A PAS leader has called for the resignations of Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, citing their alleged failures in handling the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir.
PAS central information committee member Nurul Islam Yusoff said both ministers should step down to restore public confidence, adding that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim must intervene if they refuse.
“If they refuse to resign, PMX needs to intervene and replace them with other MPs in Pakatan Harapan-BN,” he said in a statement today.
He also suggested that Fadhlina’s replacement should be Deputy Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Noraini Ahmad, who is also Wanita UMNO chief and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also UMNO president, should take over from Saifuddin.
He accused the Education Ministry of failing to provide timely updates on Zara’s case, mishandling crisis communications, and transferring school officials only after public uproar. Nurul Islam also criticised Fadhlina for being “insensitive” by focusing on political gestures rather than meeting student activists or offering concrete anti-bullying measures.
On the Home Ministry’s side, he said the police probe was marred by procedural lapses, including the failure to conduct an autopsy before Zara’s burial and the failure to secure key evidence such as her clothing. He also questioned Saifuddin’s announcement that investigations were complete despite unresolved forensic gaps and the absence of arrests.
Nurul Islam argued that only the resignations of both ministers would calm public anger. “Heads need to roll, PM,” he stressed. —Aug 17, 2025
Main image: Utusan Malaysia
