KOTA KINABALU: A syariah teacher at the religious school where the late Zara Qairina Mahathir attended testified at the Coroner's Court on Monday (Nov 24) that he was responsible for screening and appointing dormitory leaders, Sinar Harian reports.
Rezany Mohd Taupek, the 51st witness in the inquest into Zara Qairina's death, provided his testimony before Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan, sitting as Coroner.
The Malay language daily reported that a statement from the legal team noted that the witness resided at the warden's residence and knew Zara Qairina as a Form One student.
"The witness stated that he screened candidates for dorm leaders and appointed them based on their ability to lead.
"Students must not have any disciplinary record before being appointed as dorm leaders. The witness also mentioned that dorm leaders must report theft complaints to the warden.
"Students are not permitted to conduct their own investigations.
"The witness said he had received theft complaints. If the complaint was substantiated, he would forward it to the school's disciplinary unit. Usually, the witness would conduct interviews to investigate the theft," Sinar Harian reported the statement as saying.
The legal team also said that the witness had heard of the term MA, which stands for Dormitory Meeting, last year.
"After that, the witness learned of the school's directive to prohibit MA.
"In the witness's understanding, MA refers to meetings among senior and junior students or among students themselves.
"MA discusses matters related to regulations such as cleanliness and tidiness. The witness stated that if MA’s purpose is good, then it is a good thing.
"The witness likened it to an usrah meeting. The witness was unsure whether MA was ever conducted for bad purposes, which led to the school's ban. The witness did not investigate whether dorm leader candidates were involved in MA," he said.
Additionally, the lawyer said that the witness mentioned that Form One students were placed on the third floor.
"This is because all the assets on that floor are sufficient for the entire Form One cohort.
"Dorm leaders must follow the rules set by the dormitory and the school, and not create their own rules," he said.
The legal team comprises Shahlan Jufri, Rizwandean M Borhan, Mohd Syarulnizam Mohd Salleh, Mohd Luqman Syazwan Zabidi, Farrah Nasser, and Elhanan James.
Zara Qairina was found unconscious under her school dormitory building on July 16 and was pronounced dead the following day at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital (HQEI).
