news feature

A banner which highlighted the struggle to reopen the SJK (C) Damansara school welcomed guests who attended a dinner at the Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur last Friday. The dinner laid to rest any doubts that the commitment and dedication could be fading after 500 days.

With more than 1,000 people attending the function in support of the cause, there were no questions concerning the Save Our School (SOS) Damansara committee's ability to muster support.

The dinner, organised by SOS, was aimed at obtaining more funds to support the remaining students who are studying in cabins at a temple near the school's old site.

The SOS Damansara Committee has been struggling for the reopening of the SJK (C) Damansara original site, which was closed down by the authorities last year. The school was relocated to another nearby location.

However, several parents objected to this, claiming that the authorities had mislead them as they were never informed about the relocation.

According to them the authorities said that only a branch was being constructed and had not mentioned anything about closing down the original site.

While most pupils moved to the new school, some were adamant and chose to remain.

Chinese educationists viewed the closure as an erosion of mother-tongue education. Left unopposed, they feared that the ultimate objective of the national education policy will eventually eradicate Chinese vernacular education completely.

Las Friday's dinner was also attended by representatives from various Chinese guilds and associations, and also opposition leaders such as PRM president Dr Syed Husin Ali, DAP members of parliament Teresa Kok and Fong Kui Lin, DAP Youth chief Teng Chang Khim and Keadilan supreme council member Khalid Jaafar and a Youth wing leader, Low Chee Chong.

Memorable show

With local undergraduates and college students as volunteers, the organisers managed to stage quite a memorable show.

Former students, entertained guests with songs and a Mandarin sketch called ' My school ' which reenacted the closing of the school.

"We want our school. We want to study," the actors chanted when two 'officials' sealed their school.

Veteran educationist, Loot Ting Yee from the Chinese schools' teachers association (Jiao Zong) won a standing ovation when he strained his vocal chords rendering a song, about the school, that he wrote himself.

When met later, the educationist, who is in his 70s, said that the school may be re-opened when the next general election nears in order to appease the Chinese Malaysian community.

Apart from this, students who graduated from the school last year also shared their feelings over the matter.

The 13-year-olds said they could not imagine the fact that the school which they had spent years in had been shut down.

"No matter what, we hope our school can be re-opened," said the students who are now studying in an independent Chinese high school in Klang.

Several student groups, such as the Malaysian Youth and Student Democratic Movement (Dema) and Tunku Abdul Rahman College's Progressive Movement (Getar) also made their presence felt that night by presenting hand-painted banners to SOS in support of the committee's cause.

In his speech later, Dong Zong chairperson Quek Suan Hiang urged the government to consider the people's demand.

According to him, more than 15,000 people wanted the original Damansara primary school to be reopened as demonstrated in the mass signature campaign carried out by SOS since the school's closure in early 2001.

"History will remember those who oppose the reopening of the orginal school," he said.

Postcards and VCDs

Meanwhile, a series of postcards, video compact disc and a pictorial on the SOS struggle were also launched at the function.

"I hope everybody can own these picture collection and circulate them. Let all of us share the message in this book," said SOS committee secretary Tommy Chin in his welcoming speech earlier.

Published in commemoration of the 500-day closure of SJK (C) Damansara, SOS hopes to secure more public donations with the sale of these merchandise.

The committee needs about RM20,000 every month to maintain the makeshift school in the Ruan Liang temple.

Funds are needed for the rental of air-conditioned cabins, utility bills, teacher's allowance, food, book loans and field trips for the pupils.

Though the dinner managed to raise more than RM90,000, for SOS the battle is far from won.