Minutes

 of  Domestic  Inquiry  

MINUTES  OF  THE  DOMESTIC  INQUIRY  INTO  THE  ALLEGATION    

OF  MISCONDUCT  COMMITTED  BY  MR  ROWDY  THALAVETI  
CONDUCTED  ON  30  SEPTEMBER  20XX  AT  10.30  AM  AT  THE    
COMPANY’S  CONFERENCE  ROOM  
 
SAMPLE  
PRESENT                                                                                                  
 
Panel         :   Joanna  (Chairman)  
          Linda  (Panel  Member)    
  Siti    (Panel  Member)  
Accused  Employee     :   Rowdy  Thalaveti    
Secretary       :   Mellisa  
Presenting  Officer     :   David  
Company  Witnesses     :   1.  Mr  Loony,  Factory  Manager    
          2.  Mr  Meganathan,  Machine  Operator  
          3.  Mr.  Razak,  General  Worker  
CHARGE  
 
That   you   have   deliberately   hit   another   company   employee,   Mr   Razak,   with   a   wooden  
stick  near  the  Main  Switchboard  in  the  factory  at  about  3.30  pm  on  16  September,  2002.  
 
 
 
 
The  inquiry  commenced  at  10.30  am  with  Joanna  identifying  all  present  and  explaining  
that   the   inquiry   would   be   conducted   in   English   as   Rowdy   is   conversant   in   English.    
However,   it   was   explained   by   Joanna   that   witnesses   who   do   not   understand   English  
would  be  allowed  to  speak  in  Bahasa  Malaysia  and  that  the  Bangladeshi  worker  would  
be  provided  with  an  interpreter.  
 
Joanna   informed   all   present   that   the   inquiry   would   continue   until   12.30pm   when   we  
would   break   for   lunch   and   continue   at   2.00pm.   She   then   explained   the   procedure   that  
would  be  adopted  during  the  inquiry.  
 
Joanna  further  explained  that  she  would  be  recording  the  evidence  and  requested  that  
everyone  who  speaks  does  so  clearly  and  slowly.  
 
Joanna:   Rowdy,  have  you  received  this  notice  of  inquiry?  
 
Rowdy:   Yes.  
 
Joanna:   Do  you  understand  the  charge  against  you?  
 
Rowdy:   Yes.  
 
1
Joanna:   How  do  you  plead?    Guilty  or  not  guilty  to  the  charge?  
 
Rowdy:   Not  guilty.  
 
Joanna:   Do  you  wish  to  call  any  witnesses?  
 
Rowdy:   No.  
 
(Since  the  accused  has  pleaded  not  guilty,  David  was  requested  to  present  the  company’s  
case.    David  informed  that  the  company  would  be  calling  3  witnesses  and  proceeded  to  
call  the  1st  witness).  
 
Co.W1  (Mr  Loony,  Factory  Manager)  
 
David:     How  long  have  you  been  in  the  company?  
 
Loony:     11  years.  
 
David:     On  the  16  September  were  you  at  work?  
 
Loony:     Yes.  
 
David:     Did  anything  unusual  happen  that  day?  
 
Loony:   At  about  3.35  pm  on  that  day,  a  Bangladeshi  worker,  Razak  informed  me  
that   he   was   hit   by   Rowdy.     He   took   me   to   one   corner,   pulled   down   his  
pants  to  show  me  his  left  leg.    I  saw  that  his  left  thigh  was  red  in  colour.    I  
took   him   to   the   finger   joint   machine   and   saw   Rowdy   there.   Rowdy   told  
me   that   Razak   was   meddling   with   the   switchboard   and   they   had   an  
argument.     Razak   told   me   that   he   was   instructed   by   Mega   (machine  
operator)   to   check   the   switchboard   as   the   machine   had   stopped.     He  
opened   the   switchboard   and   switched   off   the   isolator   switch   and   then  
pressed  the  reset  button.  I  then  asked  Mega  whether  he  instructed  Razak  
to  do  so  and  he  said  yes.    
I  also  told  Razak  that  it  was  dangerous  to  meddle  with  switchboard.  He  
said   he   was   instructed   by   Mega   and   that   he   would   not   do   it   again   but  
asked  why  Rowdy  hit  him.  Rowdy  said  that  if  there  is  any  electrical  fault,  
he   should   be   called.   I   asked   Rowdy   why   he   hit   Razak.   He   told   me   that  
Razak  has  done  it  before  and  he  had  warned  him.    He  observed  that  he  
always  meddled  with  the  switchboard  and  said  “This  Bangladeshi  cannot  
learn  despite  warning.    The  only  way  to  teach  him  was  to  hit  him”.  (the  
word  “hantam”  was  used  not  “hit”).  
I  then  proceeded  to  the  office  to  write  a  report  on  what  happened.  
 

