THE mother of Zara Qairina Mahathir has denied treating her stepdaughter, Malianah Mahathir, badly, including allegedly calling her an “illegitimate child” while she was staying with her in 2011.
Noraidah Lamat made the denial while answering questions from counsel Shahlan Jufri regarding Malianah’s earlier testimony before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
Shahlan: Malianah also told the court that you often referred to or labelled her as an “illegitimate child” while she was staying with you. Can you respond?Noraidah: I never said to Malianah, “You are an illegitimate child.” But why must she feel triggered by the words “illegitimate child”? Because as far as I know, she is indeed an illegitimate child, as told by her aunts. I do not want to comment further because that is their personal matter.
Shahlan: Did you ever, even once, tell Malianah that she was an “illegitimate child” while she was staying at your house?Noraidah: Never.
Earlier, Noraidah told the court that Malianah stayed with her for about one to two months in 2011 after she married Mahathir on June 11 that year.
She said Malianah was 10 years old and in Year Four at the time.
Noraidah said she sent Malianah to school and picked her up afterwards. On her own initiative, she also sent Malianah to attend Kafa classes at Kafa Masakul.
She said she also took care of Malianah’s meals and schooling as Mahathir, at the time, only returned home for two nights a week — on Saturdays and Sundays — depending on the circumstances.
Malianah had previously claimed that Noraidah treated her well only when Mahathir was at home but behaved differently when he was away.
Malianah also told the court that Noraidah only cooked for herself, while Malianah prepared her own meals, washed her own clothes, including her school uniform, and prepared her own school necessities.
Responding to the allegations, Noraidah said: “If I was bad to Malianah, I would not have sent her to school in the morning and picked her up after school. I would not have sent her to KAFA School.
“If I was bad to Malianah, I would not have prepared her school necessities. And if I was bad to Malianah, she would have run away from home or complained to her grandmother that she could not stand being with me.”Noraidah also denied allegations that she had verbally abused Malianah using harsh language.
“I did not abuse her verbally using harsh language as she claimed. If she did something wrong, I would try to reprimand her like other mothers reprimand their children.
“So if I was someone who liked to verbally abuse her, I would not have taken good care of her,” she said.
Noraidah said Malianah stayed with her until her father died on Sept 8, 2011.
Following her father’s death, Noraidah asked Mahathir to take care of Malianah while she attended to the burial and related matters.
