IN the past few weeks, disturbing news articles — bullying of young doctors and the unwarranted use of police outriders — have caught the attention of Malaysians.
Both irk us.
We are outraged by the domineering behaviour of cantankerous senior doctors in hospitals who gaslight junior medical officers and housemen, making them feel mentally unfit, incompetent and worthless.
We are also unhappy with individuals taking advantage of their supposed influence over the authorities to use police outriders.
They circumvented traffic rules to feel "dignified" on the road.
Senior doctors use verbal bullying that includes name-calling, insults, teasing and intimidation. I would say it's the same with these "dignified but selfish" individuals who bullied other road users by engaging police outriders to clear the way on a jam-packed road.
I am sure many motorists frequently feel like they are being bullied on the road to make way for these so-called VIP (Very Important Person) vehicles using the services of police outriders, which squeeze and push them to the side of the road.
Most cars would veer to the side of the road immediately, faced with the intimidatingly loud sirens and blue lights from behind.
I hate it when police outriders stop on busy lanes and discourteously shout to us: "Ke Tepi, Ke Tepi" (To the Side) or "Beri Laluan" (Give Way) without using the word "Sila" (Please).
Imagine if you are caught in the situation and later find out that the so-called VIPs are not who they said they are.
I fully agree that certain individuals should be accorded police escorts, including the king and the queen, sultans and state governors, the prime minister and visiting foreign heads of state, but the list should stop there.
No ministers, deputy ministers, politicians, businessmen or so-called VIP Datuk or Tan Sri should be accorded police outriders.
On the bullied junior doctors, I can understand the feeling of being "squeezed and pushed aside" by senior doctors.
When a senior doctor gaslights the juniors, the latter might second-guess themselves, their memories, recent events, and their perceptions.
Even after confronting the
seniors, they might be left dazed and wondering if there is something wrong with themselves.
They might think that they are to blame for something or that they are just being too sensitive.
Gaslighting can confuse juniors who have just started to learn the tricks of the trade and cause them to question their judgment, self-worth and mental health.
Gaslighting can happen in other industries where deadlines or promptness is required.
Young executives or interns who are eager to learn tend to lose interest in work due to this.
I have seen a few gaslighting incidents and cases of verbal abuse in my past work experience.
People who engage in gaslighting are often habitual and pathological liars who exhibit narcissistic tendencies.
Even when you call them out or provide proof of their deception, they may say something like "You're making things up", "That never happened", or "You're crazy".
My nephew suffered the same experience of being "squeezed and tossed aside" by his superior.
He was once a houseman, who was months away from becoming a full-fledged medical officer, but he decided to quit after succumbing to daily bullying by a senior doctor in a government hospital up north.
He is now a happy man working a 9-to-5 job selling medical equipment and getting better pay than his peers who are slogging away 24/7 in government hospitals.
Bullying is a social disease pervasive in many societies and perhaps more common in competitive and challenging work environments.
In some sense, the unwarranted use of police outriders can also be inferred as an act of bullying other motorists and an abuse of traffic regulations.
But the type of bullying that leaves emotional scars is more damaging.
The writer, a former NST journalist, is a film scriptwriter whose penchant is finding new food haunts
