Thousands of M'sians flood Sabah streets to demand justice over 13-year-old Zara Qairina's death

The death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir on Jul. 17 has since sparked public outrage and several street protests and rallies have been held in several parts of Malaysia to demand justice.

What happened to Zara

Zara, who was a Form One student (equivalent to Singapore's Secondary 1 level) was found unconscious near a drain at her school dormitory in Papar, Sabah, at around 3am.

She was sent to a hospital, but eventually succumbed to her injuries and died the next day.

Zara was allegedly a victim of school bullying and her case has sparked nationwide outrage, especially since there were claims circulating online that there was a cover-up by the authorities.

Zara's mother, 45-year-old Noraidah Lamat, felt that there were many discrepancies in the case and suspected that there was foul play involved in her daughter's death.

As such, she later filed a formal request for her daughter's body to be exhumed in order for a post-mortem examination to be done.

Zara's body was exhumed on Aug. 9 and a post-mortem examination was conducted on her body on Aug. 10.

The Star reported that close to a hundred people had braved the rain on the day of the post-mortem and waited outside Queen Elizabeth I Hospital, where the examination was being done, as a show of solidarity with Zara and her family.

The post-mortem examination took around eight hours.

Many attended protests and rallies for Zara

Thousands of people have gathered in the streets of the major towns in Sabah, Malaysia, to join the rallies and protests demanding justice for Zara.

According to New Straits Times (NST), one of the rallies which was held in Sipitang, Sabah, where Zara was born, drew around 5,000 attendees from the district, as well as from Sarawak, Labuan and Brunei.

The attendees were dress in white, carrying banners, state flags and placards with the hashtag #JusticeForZara.

One of the rallies in Sandakan, Sabah, saw thousands of attendees, including local activists and community representatives, Malay Mail reported.

Sandakan Member of Parliament Vivian Wong Shir Yee was also present at the rally.

According to The Star, on Aug. 10, a solidarity rally at Labuan, Sabah, drew more than 3,000 attendees.

Umno Supreme Council member Mohd Rafi Ali Hassan, who was one of the organisers of the rally, said that the turnout was a powerful show of solidarity that transcended political and social lines.

"This is more than a political or social issue, it is a human one. We stand united in demanding justice for Zara," he said.

State election coming up

The public outrage and street rallies and protests come just ahead of a state election in Sabah, Malaysia.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose coalition is working to maintain control of Sabah, pledged a transparent probe into Zara's case at an event on Aug. 9 and stressed that the case must not be taken lightly, Bernama reported.

Four main political blocs, comprising Anwar's Pakatan Harapan, the Umno-led Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Parti Warisan Sabah, are set to contest for the state's 73 legislative assembly seats.

While the state legislative assembly's term is set to end in November, speculation is mounting that Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor may dissolve parliament earlier in the coming weeks.

According to government public relations expert Associate Professor Dr. Syahruddin Awang Ahmad from University Malaysia Sabah, Zara's case is emerging as a potential flashpoint in the upcoming election, NST reported.

The case has been highly criticised, with accusations that authorities mishandled the investigations and are involved in an alleged cover-up.

Syahruddin warned that opposition parties could exploit any perceived lack of transparency to challenge the ruling government's integrity, making child safety and school governance part of their campaigns.

A controversial or inconclusive investigation could trigger protests, intensify online criticism and severely damage the administration's credibility ahead of the election.

Top photo via Facebook and Vivian Wong/Facebook