KUALA LUMPUR: Vocalist of rock group Spider, Tam, 51, whose son was a victim of bullying at a boarding school here, is disappointed with the school for not removing the six bullies involved from the boarding school despite having agreed to do so during a meeting with parents last Saturday.
Tam, whose real name is Rustam Mustafah, when contacted said that yesterday the school made a 'u-turn' when they allowed the bullies to return and stay in the dormitory warden's room.
"The reason given was that they will sit for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exam. This reason has nothing to do with anything. They can just study at home. This issue has no end. If this is the way the school works, just shut it down.
"This always happens to us. It's time to act. That day at the meeting, one of the families said 'don't tell me you want to wait for our son to become a corpse corpse before you do something?'," he told Harian Metro.
According to him, although the Minister of Education Fadhlina Sidek and the police have talked about the problem at the school, but the school still has not found a solution.
Tam added that he believed the families of the bullys themselves did not know that their children had problems at school.
"They were surprised when the children were removed from the dormitory. I saw that the school had a problem with that and tried to hide the truth before. In fact, some teachers advised students who were victims of bullying not to tell their families about it.
Tam said that it would be a small matter if they broke his son's guitar or stole shoes because it did not involve getting physical or hitting.
"But if you hit until there are victims who have deaf ears and even worse trauma, that's not good at all. It's worse if our children lose their lives, can their lives be replaced?
"My son and (actor) Khir Rahman's son are not as bad as other people's children. Since Khir and I are celebrities, we indirectly represent the other victims because they are our children's friends.
"Even though I was initially reluctant to step forward, I don't mind if my name is mentioned for the sake of the children's safety. Believe me, this is a serious matter," he said.
Tam believes that these six bullies will take revenge when their actions are reported to various parties.
"Don't just simply target the Form Five students and understand that they are young boys who are acting emotionally. But the school also has to play a crucial role.
"I was supposed to send my child to the dormitory today but I didn't do so with the latest developments. I feel unsafe. I hope certain parties open their eyes to this matter," he said.
Tam has decided to do this until the meeting between parents and the school happens on Oct 14.