Hot sun, cold shoulder: Fadhlina no-show at Zara memo handover

Summary

• Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek sends a representative instead of receiving a memorandum on Zara Qairina Mahathir’s death in person, prompting sharp criticism from activists.

• The memorandum, backed by over 200 NGOs, urges systemic reforms to address bullying, including a national inquiry into school bullying cases over the past decade.

• The protest march from Taman Tugu to Parliament was stopped by police, but MPs from both sides accepted the memorandum.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek’s no-show at the handover of a memorandum on the death of Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir has incited the ire of student activists and concerned citizens.

Claiming that Fadhlina had previously assured that she would turn up in person to accept the memorandum, Himpunan Advokasi Rakyat Malaysia president Brendon Gan did not mince his words in criticising the minister’s apparent backtracking on her promise.

“This memorandum is not just a piece of paper (as) it is supported by over 200 civil society organisations and more than 3,000 members of the public. Is this not important to Fadhlina?” Gan questioned during a press conference outside Parliament today.

“We’re not here to cause trouble. We’re standing out here under the hot sun, but (Fadhlina) is sitting somewhere with air-conditioning. What’s so hard, Fadhlina? Just come down and get the memorandum,” he rebuked.

Malaysiakini was informed that the minister had sent a representative from her office to accept the memorandum, which, among others, demanded justice for Zara and all bullying victims in Malaysia.

Bipartisan support

Gan, together with about 30 others, had marched from Taman Tugu to the Parliament building at around 10am today under the watchful eyes of police officers who outnumbered them by a wide margin.

The gathering, however, was halted by police and a riot squad approximately 200m from Parliament’s main entrance, with authorities forming a human blockade to prevent the group from advancing further.

The group dispersed at 12pm, with several government and opposition MPs coming out to accept the memorandum and deliver short speeches.

The backbenchers who showed up for the handover include DAP’s Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid as well as PKR lawmakers R Yuneswaran (Segamat), Taufiq Johari (Sungai Petani), and Chiew Choon Man (Miri).

Muda MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and Warisan’s Kota Belud MP Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan, Bersatu Women chief Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, and Bersatu Supreme Council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan also accepted copies of the memorandum.

‘Systemic failure’

The memorandum, prepared by the Sekretariat Solidariti Zara, asserted that Zara’s death was not an isolated incident, but a manifestation of a long-standing systemic failure involving negligence at the school level and weaknesses in the Education Ministry’s administration.

The document’s demands for schools and the Education Ministry include comprehensive reform of the national education system, particularly on bullying issues, and the holding of engagement sessions with relevant players to develop clear and firm procedures on bullying cases.

“It should be made mandatory for all school teachers, administrators, and wardens to undergo regular training on crisis intervention, student emotional management, and professional complaint handling procedures that prioritise victims,” it added.

It added that the Home Ministry and the police force should immediately establish an independent commission of inquiry to investigate Zara’s death, as well as all bullying cases involving students over the past 10 years.

Stressing that the commission’s findings should be made public, the memorandum also urged that police officers be given specialised training on how to handle bullying cases sensitively, effectively, and in a victim-centred manner.

“Too many lives have been lost to bullying. Delayed action not only reflects administrative weakness but is also a betrayal of the trust to protect student safety.

“Comprehensive reform is no longer an option - it is an urgent necessity that must be implemented without delay… should these demands not be met, we will proceed with lawful and peaceful follow-up actions, including nationwide mobilisation,” the secretariat warned.

‘No stone left unturned’

On Friday night, thousands gathered across three east coast towns in Sabah to demand justice for Zara, whose death last month sparked outrage over bullying in schools.

Zara was found unconscious in a drain below her school dormitory in Papar on July 16 and died the following day at Queen Elizabeth Hospital I in Kota Kinabalu.

While her family believes bullying may have played a role in her death, Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh has assured that the ministry is prepared to cooperate with the police to assist in the investigation.

Police have since confirmed that a special task force from Bukit Aman will take over investigations into Zara’s death, while Sabah governor Musa Aman called for no stone to be left unturned in the probe.

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