Kota Kinabalu: The Principal of SMKA Tun Mustapha denied advising Zara Qairina Mahathir’s mother not to lodge a police report over her daughter’s death, saying the chief warden was responsible for it.
Shaharoom Hashim also refuted claims that she stroked the mother’s hand while saying, “Tak payahlah buat laporan, ketua warden dah buat laporan polis” (no need to lodge a report, the chief warden has already made a police report).
Shaharoom, the 47th witness, was responding to questions from counsel Shahlan Jufri.
She said on 16 July at Queen Elizabeth Hospital she met Zara’s mother who asked her about the police report after receiving advice on whether she should lodge one.
Shaharoom said she merely informed the mother that the school had already made a report. Shaharoom said she did not know who had instructed the school’s internal investigation into Zara’s case. She said the matter was under the supervision of the school’s Senior Assistant for Student Affairs (PKHEM).
She said she was informed verbally of the findings three days later by the school’s discipline unit, which told her there had been a meeting involving senior students, Zara and Zara’s roommates.
On whether the investigation was official, Shaharoom who has since been transferred to the State Education Department (JPN) said if the aim was to establish the cause of the incident, then it was official.
She also denied requesting a written report from the discipline unit as, from 16 July onwards, she was occupied with visits from the District Education Office (PPD) and JPN, and had to attend to administrative matters.
Asked why she did not show greater personal initiative in wanting to know what happened that night or in obtaining the findings earlier, Shaharoom said she focused more on administrative reporting, PPD visits and coordinating trauma support for teachers and students.
She agreed with Shahlan that she did not take the initiative to obtain the findings because giving her statement took six hours and she was exhausted.
Shaharoom also told the court that as Principal she became aware of rude behaviour and the use of profanity among students only after the incident.
Questioned further by Conducting Officer Mohd Fairuz Johari, she said she neither instructed any warden to contact the police nor stopped anyone cleaning the area where 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir was found unconscious at the hostel.
She said everyone’s focus at the time was on trying to save Zara.
Fairuz: Refer to Paragraph 4 of your witness statement. You said you instructed Ustaz Azahari to call the ambulance again. My question is why didn’t you instruct Ustaz Azahari or any of the wardens to contact the police?
Shaharoom: Because afraid the student’s injuries were more serious.
Fairuz: What does that have to do with the injuries?
Shaharoom: We focused to save the student.
Fairuz: While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, what did you and the other teachers do?
Shaharoom: We contacted the family and I informed the District Education Officer (PPD) as well as the State Education Department (JPN).
The 47th deponent who testified before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan had said that, as principal, she did not instruct anyone to stop cleaning the area because she was already at the hospital at the time.
She said she also did not know who instructed anyone to clean the place where Zara had been laid on the floor while waiting for the ambulance.
She told the coroner she did not go to the spot where Zara was found unconscious, but only after the police and the State Education Department had arrived.
She only looked at the area from a distance as it was dark. She said on 15 July, there was no warden on duty, only a standby warden.
She said she also did not instruct to shut down the public telephone for two days after the incident.
In her witness statement, Shaharoom said she arrived at Queen Elizabeth Hospital at around 10.17am.
“At around 9.30am, when Zara’s mother arrived at QEH, I asked whether she came alone as I only saw her.
“I also asked ‘Where is your husband?’, to which she replied, ‘My husband is sick.’ We were then allowed to enter the Emergency Unit (ICU) to visit Zara together. After a few minutes, we stepped out of the emergency unit.
“At around 10.30am, Zara’s mother told me, ‘The view from the people close to her suggests she should lodge a police report.’
“I informed Zara’s mother that the school had already made a police report under the instruction of Dr Janefer.
“After that, we continued waiting outside the emergency unit,” she said.
Shaharoom also said during her tenure as principal, she never received any complaints regarding bullying or related problems.
She said Zara herself never complained and that Zara’s parents also never met her regarding any problems.
