much for too long until it shuts itself down in self-defence. I’m supposed to be insightful. I’m supposed to watch the world and transform it into meaning. But lately, everything feels blurred. The days bleed into one another – deadlines, traffic, bills, groceries, school runs, therapies, P O T T U B Y H A S H

N

O

I

N

I

K

LETTERS letters@thesundaily.com

Legally protecting children from bullying I WELCOME the passage of the Anti Bullying Bill 2025 in Parliament, a long-awaited step towards creating safer schools, workplaces, institutions of learning and public spaces.

By clearly defining bullying behaviour and outlining preventive, punitive and rehabilitative measures, the government is sending a strong message that aggression, intimidation and harassment have no place in a civil society. – AI IMAGE GENERATED BY AZURA ABAS/THESUN

Tackling cyberbullying With bullying now moving online, the bill should: 0 strengthen collaboration with social media platforms; 0 provide procedures for quick removal of harmful content; and 0 ensure stiff penalties for severe online harassment. Education and awareness Legislation alone cannot solve the problem. The bill should require: 0 nationwide awareness programmes; 0 anti-bullying modules in schools; 0 training for teachers, wardens, counsellors and employers; and 0 campaigns that promote kindness, empathy and conflict resolution. A cultural shift is needed to reject

violence and normalised harassment. The Anti-Bullying Bill 2025 is a positive and decisive move towards building a safer, more compassionate Malaysia. With refinements focused on victim protection, institutional accountability, cyberbullying control and education, this law can become a powerful tool to curb the culture of bullying that has harmed far too many in our society. I urge all MPs to study the bill thoroughly, listen to the voices of victims and stakeholders, and strengthen it further so that it truly protects every Malaysian, especially our children and young people, from the scourge of bullying. Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye Kuala Lumpur

safe coming forward. Mandatory

reporting

and

accountability Schools, higher-learning institutions and workplaces should have mandatory protocols to investigate, document and act upon bullying cases. Clear accountability is needed so that institutions do not ignore complaints or attempt to “cover up” incidents. Rehabilitation for bullies An effective anti-bullying framework must also include rehabilitation programmes for offenders, especially minors. Early intervention can prevent them from becoming future perpetrators of violence or other crimes.