Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has urged all parties to exercise caution in commenting on the death of Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir in Sabah, saying the law must take its course.
He said the case will not be treated lightly, in light of the various allegations on the circumstances which led to her death, Bernama reported.
“This child in Sabah has died. Some say she fell, some say she was pushed, some say it was due to bullying. We do not take this lightly, and we do not want it to be turned into political fodder.
“There will be no compromise, regardless of whose child it is, whether the child of a minister or anyone else, I don’t care,” he told reporters when asked about the case during an event in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, today.
He said the investigation will be carried out transparently without protecting anyone.
Anwar said he has spoken with Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail, Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar and home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to ensure the investigation is carried out fairly.
“I asked whether there were any mistakes in the investigation into Zara’s case. If there were, take action.
“‘This is death. Regardless of whether it is the child of the poor or the rich, we will pay attention because the investigation must be conducted transparently. I am saddened because she could have been my child or grandchild,” he said.
According to Anwar, Bukit Aman criminal investigation department director M Kumar has also been instructed to go to Sabah to monitor the investigation to prevent any perception that certain parties are being protected.
“This is the Madani government, we will not protect murderers,” he was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Astro Awani reported that Zara’s body was expected to be exhumed at about 4pm today.
Her family’s lawyer, Hamid Ismail, said the application to exhume the body was submitted to the Papar district police headquarters at 1.30pm.
Zara was found unconscious at 4am on July 16 after she allegedly fell from the third floor of her school’s hostel in Papar, Sabah. She died at the Queen Elizabeth I Hospital in Kota Kinabalu the following day.
The AGC ordered the police to exhume her body so that a post-mortem could be conducted in gathering additional information and evidence.
