Zara Qairina’s mum disputes diary entries expressing ‘hate’ towards her, says handwriting not daughter’s

Noraidah Lamat poses with a photo of her daughter, Zara Qairina Mahathir, who succumbed to her injuries a day after being found unconscious near her school dormitory on July 16. — The Borneo Post pic

First Published: Saturday, 10 Oct 2026 10:05 AM MYT

KOTA KINABALU, Oct 10 — The mother of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir yesterday disputed the authenticity of several diary entries expressing hatred towards her, telling the Coroner's Court she had never seen her daughter write such things.

Noraidah Lamat, 46, said she disagreed that the entries must have been Zara Qairina's, since anyone could have written them.

During questioning by Inquest Conducting Officer Nahra Dollah on diary pages tendered as exhibits, Noraidah rejected the suggestion that entries bearing the phrase “Aku benci ibu” (I hate mother) reflected her daughter's feelings towards her.

“I disagree because I have never seen Zara Qairina's writing like this,” she said before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan yesterday in the inquest into the teenager's death.

When Nahra suggested that, logically, only Zara Qairina herself would have reason to write such words, Noraidah disagreed, maintaining that she knew her daughter and did not rule out the possibility that the entries could have been written by someone else.

Meanwhile, when referred to the next sheet of paper, which bore her name and the words “tidak payah melahirkan aku” (you didn't have to give birth to me), Noraidah again disagreed that the entry reflected Zara Qairina's feelings towards her.

She conceded that the entry used coarse, abusive language but maintained that it was not her daughter's writing.

When asked whether Zara Qairina's friends might have written the entry, Noraidah said she had never been informed that any of her daughter's friends had problems with her or harboured any resentment towards her.

Noraidah also confirmed that Zara Qairina had a habit of keeping a diary, which mostly revolved around friendships and daily life.

However, she said she had never read entries containing negative feelings towards her, such as those tendered in the proceedings.

Zara Qairina died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, 2025, a day after the Form One student was found unconscious near a drain at her school hostel at 4am.