KUALA LUMPUR – Former national swimmer Cindy Ong has become a target of cyberbullying after exposing the rampant sexual harassment in the Malaysian sports fraternity.
Ong told The Vibes that she has been receiving disturbing messages on social media from random people since she went public with her sexual harassment story.
She first received a video from a random person called @fudge010 on Instagram, which showed a man masturbating. At the same time, she also saw her picture shared on the Lowyat.net forum with remarks of a sexual nature.
“I am a target of cyberbullying now. I came out to tell people about the bad experience I went through during my time in sports, but now there are random people using social media to defame me.
“It is embarrassing to see your picture shared on the internet with sexual remarks. It is sad, especially when you are married with three kids. It seems that some are trying to stop me from talking, but I am ready to take them on.”
Ong had reported the first video to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) but after two weeks of investigation, she was told that the account user could not be traced.
She told The Vibes that she received another distressing message on Facebook this morning from someone called “John Holmes”.
“I know these cowards are all using fake accounts, but I don’t think they cannot be traced by the MCMC. The authorities should go hard on these people because cases like this encourage perpetrators to continue, as they know they can just close the account and open another.
“I have lodged a police report and I hope the authorities can do their best to track these perpetrators down.
“The perpetrators can be charged under Section 509 of the Penal Code for words or gestures intended to insult the modesty of a person. But the problem is they are hiding behind fake accounts. Therefore, I need MCMC and the relevant authorities to help hunt them down.”
Ong recently revealed that a national coach “definitely tried to rape” her when she was a teenager.
The seven-time-gold medallist at the Fina World Championship Masters category (for those aged 35-39) said she “tried to bury it deep down” as she had gone to the United States to study, so they didn’t see each other often.
Ong had said she never spoke to anyone about it, adding: “It was a very awkward and uncomfortable situation. ‘How do I get myself out of this?’
“I just couldn’t. Not when I was 20, not when I was 13, especially not when I was 13.”
She had said following her revelation to the media, she faced a lot of backlash and harsh criticism for not speaking out earlier.
She said her intention was not to draw attention to herself, but to increase awareness that such heinous acts do happen in the sports industry.
However, she did not want to politicise her issue as she did not wish to be caught in a political tug-of-war.
“Right now, I really wish for the sexual harassment bill to be tabled. I want to make myself very clear that it has to be bipartisan.
“I don’t want to be stuck in a political battle between a few people. I really hope all Malaysians and politicians can come together, shake hands, and get this done,” she said. – The Vibes, June 20, 2021
