PUTRAJAYA: The government's special committee on bullying, chaired by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, will convene on Sept 2.

Unity government spokesman Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the committee's primary objective was to streamline Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for handling bullying cases, particularly in light of recent amendments to the Penal Code introducing specific provisions on bullying, which came into effect in July.

"This special committee will bring together various ministries and agencies to coordinate efforts.

"We are aware of the Education Ministry's ongoing review of its SOPs, and Mara's (Majlis Amanah Rakyat) plans to develop similar procedures for Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM).

Featured Videos

"The committee aims to prevent inconsistent measures or guidelines when addressing bullying," he said.

Fahmi added that Azalina's proposal to establish a bullying tribunal would also be discussed at the meeting.

The multi-agency committee will include representatives from the Attorney-General's Chambers and the Communications Ministry, through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), to address issues relating to cyberbullying.

This development follows the case of a group of teenagers who last week became the first to be charged under the new law for allegedly bullying the late Form One student, Zara Qairina Mahathir.

Yesterday, city police chief Commissioner Datuk Fadil Marsus said police were also investigating the deaths of two students from Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) under the newly amended Section 507B of the Penal Code for bullying.