2
David:     Has  this  sort  of  electrical  switch  problem  occurred  before?  
 
Loony:   Yes,   it   depends   on   whether   it   is   a   minor   or   major   problem.   When  
switches  trip  and  if  it  is  a  simple  problem,  the  operator  will  know  what  to  
do.    If  it  is  a  major  problem,  the  technician  will  be  called.  
 
David:     How  many  technicians  do  you  have?  
 
Loony   :   Two.    Rowdy  is  the  senior  technician.    The  other  one  is  junior.  
 
Cross-­‐examined  by  Rowdy  
 
Rowdy:   That   day   did   I   not   ask   you   if   there   is   a   short   circuit   and   he   had   died   what  
will  happen?  
 
Loony:   You   did   say   “if   he   is   electrocuted   how”   I   did   agree   that   electricity   is  
dangerous.  
 
Rowdy:   Did  he  say  his  leg  was  bleeding?  
 
Loony:   He  did  not  tell  me.    He  very  quickly  pulled  down  his  pants  and  I  saw  that  
it  was  red.    I  asked  what  happened  and  he  said  Rowdy  hantam.  
 
Rowdy:   When  he  came  to  the  office,  how  was  he  walking?    
 
Loony   :   Normal.  
 
Rowdy:   When  he  told  you  that  I  hit  him,  was  he  scared?  
 
Loony:     No,  he  appeared  angry.  
 
Joanna:   Any  more  questions?  
 
Rowdy:   That’s  all.  
 
 
Re-­‐examined  by  Company  Representative  
 
David:     Did  he  go  to  the  clinic  or  hospital?  
 
Loony   :   He  was  sent  to  the  clinic  by  the  Section  Head,  Bala.  
 
David:     What  did  you  know  of  the  result?  
 

3
Loony:   I  was  informed  that  the  doctor  mentioned  that  this  could  be  the  result  of  
an  assault  and  advised  Razak  to  lodge  a  police  report.    After  Rowdy  gave  
us   his   reply   to   our   show   cause   letter,   I   instructed   the   clerk   the   call   the  
doctor.     We   asked   the   doctor   whether   Razak   was   suffering   from   any  
electric  shock  and  he  confirmed  that  there  was  no  symptoms  of  electric  
shock.  
 
David:     When  you  saw  Razak,  did  he  appear  to  have  electric  shock?  
 
Loony:   From   my   knowledge,   I   don’t   think   so.     I   have   suffered   from   electric   shock  
before  but  Razak  did  not  appear  to  have  suffered  any  electric  shock.    He  
actually   continued   working   overtime   later   in   the   day   and   the   next   day   he  
was   limping.   I   noticed   him   limping   even   from   where   he   could   not   have  
seen  me.  
 
David:     Did  he  tell  you  how  he  was  hit?  
 
Loony   :   He  told  me  he  was  hit  with  a  “kayu”.  
 
David:     Does  Razak  speak  English?  
 
Loony   :   He  speaks  only  broken  Malay.  
 
(At  this  juncture  Rowdy  wanted  to  ask  a  few  questions  and  he  was  allowed  to  do  so).  
 
Further  examined  by  Rowdy    
 
Rowdy:   You   said   you   got   confirmation   from   the   doctor   that   there   is   no   electric  
shock.    When  did  you  call  the  doctor?  
 
Loony:   I   asked   Ms   Wong   to   check   with   the   doctor   on   24   Sept.   and   the   doctor  
confirmed  that  there  was  no  symptoms  of  electric  shock.  
 
Rowdy:   How  did  the  doctor  check  whether  there  is  electric  shock  or  not?  
 
Loony   :   I  wouldn’t  know  how  the  doctor  knew  there  was  no  electric  shock.  
 
Rowdy:   Which  doctor  checked  him?    Is  it  the  panel  doctor?  
 
Loony   :   Yes.    The  doctor  is  from  company  panel,  Klinik  Jupiter.  
 
Rowdy:   The  incident  happened  on  16  Sept.    Why  did  you  only  call  the  doctor  on  
24  Sept.?  
 

