The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has decreed that the Defence Ministry should view recent cases of bullying reported at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) seriously.
Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar said bullying should not be allowed to continue as it compromises the students’ well-being and tarnishes the higher learning institution’s reputation.
While it was understandable that harsh training methods were used on cadets to produce military personnel who are mentally and spiritually resilient, the Agong said there has to be a limit.
“This does not mean that it should escalate to bullying, torturing someone until it causes physical injury or even death.
“This is inhumane. I want the Defence Ministry to take this matter seriously as multiple bullying cases have occurred in UPNM,” Sultan Ibrahim said.
The king said the recent cases were not the first at UPNM, noting that a life had been lost to bullying previously.
His Majesty was referring to the death of UPNM cadet Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain seven years ago.
Zulfarhan was scalded using a steam iron 90 times, with burns covering 80 percent of his body, by fellow cadets who suspected him of stealing a laptop.
Six former UPNM cadets were sentenced to death on July 23 this year after the Court of Appeal set aside their previous manslaughter conviction and replaced it with murder.
Malaysiakini recently reported that a 19-year-old UPNM cadet suffered spinal fractures from being stepped on by a fellow third-year cadet at the university.
The assault occurred on Oct 21 but was only reported to the police on Nov 8.
A week after the assault, another cadet, aged 20, was reportedly scalded on his chest with a steaming iron. – Malaysiakini