HIDING BEHIND FAKE ACCOUNTS
Speaking to reporters after visiting Ms Rajeswary’s funeral on Sunday, Mr Fadzil said that he had spoken to the woman’s family, who claimed that the pressure of being bullied on TikTok had resulted in her death, The Star reported.
“I am angry and upset. We will leave it to the police to investigate. Cyberbullying should not become a culture …” he said, adding that one of the main problems when dealing with the issue is that many of the perpetrators are difficult to identify as they hide behind fake accounts.
“One of the complaints which the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Ministry of Communications have received from the police, is that accounts involved in various abusive activities hide behind fake accounts, making it hard to identify the individuals who made the comments, or were involved in the scams,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
Mr Fahmi noted that the upcoming Jul 12 Cabinet meeting will discuss the issue of cyberbullying on social media platforms.
“We don’t just report what happened, but take action, especially if we need to amend the law and what are the current weaknesses,” he said.
Separately, Mr Fahmi warned that the public – and especially civil servants – should avoid becoming cyberbullies themselves. He added that the Communications Ministry would consider amending the existing laws related to cyberbullying and insisted that those involved in Ms Rajeswary’s case will be brought to justice.
“This matter was relayed to the prime minister … and I have also spoken to Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo and the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said. We have a similar stance on this issue and will meet in a few days,” said Mr Fahmi.
Meanwhile, Segamat Member of Parliament R Yuneswaran has called for stern legal action to be taken against those responsible for the cyberbullying that led to Ms Rajeswary’s death, the New Straits Times reported.
“The Communications and Digital Ministries, as well as relevant authorities, should set a firm precedent by punishing those responsible for bullying Esha.
“The perpetrators of this heinous act must be held accountable. By doing so, we send a clear message to all bullies on social media platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram, that their actions will not be tolerated and will be met with severe consequences,” he said.
Malaysia’s The Sun newspaper reported earlier this year that the MCMC recorded 3,199 complaints related to cyberbullying in 2023. The commission identified Facebook as the primary platform for cyberbullying with 1,401 complaints received, followed by WhatsApp with 667, Instagram with 388, TikTok with 258 and X with 159.
Meanwhile, a United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) report released in 2022 found that Malaysia ranked second in Asia for cyberbullying among youths in 2020.
In 2022, a 44-year-old mother of three in Malaysia reportedly took her own life following bullying on TikTok, according to Sinar Daily,
In 2019, regional media reported that a 16-year-old girl in Sarawak jumped to her death hours after 69 per cent of respondents to her Instagram poll encouraging her to kill herself.