4
Loony:   We   only   call   him   after   we   received   your   reply   on   Monday   evening,   23  
Sept.  
 
Rowdy:   The  doctor  said  there  is  no  symptom  of  electric  shock?  
 
Loony:   Yes.     The   doctor   confirmed   no   electric   shock   as   Razak   was   sent   for   leg  
injury  only.    I  was  not  sure  whether  there  was  any  electric  shock  or  not.    
 
Joanna:   Is  there  anything  else  you  want  to  ask  him.  
 
Rowdy:   No.  
 
 
Co.W2  (Meganathan,  Machine  Operator)  
 
Proceedings  conducted  in  Tamil  as  Mega  is  not  very  conversant  in  Bahasa  Malaysia.    The  
evidence  was  then  translated  into  English  by  David.  
 
David:     What  is  your  name?  
 
Mega:     My  name  is  Meganathan  and  I  work  as  a  machine  operator.  
 
David:     How  long  have  you  been  working  here?  
 
Mega:     Ten  years.  
 
David:     Do  you  remember  what  happened  on  16  September?  
 
Mega:   At   about   3.30   pm,   I   noticed   that   the   machine   stopped   running,   I   told  
Razak  to  go  and  check  the  switchboard.    I  advised  him  to  press  the  reset  
button.    I  don’t  know  what  he  did.  
     
David:     Do  you  normally  do  this?  
   
Mega:   Normally   if   the   stoppage   is   minor,   I   would   press   the   reset   button   to  
restart  the  machine.    If  it  is  a  serious  problem,  I  would  inform  Rowdy,  the  
technician.  
 
Cross  examined  by  Rowdy  
 
Rowdy:   Did  you  tell  Razak  to  check  the  switchboard  or  meddle  with  it?  
 
Mega:     I  only  told  him  to  go  and  look  at  the  switch.  
 
Rowdy:   Do  you  always  go  and  press  the  button  at  the  switchboard?  

5
  
Mega:   If  I  am  present  I  tell  him  to  go.    If  not,  he  does  it  himself.    On  that  day  only  
the  hydraulic  pump  worked.    The  rest  of  the  machine  did  not.  Even  after  
he  meddled  with  the  switch,  only  the  hydraulic  pump  was  working.    Later  
I  went  and  pressed  the  reset  button,  the  machine  started  working.  
 
 
Co.W3  (Razak)  
 
The  evidence  from  the  victim,  Razak,  was  obtained  through  an  interpreter,  another  
Bangladeshi  worker,  Jamal,  in  Malay.  
David:     What  is  your  name?  
Razak   :   Razak  
David:     How  long  have  you  been  working  here?  
Razak   :   Three  years.  
David:     What  is  your  work?  
Razak   :   General  worker  at  finger  joint  machine.  
David:     On  16  September  at  about  3.30  pm  what  happened?  
Razak:   The  machine  was  not  working  and  Mega  told  me  to  go  and  press  the  
restart  button  at  the  switchboard.    Rowdy  came  with  a  stick  and  hit  me  
three  times  on  my  leg.  
David:     Was  the  stick  big  or  small?  
Razak   :   About  2  inches  thick  and  about  4  feet  long.  
David:     After  that  what  happened?  
Razak:     I  complained  to  the  Factory  Manager  and  then  I  was  taken  to  the  clinic.  
David:     Were  you  bleeding?  
Razak   :   There  was  a  little  bit  of  blood.  
David:     Have  you  recovered  now?  
Razak   :   Yes.  
 
Cross  examined  by  Rowdy  
 
Rowdy:   On  16  September,  did  you  off  the  switch?  
Razak:   I  switched  off  the  switch  and  switched  it  on  again  and  was  about  to  walk  
back  to  my  workplace  when  Rowdy  hit  me.  
Rowdy:   Where  were  you  hit?  

6
Razak:   2-­‐3  times  on  my  leg  near  the  switchboard.    I  was  about  two  feet  from  the  
switchboard.  
Rowdy:   Did  anybody  see?  
 
Razak   :   Azam  saw  you  hit  me  and  Manik  saw  you  hit  me  the  second  time.  
Rowdy:   How  did  you  know  that  the  two  persons  saw  the  incident?  
Razak   :   They  said  so.  
Rowdy:   What  are  you  doing  at  the  switchboard?  
Razak:   I  turned  off  the  switch  and  then  turned  it  on  again  and  the  machine  was  
running.    I  then  walked  away.  
Rowdy:   I  do  not  have  any  more  questions.  
 
