Unhappy with inaction by both the federal and Selangor governments, the Save Our School SJKT Seaport movement is set to bring the issue to the upcoming Kajang by-election.

Malaysia Tamil School Boards president R Kannan ( left ) said the action committee last week decided  they will hand a memorandum on the relocated school to Kajang candidate PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim during the campaign period.

“The families (of the students) has mooted to hand a memorandum to Anwar since there are rumours that he is staging himself as the (next Selangor) menteri besar,” he told the press after a site visit by Suhakam to the original school.

He added the committee is also planning to hand a similar memorandum to BN's Kajang candidate MCA vice-president Chew Mei Fun.

“We want to know what BN will do about the particular school,” he said.

Located in SS7 Kelana Jaya in Selangor, the Tamil primary school was embroiled in controversy when it was relocated to Kampung Lindungan as hen parents refused to send their children to the new school building.

Parents claimed the new location was too far and transportation costs too expensive.

Nevertheless, the whole relocation issue actually began in the 80s, when the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) planned to develop the said land, and as such, SJKT Seaport had been operating in a temporary building.

Although the Selangor government had once said that it has no problem gazetting the land, authorities have yet to respond.

According to Kannan, the school’s Parent-Teacher Association chairperson V Kumar had received a copy of a letter supposedly issued by the menteri besar’s chief private secretary Mohamad Yasid Bidin to the Petaling District officer Misri Idris as to ask the latter to consider gazetting the land.

But since then, he said, they have not received a single official letter from the state government regarding this matter.

This is despite support from Selangor exco members Elizabeth Wong and V Ganabatirau, as well as PKR Kelana Jaya MP Wong Chen and Selangor deputy speaker Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

“We are very disappointed. Actually this is the matter pertaining to the students, so serious attention should be given,” he added.

Suhakam to organise dialogue

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Comission (Suhakam) commissioner James Nayagam ( centre in photo ) had paid a visit to the old school building along with several officers from Selangor Education Department.

After meeting and discussing the issue with parents, James said that the commission plans to organise a dialogue between the parents and the Selangor government, to get things moving.

Although he stated that Suhakam will also invite officers from the Education Ministry to attend the dialogue, he pointed out that the main issue of the entire saga is the fact that the land on which the school sits is under the state government’s jurisdiction.

However, when asked how soon the dialogue will be conducted, James said that the commission will decide on a date next week, adding that there are many human rights issues which needs the attention of the commission.

“We hope (to conduct this dialogue) as soon as possible. As you know, human rights has so many pressing issue, so we have to work it out,” he said.

Speaking to the press later, Jaafar Samsudin, a policy officer under Selangor exco member Dr Halimah Ali said the state government has yet to initiate the work to gazette the land.

When pressed, he declined to reveal the reason behind the delay.