COMMUNICATIONS and Multimedia Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said today the criticism and mocking of a teacher’s science lesson in English on educational television channel DidikTV recently is cyber-bullying.

He said people should take into account that the teacher was not a professional actor and may never have undergone training before the recording was made.

“She should not be criticised for doing her job as an educator. I also think that the Education Ministry should not be treated like that because this is a new thing and of course there are weaknesses here and there.

“These weaknesses need to be addressed to ensure its content will be improved from time to time,” he told a press conference after handing over donations to the Parent-Teacher Association of schools in Indera Mahkota today.

Saifuddin said his ministry was ready to offer assistance to the Education Ministry in the preparation of DidikTV content, as the National Film Development Corporation had expertise in filming.

Saifuddin also reiterated his ministry’s stance that specific anti-cyber-bullying legislation should be introduced to address the problem, as the act can cause its victims to face problems such as depression or worse, suicidal.

“We do not know the exact number of cyber-bullying victims because they don’t report – either because they don’t know they can or they think there is no action that can be taken if they make a report. We cannot blame them for that.

“We have laws like the Communications and Multimedia Commission Act and the Penal Code, but in relation to cyber-bullying, a study by the ministry and Multimedia University found that more than 80% of legal practitioners think we need specific law for cyber-bullying,” he said.

In this regard, the Indera Mahkota MP said the ministry is preparing a cabinet paper to get a policy decision and has started the initial draft of the anti-cyber-bullying bill so it can be expedited once Parliament begins its sitting. – Bernama, February 20, 2021.