Re-­‐examined  by  David  
 
David:     Did  you  see  Azam  and  Manik?  
Razak   :   No.    I  did  not  see  them  during  the  incident.  
David:   Before  this  incident,  have  you  been  to  the  switchboard  to  press  the  
switches?  
Razak:   I  have  done  this  once  before  when  Mega  asked  me  to.    I  never  do  it  on  
my  own.    
Evidence  from  the  accused,  Rowdy  
 
Rowdy:   On   16.9.2002   at   about   3.30   pm,   when   I   passed   by   the   machine,   I   saw  
Mega   meddling   with   the   machine.     One   indicator   light   on   the   machine  
was  on  and  the  other  two  lights  were  off.    I  then  went  to  the  back  and  I  
saw   Razak   doing   something   at   the   switchboard.     I   don’t   know   what   he  
was  doing  but  I  saw  his  hands  were  stuck.    He  could  not  pull  out  his  hands  
and   he   was   shaking.   His   face   also   changed   colour.     Then   I   tried   to   help  
him.     I   saw   a   stick   nearby.     I   tried   hitting   his   hands   but   could   not   because  
it  was  stuck  inside  the  switchboard.    I  tried  to  push  his  leg  with  the  stick  
but  could  not.    I  then  switched  off  the  main  switch  nearby  and  pulled  him  
out.   All   this   happened   in   a   second.     Then   I   scolded   him   and   asked   him  
why  he  meddled  with  the  switchboard.    He  then  thanked  me  for  saving  
his  life.  He  also  told  me  not  to  report  this  matter  to  the  office.    Then  we  
went  back  to  work  as  normal.  
 

7
Cross  examined  by  Company  Representative  
 
David:     What  is  the  voltage  on  the  switchboard?  
 
Rowdy:   The  voltage  is  240V.  
David:     What  do  you  think  happened?    Why  was  his  hand  stuck?  
Rowdy:   I  do  not  know  why  his  hands  were  stuck.  
David:     Was  there  any  leakage?  
Rowdy:   There  was  no  leakage  in  the  switchboard.  
David:     How  do  you  think  a  person  can  get  electrocuted  there?  
Rowdy:   Only  through  a  leakage.    He  could  have  been  hit  because  he  did  not  
switch  off  the  main  switch.  
David:     Normally  what  do  you  do  when  a  machine  stops?  
Rowdy:   Switch  off  the  main  switch.  
David:     Was  that  unit/machine  faulty?  
Rowdy:   The  unit  was  not  faulty.    The  switch  can  trip  if  there  is  an  overload.  
David:     You  were  asking  Mega  about  the  hydraulic  pump.  What  is  that?  
Rowdy:   If  the  main  switch  had  been  switched  off,  the  hydraulic  pump  would  also  
not  be  working.  
David:   Do  the  other  operators  switch  off  or  on  the  switch  at  the  switchboard?  
Rowdy:   I  have  trained  the  machine  operators  to  handle  this  but  not  Razak.  
David:     What  is  Razak?  
Rowdy:   Razak  is  only  a  general  worker.  
David:     Did  you  actually  hit  him?  
Rowdy:   No.    I  did  not  hit  him.  
David:     He  said  you  hit  him  three  times.  
Rowdy:   I  think  his  Section  Head  told  him  to  make  a  report.  
David:   Do  other  Bangladeshi  workers  or  general  workers  meddle  with  
switchboard?  
Rowdy:   Others  don’t  but  this  Bangladeshi  do.    I  warned  him  three  times  already.  
David:     No  further  questions.  
Rowdy  requested  if  he  could  ask  Co.W1,  Loony,  one  more  question.    He  was  allowed  to  
do  so.  

8
Rowdy:   You  saw  his  leg?  
Loony   :   He  showed  his  thigh  above  the  left  knee,  where  there  was  a  red  patch.  
 
The  inquiry  came  to  an  end  at  11.45  am.  
Recorded  by  
 
 
__________________  
Mellisa  
(Secretary)  
 
JOANNA         LINDA                    SITI  
 
 
_________________________   _________________                    ______________                                    
JOANNA              LINDA         SITI  
(Chairman)          (Panel  Member)                (Panel  Member)  
 
 
 
_____________________  
Rowdy  Thalaveti  
(Accused  Employee)  
 
Date  :  ________________________