YOURSAY | ‘Malaysia, where are you heading?’

Principal, wardens at Zara’s school transferred out pending probe

Act against ‘enablers’ of bullying in schools - Syed Saddiq

EmEmKay: The principal, senior assistant of student affairs, and all wardens at the school where 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir attended have been transferred out temporarily.

The timing of these actions, reportedly only after details began leaking to the public, deepens concerns about transparency and the willingness of institutions to act proactively when serious incidents occur.

Reactive measures taken in response to public pressure can erode trust and fuel suspicions that internal accountability mechanisms are inadequate or slow to respond.

Additionally, police officers and officials directly involved in handling the case should be temporarily relieved of duty, too!

Headhunter: On a more serious note, did the police breach protocol by failing to follow proper procedures and allowing a burial without a post-mortem?

This case demands a thorough investigation into why no red flags were raised when a young girl died under such mysterious circumstances.

The troubling question remains: Was there a cover-up? Her parents certainly seem to think so.

BobbyO: This illustrates how the Sabah police failed to investigate this case. It was quickly brushed aside and closed as quickly as possible.

It should not have happened. Is the police going to only act if there is an outburst from the public?

How many other cases have the police closed due to the fact that there was no public outburst?

How many cases seriously need thorough investigations?

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Khalid Ismail should be held responsible for the irresponsible actions of his officers so that future IGPs would make sure all cases are investigated thoroughly. If not, their job is on the line.

The present administration should make sure that the people are protected. From whatever level of society they come from, they must see that justice is done.

PurpleJaguar0553: The people who should be suspended are the police personnel involved in the initial investigations. How is it that they did not ask for an autopsy?

Particularly since the girl was found in a drain. An autopsy should be the first thing to ask in the death of a child, unless the death is due to illness and at the hospital, or a vehicular accident.

This failure has unfortunately led to anxiety, not just for the parents but for all other parents whose kids attend school.

GanMu: My question to Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek is, why were the principal and wardens not suspended pending an enquiry?

Placing them elsewhere just gives them an avenue to interfere with the process. Is she competent enough to know what needs to be done - the process to be followed?

Transferring them out is tantamount to transferring the problem elsewhere. This is unfair to the deceased.

PurpleCat9452: Well said, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.

The school authorities who were negligent must be held accountable for enabling the bullying and trying to cover it up.

They should be suspended immediately, not rewarded with a transfer to the State Education Department, where they get paid for doing nothing. That’s not a privilege - it’s wrong!

VioletQuokka1493: People in national schools just don’t know how to solve this kind of problem. They have been sweeping everything under the rug for so many decades, they have no idea how to stop a rot this deep.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has also not said anything or done anything useful. Malaysia, where are you heading?

KitaBoleh: The authorities must punish the principals, wardens, and related teachers whenever there’s any case of bullying or even death in schools.

Sack them, jail them, or punish them whenever such a case happens again.

Turnedback: Why transfer the principal and wardens? They should be sacked. The education minister should shoulder the responsibility for what happened.

Apanama is back: They wait for public uproar (including from taxpayers), then do the right thing. If not, forget it. This is called a new version of competence a la Bolehland.

But the Malaysian taxpayers are paying their salaries for doing nothing. It is wonderful working in a bloated civil service.

Libra: Whatever you do, the system is still in place. You have to make noise to get the authorities to act. What a tragedy!

Hmm: Right now, there is another bullying taking place in front of the whole country, but the government cannot see it.

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