Education minister Fadhlina Sidek has lodged reports with the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission over claims linking her to the principal of SMK Agama Tun Datu Mustapha, the school attended by the late Zara Qairina Mahathir.
In a Facebook post, Fadhlina urged everyone to refrain from making such speculation and called for respect for Zara’s family.
“I have lodged reports with the police and MCMC regarding this matter.
“Legal action will also be pursued, and I hope this serves as a lesson to all,” she said.
Fadhlina shared a screenshot of comments on social media from a netizen who claimed that the minister and the school’s principal are cousins as their mothers are sisters.
Fadhlina, the MP for Nibong Tebal, said that simply brushing off or denying such claims would be ineffective, especially as they involved her late mother, who could no longer set the record straight.
Zara, 13, was found unconscious at 4am on July 16 after she allegedly fell from the third floor of the school’s hostel, in Papar, Sabah. She died at the hospital the following day.
In August, the school’s principal, senior assistant of student affairs, and wardens were temporarily assigned to the Sabah state education department pending the investigation into the case.
An inquest before coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan is ongoing.
