The Save Our School (SOS) committee for SJK (C) Damansara in Petaling Jaya is holding a series of events to mark the 1000 th day of its closure .

The three-day programmes will feature an exhibition, vigil night, culture night and fund raising.

1000th day declaration

The programmes have attracted thousands of people nationwide who turned up at the temporary school of SJK (C) Damansara in Petaling Jaya.

Since the event began yesterday, it is learnt that more than ten buses loaded with supporters from Penang, Kedah and Perak have joined their Kuala Lumpur counterparts to renew their struggle for the re-opening of the school.

Tomorrow, prominent educationists such as the United Chinese School Committees' Association president Quek Suan Hiang and the United Chinese School Teachers' Association president Ong Chiow Chuen will lead the supporters to endorse a 1000 th day struggle declaration.

When contacted, SOS publicity chief Choong Pai Chee said the committee only started preparation for the event two weeks ago.

Despite the short time, the response is simply amazing and we are grateful to all who have supported this cause, he said.

Citing an example, she said one of the committee members managed to RM14,000 for the event from Petaling Jaya residents within two weeks.

Government's tactic fail

Meanwhile, DAP publicity chief Ronnie Liu said in a statement that the government's "delaying tactic" in hoping to wear out the fighting spirit and capacity of the SOS and supporters failed as the campaign enters its 1000th day.

He believed that the school might be reopened before the next general election.

"News has it that the education ministry has sent a team to take photos of the original SJKC Damansara. Some even claimed that a team of contractors has been sent to carry out renovations and general cleaning for the security guardhouse and the school buildings.

"Many see this latest development as positive sign for the re-opening in time for the next general election," the DAP leader said.

The vernacular school was ordered closed by the Education Ministry on Jan 2, 2001, ostensibly because it no longer provided a "conducive learning environment".

Its 1,430 pupils were told to relocate temporarily to another school while a new building in Tropicana, located several kilometres away from the original premises, was being built. The Tropicana building was completed in time for the 2002 school term.

The original school now has 47 pupils and 12 teachers, housed in the air-conditioned containers on the grounds of a neighbouring temple.

The SOS committee won several awards including the prominent Suaram human rights award and Lim Lian Geok (a spiritual leader of the Malaysian Chinese education movement) award for being one of the most self-dependent and successful organisations in recent years.