Rallies continue in Sabah as public demands justice for Zara

Summary

• Torchlights, banners, and speeches fill Kota Kinabalu as the series of “Justice for Zara” rallies enters its 12th day.

• Faint boos greeted politicians who attended the rally last night, which organisers had vowed to keep apolitical.

Padang Merdeka lit up under a sea of phone lights and rally banners last night, where about 5,000 people attended the latest Justice for Zara solidarity rally in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

The gathering marked the 12th consecutive day on which 14 rallies have been held across Sabah over the last two weeks.

And their demand remained the same - seeking better protection for students and full accountability for the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir.

Zara was found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory in Papar on July 16. She died a day later.

Police initially classified the case as “sudden death” and skipped a post-mortem after her mother signed a consent letter declining it, which is now under scrutiny for breaching police protocol.

Nearly three weeks later, amid mounting public outrage, the Attorney-General’s Chambers ordered an inquest into the case.

Crowd jeers politicians

Among the politicians who attended last night’s rally were Deputy Higher Education Minister Mustapha Sakmud and Sabah Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister Christina Liew.

Also present were leaders from Warisan, such as vice-president Junz Wong, information chief Azis Jamman, and party legal adviser Chin Teck Ming.

Their presence stirred the crowd, as organisers had vowed to keep the rallies apolitical.

While initially barred from taking the stage, the organiser eventually only allowed Mustapha to speak for undisclosed reasons.

Faint jeering could even be heard when Mustapha took the stage to address claims on social media about his wife, Rosnih Nasir, and her links to Zara’s school, which he described as “slanderous” and “baseless political manipulation”.

Rosnih used to serve as a principal at SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha.

She retired in November last year, months before the incident.

“I am here tonight, not as a politician or minister, but as a father. I came for Zara.

“I forgive everyone who tried to implicate my family in this case… Most importantly, we find out who is behind this case. We want the police to bring them to justice,” Mustapha said.

Public demanding justice

Speaking on the sidelines of the rally, Liew maintained that she was there to call out an “unjust tragedy”.

“You cannot deny I’m a political leader… I may make some politicians unhappy (if I had spoken), but I couldn’t care less.

“Whether I face consequences later or not, I need to speak my heart,” she said, warning that bullying was becoming entrenched in schools and even workplaces.

Meanwhile, Azis said the vigils, which have spread across the state and inspired similar gatherings elsewhere in Malaysia, reflected a growing public demand for decisive action.

“Justice delayed is justice denied,” he said.

The growing movement

The first vigil was held on Aug 3 in Kota Kinabalu with about 300 attendees.

However, it was the Aug 8 rallies, which drew multitudes - held in Sandakan, Tawau, and Lahad Datu - that truly set the movement in motion.

Since then, similar vigils have been organised in Kudat, Kota Marudu, Ranau, Papar, Semporna, Sipitang, Labuan, and Putatan.

The Kota Belud rally on Aug 14 reportedly drew over 20,000 people, which is the largest crowd yet.

Small solidarity gatherings have also been held beyond Sabah - such as in Penang, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia.

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