Supporters of the Save Our School (SOS) Damansara committee want MCA president Ong Ka Ting and his deputy Chan Kong Choy to prove the party's capacity to influence Barisan Nasional (BN) in championing the Chinese community's interests.

The test of their mettle will be on how they deal with fresh calls to reopen the Damansara Chinese primary school, which the government closed in January 2001 on the grounds that it "no longer offered a conducive learning environment" for pupils.

Since then, Chinese educationists and opposition politicians have been campaigning for it to be reopened, arguing that the community does not want to see the number of vernacular schools being reduced.

The SOS Damansara committee organised a dinner last Saturday, which 1,200 people attended as a show of support for both the campaign and the issues it has unleashed within the community.

Committee advisor and DAP national publicity chief Ronnie Liu said MCA could prove the party is not being "marginalised" within BN, if MCA is able to play a role in reopening the school.

DAP has consistently claimed that MCA is only a junior partner in the ruling coalition and that it has little clout in standing up to decisions initiated by the dominant component party Umno.

"The closure of the school was wrong in the first place. To get it reopened is their (MCA's) commitment and responsibility to the people. This is to merely rectify a mistake...it is not something which they should take pride in doing," Liu said.

Liu, said the committee's donation drive of 'one person, one ringgit' - launched earlier this year - has netted about RM150,000 to date.

He said the sum donated shows that the campaign remains relevant nationwide and that the support will not die.

"This collection is to let the government and MCA know that, if they don't lift the closure order immediately, they will be the ones to face the consequences during the general election," he said.

MCA failures

Vice-president for United Chinese School Teachers' Association of Malaysia, Loot Ting Yee, echoed Liu's statement.

"MCA was unable to prevent the degrading of mother tongue education in (Chinese) primary schools during the controversial language switch policy approved last year (to teach Science and Mathematics in the English language)," he noted in a speech during the dinner.

"Now, they are unable to speak out for the reopening of Damansara school."

Recent-released Internal Security Act detainee and Keadilan vice-president Tian Chua said MCA should not offer the prospect of reopening the school as an election sweetener.

"We are well aware of BN tactics in appeasing the community. I am shocked that the school is still closed and that students are continuing their studies in six (converted) container boxes," he said of the stalemate which resulted in some parents refusing to transfer their children to the current school premises.

Tian praised the committee for its persistence in keeping the issue alive and compared its efforts to the campaign to obtain the release of the six reformasi detainees - including himself - from the Kamunting Detention Camp in Perak.

"The Abolish ISA Movement kept up its lobby for two years (from June 2001) until we were released (in two batches on June 1 and 12 ). Similarly, if SOS Damansara stands firm, the school will be reopened one day," he said.

Open invitation

SOS secretary Tommy Chin invited the Chinese-educated MCA's Ong and Chan to visit the school to understand the meaning of the supporters' struggle.

"The committee hopes the two - who claim they understand the community's needs - will come to the school. They should reopen it for the sake of Chinese education, the community and (the future of) our children," he said.

He said this was also an open invitation to MCA-Petaling Jaya Utara member of Parliament Chew Mei Fun, as the school lies within her constituency.

"We invited her many times in the past, but she didn't turn up. I wonder why. If she is so concerned about the rising rate of robberies (her current campaign), why isn't she equally concerned that the government has robbed the community of a school?" he asked.

United Chinese School Committees' Association president Quek Suan Hiang was terse and sarcastic when asked his views.

"The government always (leads the) chant 'Malaysia boleh '....but the question is boleh apa? (What can it do)? Open a lock also don't know ," he said, lapsing into colloquial speech.

Event photographs courtesy of Perspektif Pedas.