Zara's death exposes systemic failures: LDP
Published on: Tue, Aug 12, 2025 Text Size: 'This is not just about one child's death. It is about whether we are willing to confront systemic failures and take real action to ensure this never happens again,' Chin said. Kota Kinabalu: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) said the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir exposed systemic failures in protecting children and delivering justice. 'This is not just about one child's death. It is about whether we are willing to confront systemic failures and take real action to ensure this never happens again,' said its President Chin Shu Ying.
Advertisement The Attorney-General's Chambers has ordered the exhumation of Zara's remains for a fresh post-mortem examination, which LDP welcomed as important for establishing the truth and restoring public confidence. However, he said the incident must catalyse broader institutional reforms beyond a single investigation. The party called for the establishment of an independent investigation panel comprising legal experts, child protection advocates, medical specialists and civil society representatives to ensure impartial oversight. On school safety, it called for mandatory 24-hour warden coverage in all boarding facilities, closed-circuit television installation in common areas and secure access controls. It also advocated compulsory anti-bullying education programs and annual safeguarding training for educational staff as well as confidential reporting channels for students to raise concerns without fear of reprisal. The party's reform agenda extends to legislative changes, including strengthened laws imposing clear accountability on educational institutions for student safety and stricter penalties for negligence or cover-ups by responsible parties. Also mandatory public reporting of serious school incidents with accompanying action plans. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
7 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Mosques and surau under Jakim, Jawi to hold solat hajat for Zara Qairina
KUALA LUMPUR: All mosques and surau under the supervision of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), and the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi), have been instructed to hold 'solat hajat' (prayer of need) and Yasin recitation sessions this Thursday (Aug 14), for the late Zara Qairina Mahathir. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar said that the initiative reflects the solidarity, prayers, and heartfelt remembrance of Muslims as one big family, especially for the Form One student of SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha, in Papar, Sabah. He said the prayers also seek Allah SWT's blessings, forgiveness of all sins, and to grant Zara Qairina a place among the faithful. "May the prayers bring peace to the family members and serve as a source of rewards for the deceased," he said, in a statement, tonight. Last Friday, the Attorney General's Chambers (A-GC) said that the body of Zara Qairina needed to be exhumed, to allow a post-mortem examination to be conducted. The A-GC added that further police investigations were necessary, to ensure a thorough examination of all aspects of the case. Following this, on Saturday, the teenager's body was exhumed from the Tanjung Ubi Muslim Cemetery in Kampung Mesapol, Sipitang, and taken to Queen Elizabeth I Hospital for the post-mortem. Her remains were reburied at the same cemetery early Monday morning. Zara Qairina was confirmed dead at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, on July 17. The student had been taken to the hospital after being found severely injured and unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory, in Papar, at 4 am on July 16. – Bernama
The Star
11 hours ago
- The Star
Russia makes sudden advance in Ukraine before Trump-Putin summit, maps show
A still image, taken from footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry, shows what it said to be a Russian soldier raising a flag following the capture of Ukraine's Yablunivka (Yablonovka) settlement in the Donetsk region in the course of Russia-Ukraine military conflict, in this image from video released August 12, 2025. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian forces have made a sudden thrust into eastern Ukraine near the coal mining town of Dobropillia, a move that may be designed to increase the pressure on Kyiv to cede land as the U.S. and Russian presidents prepare to meet. Ukraine's authoritative DeepState war map showed on Tuesday that Russian forces had advanced by at least 10 km (six miles) north in two prongs in recent days, part of their drive to take full control of Ukraine's Donetsk region. The advance is one of the most dramatic in the last year. DeepState said the Russians had surged forward near three villages on a section of the frontline associated with the Ukrainian towns of Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk, which Moscow is trying to encircle, exploiting Kyiv's lack of manpower. "The situation is quite chaotic, as the enemy, having found gaps in the defence, is infiltrating deeper, trying to quickly consolidate and accumulate forces for further advancement," DeepState said on its Telegram channel. