‘Cheerful, strong, never gave up’: Mother rejects claim Zara Qairina jumped from school building

In an inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir, her mother, Noraidah Lamat, expressed disbelief that her daughter, described as cheerful and resilient, would have jumped from a school building, despite expert testimony suggesting it was voluntary.

She highlighted the bullying Zara faced but noted no signs of emotional distress before the incident.

Noraidah reported a lack of clear communication from the police and was unaware of the Justice for Zara fundraising initiative.

Zara passed away in July 2025, a day after being found unconscious at her school.

KOTA KINABALU, Oct 9 — The mother of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir does not believe that her only child jumped from the third floor of the school building, saying the teenager was cheerful, strong and not one to give up easily despite facing provocation.

Noraidah Lamat, 46, said this when questioned by lawyer Datuk Ram Singh, who represents one of the teenagers charged in connection with the bullying case involving Zara Qairina, during the inquest into the teenager’s death at the Coroner’s Court here today.

Ram referred to expert testimony given during earlier proceedings in the inquest which, he said, indicated that Zara Qairina had not been pushed and that there was a possibility she had jumped voluntarily.

Noraidah said she did not believe her daughter would have made such a decision, based on Zara Qairina’s character as she knew her while raising her.

“I do not believe Zara Qairina would have made such a decision. To me, Zara Qairina was a cheerful, strong child who would not give up easily, no matter what provocation others subjected her to,” she said before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.

Asked to explain what she meant by provocation, Noraidah said: “It refers to the taunts, bullying and names they called her throughout her time at the hostel.”

In her testimony, Noraidah also dismissed the possibility that Zara Qairina had concealed emotional distress from her, saying she had not noticed any changes in her daughter’s behaviour before the incident.

She said that based on her telephone conversations with Zara Qairina on July 13 and 14 last year, her daughter had shown no signs of emotional distress, although she continued to recount the taunts and names used by senior students at the hostel during their conversations.

Noraidah said that during their telephone call on July 14, Zara Qairina was still cheerful and excited when talking about a ‘Kak Badar’ named Wana, who wanted to meet her that night.

Regarding the investigation into her daughter’s death, Noraidah claimed that the police had never provided her with clear information, adding that her WhatsApp messages to the investigating officer had also gone unanswered.

Meanwhile, Noraidah said she was unaware of the fundraising campaign allegedly carried out nationwide under the Justice for Zara (JFZ) initiative, as the matter had never been discussed with her or brought to her attention.

Regarding the Justice for Zara billboards erected in several districts in Sabah, Noraidah said she knew of their existence but had never been informed who had put them up or funded them.

Zara Qairina died at Hospital Queen Elizabeth on July 17, 2025, a day after she was found unconscious near a drain at her school hostel in the early hours of the morning. — Bernama

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在对 Zara Qairina Mahathir 的死因进行调查时，她的母亲 Noraidah Lamat 表示难以置信，她的女儿被描述为开朗而坚韧，竟然会从学校大楼跳下，尽管专家的证词表明这是自愿的。

她强调了Zara遭受的欺凌，但指出在事件发生前没有发现Zara有任何情绪困扰的迹象。

Noraidah 表示警方缺乏清晰的沟通，并且不知道“为 Zara 伸张正义”的筹款活动。

Zara 于 2025 年 7 月去世，此前一天她在学校被发现昏迷不醒。

哥打基纳巴卢，10 月 9 日讯——已故学生 Zara Qairina Mahathir 的母亲不相信她唯一的孩子是从学校三楼跳下来的，她说这个十几岁的女孩性格开朗、坚强，即使面对挑衅也不会轻易放弃。

46岁的诺拉伊达·拉玛特在今天于验尸法庭举行的扎拉·凯里娜死亡案调查中，被代表一名与欺凌案有关的青少年的律师拿督拉姆·辛格质问时说了这番话。

拉姆提到了此前调查程序中提供的专家证词，他说，这些证词表明扎拉·凯里娜不是被推下去的，她有可能是自愿跳下去的。

诺拉伊达表示，根据她抚养女儿扎拉·凯里娜的经历，她不相信女儿会做出这样的决定。

“我不相信扎拉·凯里娜会做出这样的决定。在我看来，扎拉·凯里娜是一个开朗、坚强的孩子，无论别人如何挑衅她，她都不会轻易放弃，”她在验尸官阿米尔·沙阿·阿米尔·哈桑面前说道。

当被问及她所说的挑衅是什么意思时，诺拉伊达说：“这指的是她在宿舍期间受到的嘲讽、欺凌和辱骂。”

诺拉伊达在证词中还否认了扎拉·凯里娜曾向她隐瞒情绪困扰的可能性，称在事件发生前，她没有注意到女儿的行为有任何变化。

她说，根据她去年 7 月 13 日和 14 日与 Zara Qairina 的电话交谈，她的女儿没有表现出任何情绪困扰的迹象，尽管在她们的谈话中，她不断讲述宿舍里高年级学生对她进行的嘲讽和辱骂。

Noraidah 说，在 7 月 14 日的电话中，Zara Qairina 谈到一位名叫 Wana 的“Kak Badar”时仍然兴高采烈，兴奋不已，因为 Wana 想在当晚与她见面。

关于对她女儿死亡的调查，诺拉伊达声称警方从未向她提供过明确的信息，并补充说，她发给调查人员的 WhatsApp 信息也未得到回复。

与此同时，诺拉伊达表示，她并不知晓据称在全国范围内以“为扎拉伸张正义”（JFZ）倡议开展的筹款活动，因为此事从未与她讨论过，也从未引起她的注意。

关于在沙巴几个地区竖立的“为扎拉伸张正义”的广告牌，诺拉伊达表示她知道这些广告牌的存在，但从未被告知是谁竖立或资助了这些广告牌。

扎拉·凯琳娜于2025年7月17日在伊丽莎白女王医院去世。此前一天凌晨，有人发现她昏迷在学校宿舍附近的排水沟旁。——马新社

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