Dr Kelvin Yii
KUCHING: Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii has called on the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to track those who took part in the Instagram poll of the 16-year-old teenager who leapt to her death here Monday night.
He said this is to ensure that those who had voted ‘D’ or ‘Death’ can be educated to be more alert to potential warning signs of those who are suicidal.
“I would like to urge for MCMC to investigate the 69 per cent who allegedly encouraged the teenager to commit suicide, but I’m not asking them or the police to take stern action on those responsible as we need to identify these people so better education and awareness can be given to them.
“If anytime someone expresses to us any intention or desire to take their life, we must not see it as something trivial or petty, but we must take it seriously by helping them or recommending professional help to them,” he told a press conference at DAP Sarawak headquarters here yesterday.
Police had stated that a check of the girl’s Instagram account found she had conducted the poll at 3pm on Monday, under the heading ‘REALLY IMPORTANT, Help Me Choose D/L’. Based on the result of the poll, 69 per cent of those who responded chose ‘D’.
While Dr Yii regrets that such an incident had occurred, he also stressed that mental health is an issue that must be given emphasis, particularly in today’s age of social media where cyber bullying is getting more common.
“Mental health issues are now affecting our younger generation more because of the changing times and through social media, they are exposed to cyber bullying. Apart from that, other factors that might affect their mental health include coming from broken families, stress, and lack of security and support from parents,” he explained.
He pointed out that mental health is an increasing problem in the country with 4.2 million Malaysians estimated to have mental health issues, according to the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2015.
“In Sarawak, there’s an estimated 35.8 per cent of the population who suffer from mental health issues. This is one of the highest in Malaysia, with Sabah being the highest at 41.9 per cent. This issue does not affect only the poor but also those of middle and higher class. In fact, the 35.8 per cent of Sarawakians affected by mental health issues are mostly of higher social economic status.”
Dr Yii said it was unfortunate that many people who suffer from mental health issues opt to keep to themselves rather than reach out and talk to someone about their problem.
“This is because they often feel ashamed and think they might be misunderstood, or that people might pass judgment on them.”
He stressed, however, that seeking help was not a sign of weakness.
“I would like to send a note of encouragement to anyone who is going through a tough time, or if they have suicidal thoughts, to not be afraid to seek help and support. There are many non-governmental organisations that are willing to help, and one of them is Befrienders Kuchings which has a Suicide Helpline. If you feel the need to talk to someone, just call them at 082-242800.
“They have professional counsellors to provide emotional support to callers and all calls are kept strictly confidential,” he said.