KUALA LUMPUR: Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil has condemned the bullying and threats directed at a Universiti Malaya (UM) student over views she expressed at a forum with Umno leaders.
Ummi Umairah Bakhit received backlash on social media, including threats against her, when she questioned the call for public donations to help former prime minister Najib Razak pay a court-imposed fine of RM50 million.
Fahmi said that threatening or verbally abusing Ummi, including threatening to seek her out at the university, was unacceptable and should not happen simply because of differences of opinion.
“We can have different views, and that’s not a problem. In Ummi’s case, she expressed her views, and we know that university students have the right to speak up.
“We should welcome this because she has not broken any laws or committed any criminal offence. She was merely raising concerns about corruption,” he told reporters after attending the Smart Parents Interactive Hub programme here today.
Fahmi said that while some might disagree with the student’s tone or how she expressed her views, the substance of her remarks was more important.
He said her views reflected a desire to see Malaysia support efforts to combat kleptocracy and reject corruption.
Fahmi urged victims to report cyberbullying to the police and MCMC for the authorities to identify those responsible and take the necessary legal action.
He also expressed support for Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim’s reminder that the public should observe proper etiquette when communicating on social media.
Fahmi said netizens should not assume that their posts online carried no consequences, even if they were published through fake accounts.