Condolences To The Family Of The Cyberbullied Suicide Victim

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MP SPEAKS | My deepest condolences go to the family of the 20-year-old woman from Bukit Mertajam, Penang, who tragically, took her own life after being bullied on the internet and social media by a cybertrooper
Matters might have been different if she had spoken out about her problems to anyone she trusted or who would listen to her
She kept what she was going through to herself and no one noticed the changes in her mental state and behaviour. Instead of seeking help, the woman took her own life
It is believed that she committed suicide as a result of depression brought about by a Facebook posting related to a Tik-Tok video she made with a foreigner. The fake Facebook account under the name of Jocker Oruvan had incessantly mocked and criticised her Tik Tok video
The hurtful comments generated from that video were too much to bear for the woman and she made that fateful decision to end her anguish, by ending her own life
If the allegation that she took her own life because of the hurtful and hateful comments she received on her Tik Tok video is true, the person who created the fake Facebook account under the name of Jocker Oruvan to troll her posting should be located and be made accountable and responsible for the bullying that resulted in the suicide of such a young person
We have not learned our lessons from past incidents, for many such cases of cyberbullying have occurred around the world
Recently, one Malaysian YouTuber, Pavitra Sugu, was severely criticised for her YouTube videos. Some viewers scolded her for revealing the ingredients of traditional Indian dishes and for conducting her cooking demonstrations in the national language, Bahasa Melayu rather than in her native Tamil. Hateful comments were levelled at her
Luckily for Pavitra though, she revealed the attacks on her Facebook account and Netizens came out in full force, throwing their support behind her and encouraging her to continue her cooking demonstrations and bringing not only to her fellow Malaysians but also to an international audience, the techniques of cooking scrumptious South Indian cuisines
Her followers have also published their videos on YouTube over their attempts at cooking Indian dishes according to her recipes
And to her great surprise, Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin sent Pavitra a personal note of encouragement and congratulations
Rather unfortunately, the young woman in Bukit Mertajam kept the hateful comments to herself, until she could not bear them any longer and she made the tragic decision of taking her own life
It is time that our country makes a serious attempt at providing counselling for troubled youths. Apart from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like the Befrienders, counselling must be made available at schools, colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher learning
The government must have the political will to put in place a structure that makes available and accessible the services of trained counsellors for people from all walks of life
This is a necessity because cyberbullying is a real phenomenon that youths are exposed to in this age of the internet and the proliferation of social media
Another lesson that we need to learn from here is to never share unverified information, unauthorised Facebook statements, or any kind of material from the internet without first verifying the accuracy and authenticity of the source
The Internet is a powerful medium, so please be a responsible human being when using it
P PRABAKARAN is the Member of Parliament for Batu and PKR Federal Territories Youth chief. - Mkini

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