Pressure grows on Fadhlina to resign as Sabah gripped by Zara protests

Tens of thousands of people have gathered in recent days for a series of protests to show solidarity with the family of Zara Qairina Mahathir, a 13-year-old student whose death from an apparent fall in her dormitory sparked widespread speculation of a cover-up by authorities, as well as renewed a debate over the government's failure to tackle bullying in schools.

The protests are also taking place against a backdrop of growing negative public sentiment against Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, who critics accuse of focussing on trivial issues and ignoring a multitude of problems in the education sector.

Social media platforms are meanwhile flooded with memes and posts mocking her, with many saying was not qualified to head the education portfolio, others pointing out that she was appointed by Anwar Ibrahim because of the prime minister's close friendship with her late father Siddiq Fadzil, who was also his mentor who stood by him during his imprisonment on sodomy and power abuse convictions.

Adding to the public outrage is that even as angry protests over Zara's death flared up in Sabah's towns over the weekend, a viral video showed Fadhlina rousing a crowd of teachers and school students to wish the prime minister "Happy Birthday" and chant "We love you PMX".

On the same day, authorities exhumed Zara's grave to conduct a post-mortem examination, amid troubling questions over the circumstances surrounding her death, particularly that no autopsy was performed despite the manner of death.

Also on Aug 10,  some 1,000 people gathered at Pantai Manis in Papar, Sabah, in a show of solidarity for Zara's family.

Similar protests were held in Ranau, Sipitang, Kundasang, Telupid and Labuan.

A day earlier, large crowds gathered in Sandakan, Tawau, Semporna and Lahad Datu, while sporadic protests have been gaining momentum in rural areas.

The protests urged authorities to see Zara's case as a wake-up call to wage an all-out war on bullying in public schools.

During Sunday's protest in Papar, a student from Universiti Malaysia Sabah warned that the number of bullying incidents had increased in remote areas of the state, where young women are often the victims.

Addressing participants, the student also called for the arrest of the headmaster of the school where Zara was studying.

Zara was a Form One student at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Tun Datu Mustapha, a religious boarding school in Papar.

She was found unconscious near a drain at her school’s dormitory in the early hours of July 16,and was later put on life support at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital before she died a day later.

Although authorities stated she fell from the third floor of her dormitory, questions later arose as to why an autopsy was not performed, as well as a number of other speculations, including the alleged involvement of VIPs.