On the 23rd of January 2025, Channel News Asia reports, “Malaysian doctor found dead at home in Sabah was not bullied; work stress a ‘major factor’: Probe”. Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad vows to improve the situation at the department where pathologist Tay Tien Yaa worked. Her family had alleged she was “mistreated (and) oppressed” by a colleague.

This is the Daily Monsoon, a podcast where I read the news and link it to matters of faith. I am your host Terence and today we look at the tragic case of Dr. Tay Tien Yaa who was found dead in her home on the 29th of August last year.

I read the Facebook post where a family member expressed grief over her death due to bullying. Like many others, we were shocked that a young doctor would suffer so much to the extent that she found suicide to be the only option.

So I welcomed the news that there would be a taskforce to investigate this tragedy. Truth be told, I also wanted justice to be served. The bully deserves the full penalty of the law.

Now, nearly five months after her death, the taskforce has completed its investigation.

Let me read the highlights from the article:

At Wednesday’s press conference, taskforce chairman Borhan Dollah said: “Based on our investigation, no conflict arose between her and the department head. They worked professionally. This can be proven from interviews with their colleagues and subordinates.”

Nineteen witnesses including four family members and 11 hospital staff were interviewed, he said.

“We found that the tasks carried out were as specified in the list of duties and job descriptions, with none extending beyond her scope or outside her field of duties,” added Borhan, a former director-general of Public Service.

The article goes on to quote Health Minister Dzulkefly:

I fully understand how difficult it must be for the family to process these findings.

I note Dzulkefly’s efforts to empathise with the family but we all know he cannot possibly fully understand. Nobody can. But those are words to try to convey comfort to the family.

If I am reading the situation right, the family does not accept the findings. Since the family had earlier asserted that she was bullied, that means the family thinks the bully has escaped justice.

That is a painful pill to swallow.

Trying to put myself in the family’s point of view, I could ask:

1. Was the independent taskforce truly independent?
2. Did the taskforce actually investigate or were they trying to give the impression of investigation when in fact they were also covering up?
3. Did they do a thorough interview with the relevant stakeholders? Was the interview rigorous?
4. Was there any evidence suppressed that might not have fit the final conclusion?

By putting up these questions, I am not implying that the taskforce, the investigation and the final report is suspicious. The truth is I don’t know enough of the case to make any judgment. But my heart does go out to the family.

Assuming there is this great miscarriage of justice, what can they do? Can they ask for another investigation? Can they sue? Can they ask for a Royal Commission of Inquiry? The finality of the report suggests there is nothing left to do but to accept and move on. Unless someone knows something that has not yet been told.

Perhaps there is a witness who knows details of what happened to Dr. Tay but has not said anything yet, out of fear, out of doubt? If so, then we can only hope that the witness or witnesses would come forward because other than that happening, this death will fade from the nation’s consciousness leaving only the living family members to grapple with the circumstances of her death.

Another possibility is a confession of guilt. Here, I am reminded of the short story by Edgar Allan Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart”. In the story, the killer is driven to near insanity to finally confess to the murder.

Is it right for a Christian to wish for the bully to be driven to near insanity and finally confess to his role in driving his victim to suicide?

I don’t speak for all Christians. Some Christians would insist that Christ-likeness means we never wish ill will on others. “Love your enemies”, always it is “Love your enemies”. And by showing love and kindness, heap coals on their heads.

I know that.

But my response is that in the Psalms, there is a clear cry for justice against evil-doers. And Jesus is also clear, there will be judgment for evil-doers.

So for me, and I understand if people take offence at my stance here, and I am perfectly willing to hear you out, but my stance is that we should want to see justice for Dr. Tay and those like her. And if you disagree with me, I can beat you up until you change your mind, then we will see whether you can still hold to love your enemies.

I said that to illustrate how difficult, how impossible it is to actually practise loving your enemies. And the Christian answer to the impossible is, “With man it is impossible, with God it is possible.”

But before you get the wrong impression that I am teaching contrary to Jesus teaching, let me just say that I also wish the bully to repent before God and be forgiven, if not by Man then certainly by God, and sometimes only God can forgive.

So, I don’t see justice and mercy to be a contradiction. I think it is possible, it has happened, and we hope it will continue to happen to the praise of God.

So far I have been talking as if the bully exists and the bullying actually happened. What if the independent taskforce was truly independent, the investigation thorough, the interviews complete and the conclusion conclusive? And it is the family that has in their grief blindly locked onto the only explanation they can accept of the death of their loved one? And worse of all, there is no way one can offer them the certainty they want because there is no one evidence that could give them that.

What then?

This is tragic. And very painful for the family. And there is little one can do but pray for them that God may comfort them in this time of confusion, anger and uncertainty.

There is little left but to cherish the memory of a doctor whose life was unnecessarily cut short and for those who have the power to do so, health minister, hospital administrators, doctors, hospital staff, and the general public, to do what we can to avoid this from happening again.

This shouldn’t happen. May it never happen again.