The bill for an anti-bullying tribunal will be presented to Parliament in December for enforcement next year, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said said today.
The tabling of the Anti-Bullying Tribunal Bill 2025 will follow a nationwide roadshow to gather public feedback, she said.
“We only have space in December, after (the tabling of the national) budget, on the days we table bills.
“So we hope we can get the upper house (and) lower house to pass it. Then, we can enforce it next year,” she said at a press conference in the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister's Department in Putrajaya today.
She, along with Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil and Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, had held the first anti-bullying tribunal town hall at the department this evening.
On Sept 7, Bernama reported Azalina as saying that the bill will be passed in October, ahead of the six-month timeframe she was given by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Discourse on bullying had ignited social media following the tragic death of Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir.
Zara was found injured and unconscious on school grounds on July 16. She succumbed to her injuries in the hospital the next day.
The case is believed to have been linked to months of bullying, with five teenagers being charged with allegedly bullying her.
‘We want to hear more from public’
Commenting further, Azalina said the government already has the bill’s policies in mind.
“But we want to hear more from the public,” she explained.
She added that the focus is on whether the bill should focus on bullies below the age of 18 or if it should be open to bullies of all ages.
During the town hall, deputy director-general (law reform) at the Prime Minister’s Department Legal Affairs Division, Thiyagu Ganesan, said the bill will be child-centred and rights-based.
At the press conference, Fadhlina also touched on the police report she lodged against online accounts connecting her to the principal of Zara’s school, SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha.
“I will announce my plans going forward from time to time,” she said.
She reminded all parties to be careful in sharing or creating posts on social media. - Mkini
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