Witness: Students referred to Zara as 'the problematic Zara'

 By Olivia Miwil

October 16, 2025 @ 7:34pm

The Coroner’s Court was told today that the late Zara Qairina Mahathir was referred to by other students as ‘Zara yang problem tu’, or ‘the problematic Zara’. FILE PIC

KOTA KINABALU: The Coroner's Court was told today that the late Zara Qairina Mahathir was referred to by other students as 'Zara yang problem tu', or 'the problematic Zara'.

The inquest's 16th child witness, who testified before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan, said that in her opinion, Zara was disliked by students at the SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha dormitory.

"If I asked 'which Zara,' they would say 'the problematic Zara.' I also asked what kind of problems (she had caused), and they said stealing.

"However, in my opinion, Zara was not problematic. I never scolded nor reprimanded Zara," said the Form 5 student in her testimony.

The senior also testified that Zara was a cheerful person and had never shared any personal matters or conflicts with anyone.

The witness said that while she had heard rumours that Zara had an inclination towards those of the same sex, she did not pay attention to the claims as she felt Zara, a Form One student, was still too young.

"On her alleged inclination towards those of the same sex, it's possible that Zara saw that person as an idol, hence why she liked her. However, I am not sure who the person was," said the Form 5 student.

The witness also recounted her own experience of how, when she was in Form Three, she was asked by her seniors to iron their clothes.

"In my view, the attitude of the seniors towards juniors in the hostel is that, when the seniors get angry, they would go directly to the juniors to scold and curse them.

"Those are the words I often heard. They set a bad example for the juniors. I have advised them before, but they still do the same.

"Ustazah Syahdah once gave a general reminder to mind our language and speak kindly because juniors tend to follow the behaviour of the seniors."

The witness also told the court that last year, her batch mates and Form 5 students would label her as a tattletale.

"I was a badar (a mosque prefect) and would usually confiscate phones brought by students to school."

The inquest into Zara's death will resume next Tuesday.