The government has been urged to hold an inquest into the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir, nearly a month after the incident that shocked the nation.
Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat, Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden (PN–Alor Star) said the inquest was vital to uncover the cause of death and identify those responsible.
“Zara is not only her parents’ child, but the child of all Malaysians who want justice for her still-unanswered death,” he said during the debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan.
Afnan also proposed several anti-bullying measures, including:
- Appointing full-time hostel wardens who are not teachers
- Conducting safety audits in schools with high bullying cases
- Installing CCTV cameras
- Drafting anti-bullying legislation
- Setting up a special cabinet committee on bullying
- Creating an online complaint platform for schools, police, and agencies
He questioned why the perpetrators might be “protected” and warned that the issue had eroded public trust in schools.
The Inspector-General of Police confirmed yesterday that a federal CID task force has taken over the investigation.
Zara, a Form One student in Papar, Sabah, was found unconscious in a drain on July 16 after reportedly falling from her dormitory’s third floor. She died the next day at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital in Kota Kinabalu.
On July 31, Sabah police said bullying had not been ruled out as a factor. Her grave was exhumed on August 9 for a post-mortem, which took eight hours and was completed on August 10.
