MCPF calls for stricter rules on violent movie scenes
Such films, which could be accessed and watched via websites, would influence the minds of the youngsters and result in bullying cases among young Malaysians.
SIBU: The government should come up with stringent rules to curtail easy accessibility to films, TV series and various online games with violent contents, suggested Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation ( MCPF) senior vice- chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
He noted that such contents could also be downloaded even by minors.
He said Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission ( MCMC) Network Security, New Media Monitoring, Compliance and Advocacy Sector had previously cautioned that bullying cases might increase should films with elements of violence which are available online are not blocked.
“Such films, which could be accessed and watched via websites, would influence the minds of the youngsters and result in bullying cases among young Malaysians. We must find ways to tackle this issue since the widespread reach of media containing violence has been identified as one of the factors leading to the increase in acts of bullying among school students involving violence.
“The authorities must introduce stringent rules to stop the negative influence of these violent media contents from poisoning our children’s minds,” Lee said in a press statement released here yesterday.
Adding on, he said although some may say this argument does not hold water, the fact that some of the bullies have likened themselves to the villain or gangster in popular movies proves otherwise.
“It was reported that youths, including students, are keen to watch such violent scenes and in some cases, may also ape the cruel acts they saw in such media.
“In a video clip of bullying incident at a school that went viral, we could hear clearly how one
Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) senior vicechairman
of the young suspects identified himself as a popular gangster character in a local movie.”
Towards this end, he noted while most of the films or their violent scenes have been snipped by the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia before they could reach the audience, the uncut version is always available online.
“I believe that the Board could not address this issue all by itself as the advancement in the information and communication technology has made it difficult to stop members of the public, including students, from finding the alternative ways to watch the movies and other violent contents via the Internet,” he pointed out.
Therefore, Lee opined that it needed the support from other agencies including the MCMC.
He added: “I believe that all the factors which cause bullying can be overcome with the cooperation of all parties such as the LPF and MCMC in monitoring violent films.
“Since none of the agencies have the authority to block all the websites, I urge all Malaysians to be aware of their responsibilities in curbing the worsening crime.”
In this regard, parents and teachers must play their role in educating their children and students, so that they could distinguish between the good and bad, what is desirable and what is not.
Although some of the Internet giants such as Facebook and Google had already introduced measures to eradicate violent contents, children must be taught on how to protect themselves from all the negative elements in the virtual world, stressed Lee.
He said another important factor in handling bullying is to ensure that our youths do not get themselves entangled in negative peer pressure, which could also be done via social media.
Touching on parenting skills, Lee said there are relevant ministries that can help while for negative peer influence, this can be managed by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the respective State Education Departments.
He observed that the issue of bullying is now being examined at the National Social Council comprising ministers and academics and chaired by the deputy prime minister, to seek long-term solutions.
This will avoid the ‘issue being discussed only when it occurred’, and often too late to deal with it, as recent cases have shown, when such acts led to the victims’ death
“We must keep bullying and violence among students and teenagers in check as the culture is gaining a foothold in the society.
“The government must intervene to help tackle the problem with support from all stakeholders, including parents, psychologists and non- governmental organisations,” Lee urged.