KUALA LUMPUR: The Defence Ministry (Mindef) has been instructed to ensure that bullying incidents at the National Defense University of Malaysia (UPNM) will not recur in the future.
Deputy Prime Minister, who is also Umno president, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the bullying incident which took the life of former navy cadet Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain in 2017 should have never happened in the first place.
"Seven years ago, we were shocked by the incident of a navy cadet bullied in UPNM and the incident should have never happened.
"(Datuk Seri) Khaled (Nordin), UPNM is under Mindef, hence, make sure that bullying incidents will never happen in the university again," he said during his winding-up speech at the 2024 Umno General Assembly, today.
In July this year, the Court of Appeal sentenced six former UPNM cadets to death for Zulfarhan's murder seven years ago.
https://www.nst.com.my/news/crime-courts/2024/07/1080373/six-ex-upnm-cad...
A three-member bench unanimously allowed the prosecution's appeal to reinstate a charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code and impose the death penalty. The court set aside the previous 18-year jail sentence.
The six cadets are Muhammad Akmal Zuhairi Azmal, Muhammad Azamuddin Mad Sofi, Muhammad Najib Mohd Razi, Muhammad Afif Najmudin Azahat, Mohamad Shobirin Sabri and Abdoul Hakeem Mohd Ali, who are all now 28 years old.
At the same time, Zahid also called for Umno's wings, Wanita, Youth and Puteri, to play a role in addressing social issues, such as cyberbullying, child negligence, premarital sex and domestic violence.
Such cases, said Zahid, have been tremendously increasing in the country in the last 10 years.
"We have seen a cyberbullying case that led to the death of social media influencer A. Rajeshwary, known as Esha recently.
"There are also increasing road accidents, where 90 per cent of those involved in and died were Malay children, with the mortality rate for those riding motorcycles increasing among children as young as 13.
"Hence, I would like the wings to put more focus on these social issues that have never happened before."
ENDS