KUALA LUMPUR — The Communications Ministry is open to collaborating with the Youth and Sports Ministry to raise awareness about the pressing issue of cyberbullying, said Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
Speaking as a guest of honour at the Bernama Sports Day event today, Fahmi emphasised the need for ministry officials and enforcement agencies to work together in identifying the elements that cyberbullies exploit.
In recent years, athletes, officials, and even media practitioners have faced online harassment and abusive comments, a trend particularly noticeable during the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics from July to September.
“We certainly need to collaborate on awareness programmes. This is particularly important in schools and at sporting events, where specific elements can be targeted by cyberbullies,” Fahmi told Scoop.
“This is why we must introduce awareness measures. At the same time, the government plans to amend the criminal procedure code and the penal code to clarify what constitutes bullying and cyberbullying.
“Once these amendments are in place – which we hope will happen in the current Parliamentary session – we will need to focus on educating players, supporters, and fans.”
Fahmi added that once the legal definitions are clarified, relevant agencies will be empowered to take decisive action against offenders.
“When laws are breached, the appropriate agencies can take concrete action.”
“I believe these two steps – raising awareness and amending the laws – will help ease tensions and hopefully reduce the types of incidents we’ve witnessed in recent years.”
When asked if he had discussed the matter with Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, Fahmi responded, “Not directly, but generally, when it comes to online safety, we need to address areas with higher incidents of bullying, such as schools.” — October 27, 2024