Nowadays, few are willing to let bullying cases slip by unnoticed, more so when they demand accountability. And it seems some MCKK students (Malay College Kuala Kangsar) are the latest target.
On 3rd November, a netizen broadcasted a bullying case involving her brother at MCKK. Reportedly, he had sustained serious injuries after a group of older boys attacked him. The case has since sparked outrage, especially after the sister claimed the residential school had taken little to no actions against the bullies.
According to the sister, who shared her side of the story on Instagram, the mess had started on 24th September around 3am when the school called her family, asking for permission to send her brother to the hospital. Their concerns grew when a doctor later contacted them, claiming the injury was serious and required the boy to be transferred to Taiping Hospital.
However, the netizen’s brother notably refused to tell the doctors what had happened. “My brother said he had fell and slipped in the toilet, but the doctors weren’t having it. Due to his serious injury, the doctor urged the school to make a police report,” she stated. “The school never did make the police report. Subsequently, it was the hospital that made the police report.”
They later discovered that the form 4 students, including her brother, had been summoned by a group of 17-year-olds. One of them subsequently tackled her brother, supposedly “during the commotion”. The senior’s shoulder blade had made direct impact with her brother’s private parts, leaving him badly injured. They also allegedly continued to beat him while he was down.
Initially, it seemed the school would take the incident seriously, as they held a meeting claiming they had a “you touch, you go” policy. Yet, the family was left aghast when the school decided to ask the parents of the bullies for suitable punishments, which included suggestions such as counselling, community service, monetary compensations, and a public apology.
Notably enough, the school also allegedly delayed announcing the punishment, claiming the perpetrators had lawyered up. After two weeks of silence, the family finally reached out to the school for an update. The headmaster later informed them that the decided upon punishment was: “2-3 strokes of the cane on a covered area” and “community service“.
The headmaster also supposedly justified their decision, claiming it was based on “a spirit of forgiveness and to nurture harmony“. The decision left the family appalled. “As you read this, my brother is in school with these perpetrators emboldened because yet again, they got away scot free,” the sister stated. “More than obtaining justice, we fear for his safety.”
While her story started an outcry among netizens, others wondered if the brother had done something to trigger the attack, even going as far as to urge the family to take it to court. “We’ll see if (you) can win against MCKK cronies,” the comment read.
An anonymous netizen also later stepped forward to claim the brother had burned a prefect’s shoes and glued a prefect’s laptop shut after being punished for vaping. “What transpired after, I would term as revenge rather than bully by the aggrieved prefect which involved a rugby tackle that injured the so-called bullied in the groin area,” the statement read.
They also claimed the boy’s injury was not serious, as confirmed by the police, and that he had been released on the same day. However, shortly after the sister responded to the claim, the netizen allegedly deleted the tweet.
MCKK students have since reportedly been suffering the brunt of the exposé. According to MCKK’s PTA (Parent-Teacher Association), MCKK students were “scolded and chased away from restaurants in Kuala Kangsar while being labelled as bullies”. Students have since been advised to file a police report if they experience any form of harassment.
The PTA also decried the family’s decision to publicise the issue, claiming such actions negatively impacted MCKK’s image. “This is inconsiderate and selfish,” their statement reportedly read. “We hope this will serve as a lesson so that parents will not interfere and respect the decisions made by the school.”
Most netizens have been siding with the family, demanding justice for the bullying case. Yet, others are adamant there is more to the story with some believing the boy brought it on himself. A few have also claimed they should not judge the case until they have all the facts.
Well, it certainly seems to be a tough case. However, we hope the young boy will heal soon and that justice will be meted out where necessary.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CzLCZMeh5sR/?hl=en&img_index=6
Sources: Instagram, Twitter (1)(2), Free Malaysia Today
