The people’s princess
#standTogether Kindness ambassador Tengku Zatashah is working to end bullying through a simple message: ‘bullying isn’t cool’.
SELANGOR princess Tengku Zatashah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah is no princess in a tower waiting for someone to fight her battles – she’s out there fighting battles for others instead.
From volunteering at soup kitchens to initiating the #zerofoodwastage programme, Tengku Zatashah is truly the people’s princess.
But another cause that is close to her heart is bullying.
“I was fortunate not to have been bullied as a kid. I grew up at a school where kindness and mentorship were encouraged between seniors and juniors,” she said.
“I wanted to share this example with other kids. Bullying doesn’t need to be a norm, and it’s something that we all need to address.”
Last year, Tengku Zatashah not only became a Kindness Ambassador for the #StandTogether National Kindness Week campaign, she also was part of the #saynomore2bullying talks, visiting several schools and colleges to talk about ways to end bullying.
The #StandTogether campaign was initiated by R.AGE and SP Setia to empower students to lead a “Kindness Revolution” throughout the country – starting with schools.
Here, she shares her thoughts on the campaign, why she has returned as a Kindness Ambassador, and how society can work together to end hate speech.
What made you want to return as a #StandTogether ambassador?
I’ve seen too many bullying cases with horrid, tragic consequences. When T. Nhaveen’s tragic death hit the headlines, I spoke up against bullying and it was at that point I wanted to work on something that would educate against bullying. So when R.AGE approached me last year, I immediately jumped on it!
And even after National Kindness Week, I continued talking to students and university students as part of the #saynomore2bullying campaign. To me, it’s important for a message to be carried on longterm. So when I was approached to come back for the second year of #StandTogether campaign, I of course readily agreed.
What are your thoughts on #StandTogether 2019’s focus on ending hate speech? Do you think this is a growing problem?
Hate speech is a massive problem because of social media and technology. It’s “easy” for bullies to attack their victims with hate speech because they don’t need to face their victims.
But this is something we can work on together through the campaign because hate speech is just that – hate – and therefore irrelevant. It’s not the truth. How we handle hate speech can help people get through the pain.
Have you been a victim of hate speech? How do you deal with it?
Fortunately, I have not been a victim of hate speech.There was one incident of someone on my Instagram ranting against a certain race, religion and country, but I immediately reported it, and then blocked the account and deleted the comments. I have zero tolerance for hate speech and cyberbullies, and I won’t allow their negative toxic comments to thrive on my social media space.
What would you suggest to ensure kindness thrives instead of hate?
Everyone has a role to play. I am not a parent but I have a role and I believe we are all responsible to engage with our kids and youths to be better, kinder people.
Parents, teachers and counsellors, the police and community – we all have a role to play to stop the prevalent bullying that is occurring in society. We must share messages of tolerance, diversity and non discrimination.
We must fight against hate crimes. We cannot ignore this. Everybody has the right not to live in fear and be intimidated and victimised.
Is there anything you’d like to say to students who have been bullied?
Hang in there. Please don’t give up hope and don’t believe in what the bullies say or do. Fight it and speak to someone who might be able to help you. It’s important to seek help. And lastly, this too shall pass.
It’s important to grow confidence and self-esteem so that bullies can’t hurt you anymore. There will always be haters.
What would you say to those who bully others through hate speech?
Put yourselves in their shoes, you would hate it if you were being bullied and attacked. Why do you need to hurt others? Is it because it makes you feel superior? Tougher? Stronger? Better about yourself? Because at the end of the day there is nothing heroic or cool about being a bully.
It’s cooler to be kind.
The #StandTogether National Kindness Week is organised by R.AGE and SP Setia, and supported by partners including Digi, International Medical University, and Unicef Malaysia. Register your school for the campaign at www. standtogether.my.