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to discuss a possible deal to end the war in Ukraine when they meet in Alaska on Friday. Unconfirmed media reports say Putin has told Trump he wants Ukraine to hand over the part of the Donetsk region that Russia does not control. There was no immediate comment on the advance from Moscow. Ukrainian military spokesperson Viktor Trehubov said only small groups were penetrating defensive lines, and that this did not amount to a breakthrough. Pasi Paroinen, a military analyst with the Finland-based Black Bird Group, said the situation had escalated rapidly, with Russian forces infiltrating past Ukrainian lines to a depth of roughly 17 km (10 miles) during the past three days. "Forwardmost Russian units have reportedly reached the Dobropillia – Kramatorsk road T0514 and Russian infiltration groups have also been reported near Dobropillia proper," he wrote on X. RUSSIA MAY GAIN LEVERAGE FOR TRUMP TALKS Tatarigami_UA, a former Ukrainian army officer whose Frontelligence Insight analysis tracks the conflict, posted: "In both 2014 and 2015, Russia launched major offensives ahead of negotiations to gain leverage. The current situation is serious, but far from the collapse some suggest." Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, said the Russians had been able to advance due to "a partial collapse in the front" due to Ukraine's shortage of soldiers. Ukraine has redeployed elite forces to try to thwart the advance, Russia's Interfax news agency and Ukrainian war bloggers reported. "This breakthrough is like a gift to Putin and Trump during the negotiations," Markov said, suggesting it could increase pressure on Kyiv to cede some land to prevent the Russian army eventually taking the rest of Donetsk by force. To do that, though, Russian forces would first need to take control of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka - four places Russian military analysts call "fortress cities". Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has publicly pushed back against the idea of ceding territory to Russia, saying any peace deal must be a just one. Bohdan Krotevych, former chief of staff of Ukraine's Azov brigade and a National Guard lieutenant colonel, took to X late on Monday to warn Zelenskiy of the threat, saying the frontline in the area was "a complete mess". "The line of combat engagement as a fixed line does not actually exist," he said. (Reporting by Andrew Osborn in Moscow; Additional reporting by Dan Peleschuk in Kyiv; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
New Straits Times
12 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Inquest into Zara Qairina's death must be expedited as questions mount, says MP
KUALA LUMPUR: The government has been urged to hold an inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir, an opposition MP told the Dewan Rakyat. Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden (PN-Alor Star) said the inquest was necessary to identify those responsible, as the cause of her death and the identity of the perpetrators remained unanswered nearly a month after the incident. "Zara is not only the child of her parents, but the child of all Malaysians who want justice for her still unanswered death," he said during his debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan in the Dewan Rakyat. Afnan also proposed the appointment of full-time hostel wardens who are not schoolteachers, safety audits at schools with a high incidence of bullying, installation of CCTV cameras, the drafting of anti-bullying legislation, and the immediate formation of a special cabinet committee on bullying. The fifth measure, he said, was to create an online complaint platform that could be accessed by schools, police, and other relevant agencies. "What exactly happened? "Who are the perpetrators being protected?" he asked, adding that the issue had undermined public trust in schools, which should instead inspire confidence. He said that national development and economic progress would be meaningless if moral values among those responsible for carrying out such plans continued to deteriorate. Yesterday, the Inspector-General of Police Secretariat's Corporate Communications Unit confirmed that a task force comprising federal police CID personnel has taken over the investigation into Zara's death. Zara, a Form One student of a secondary school in Papar, Sabah, was reported to have fallen from the third floor of a dormitory. She was found unconscious in a drain on July 16 and later died while receiving treatment at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital (HQE) in Kota Kinabalu. On July 31, Sabah police chief Datuk Jauteh Dikun said that the possibility of bullying as a factor had not been ruled out. On Saturday, Zara's grave was exhumed in preparation for a post-mortem. On Sunday, the post-mortem was conducted at HQE, lasting about eight hours from 11am to 7.30pm.
