Student's Death a Challenge for Anwar Ahead of Sabah State Polls

Suspected Bullying Case, Claims of Cover-Up Spark Outrage at a Delicate Time for the PM

- Azril Annuar

KUALA LUMPUR - The tragic death of a 13-year-old Sabah student on July 17 has sparked street protests over the past week and rising public outrage over the suspected bullying case, just ahead of a tough state election for the Borneo state for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his allies.

Zara Qairina Mahathir, a Form One (equivalent to Singapore's Secondary 1) student, was found unconscious at 3am on July 16 near a drain at her school dormitory in Papar town, about 40km from Sabah's capital Kota Kinabalu. The student of the Islamic boarding school had apparently suffered severe injuries and was admitted to hospital but died the next day.

The national outrage has grown in the four weeks since her death, with accusations on social media of a cover-up by the authorities, allegedly because a member of a prominent Sabah family was involved.

Opposition politicians took up the case and asked why no autopsy was conducted despite Zara's apparent injuries. This led the authorities to exhume the student's remains on Aug 10 for a post-mortem, following instructions from Malaysia's attorney-general.

Many sympathisers braved the rain, showing their support during the eight-hour post-mortem. Zara's body was reburied in the evening of the same day.

After the first of several Sabah street protests, Datuk Seri Anwar told reporters on Aug 9: "We do not take this lightly and our directive is clear; there will be no compromise. This is a matter of death, it doesn't matter if it's the child of the poor or the rich, it's not a game."