The alleged attempt to turn the SJK (C) Damansara primary school into a warehouse has prompted the Save Our School (SOS) committee to embark on a new campaign.

"The intention of turning the original school into a godown is very clear...because of this, we believe there is no intention to reopen the school," said DAP publicity secretary Ronnie Liu, who is the committee's adviser.

On Dec 12, residents managed to prevent five lorries - each carrying approximately 50 boxes of documents - from dumping the load into the classrooms of the school which have been abandoned since 2000.

Some of the documents left behind, allegedly from the boxes, were made available to Liu, who confirmed that these comprised official documents of records of retired public school teachers that were eight to nine years old. Some of these had been eaten by termites.

Save Our School (SOS) committee, which consists of residents and individuals who opposed the school's closure, had told malaysiakini they had sent a letter to Education Minister Musa Mohamed seeking an official inquiry over the incident.

No justification

Liu also said there was no justification for the closure, as there was a dire need for more Chinese schools in the area.

"There is no point in dragging their feet. It is the legitimate right of the new villagers (to continue using the school) as it was founded by them," said Liu.

The school which sits on a 0.32 hectre land in Section 17 was shut down by order of the Education Ministry, which claimed that the school was too small and too near a highway, but offered a new school in Tropicana for the displaced students.

However, about 50 students were still enrolled in the school this year, attending classes in converted containers located on the land belonging to a nearby temple. The school currently depends on donations from the public to sustain the RM16,000 monthly upkeep.

Nationwide campaign

The recent developments have spurred the SOS to embark on a nationwide campaign to highlight their plight.

"We also do not have enough press coverage as most Chinese papers that featured us placed our story in the Klang Valley section, therefore limiting our reach", said SOS publicist Choong Pei Chee.

She said that SOS had launched a campaign in Negri Sembilan last night with the help of local guilds and associations who will help to organise tours to visit the school.

"A lot of individuals and groups think that Chinese education is very important. Chinese education is suppressed and our school is a good example; Chinese education must be given fair treatment," she said.

SOS plans to send out fliers to groups and individuals who are willing to make copies and redistribute them, as well as hold forums and organise tours to the school.