Zara Qairina inquest: I never intended to shame her by sharing diary’s contents, witness tells coroner

KOTA KINABALU: The 49th witness in the inquest into Zara Qairina Mahathir’s death insisted that she never intended to shame the victim when sharing the student’s diary content with the school.

Teacher Yuslina Badrum admitted in the Coroner’s Court here that she personally would also feel uncomfortable if her private belongings were shared with others.

However, she said the action was taken solely to assist the investigation and to find the best solution regarding the incident involving the victim.

When questioned by Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan, Yuslina confirmed that all the diaries shared — purple, green, and brown — consisted of 15 pages in digital PDF format, which were submitted to two teachers and two other administrative personnel.

“I would like to add that I also gave them to the school administrators, the principal, and the senior assistant for student affairs (PKHEM),” she said on Friday (Nov 21).

When asked about her perception of the diary’s contents, the witness said each book contained its own important essence.

“In general, Zara was someone who enjoyed life. For example, she valued friendship and, to the best of her knowledge, had two close friends.

“She wanted to improve herself by emulating a prefect, Badar, whom she admired.

“However, she also had negative aspects based on my reading. Everything written was personal,” she said.

When asked whether she considered the impact of sharing the diary contents while the late victim could not defend herself, the witness insisted that it was done to assist the investigation.

“My actions were solely to assist the investigation. I had no intention of exposing anyone’s private matters.

“I felt that the administrators were the ones who should know and be responsible for the information we had,” she said.

She, however, agreed with the Coroner that the school only needed to be aware of the existence of the diary, not its full contents.

When asked how she would feel if her private belongings were treated in the same way, Yuslina candidly admitted that she herself would not like it.

“I certainly wouldn’t like my private items to be disturbed, but in this case, we need to look at all perspectives to find the best solution,” she said.

The late Zara Qairina was found unconscious beneath her school dormitory building in the early hours of July 16, and passed away the following day at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (HQE).