(Penang, Sunday): The announcement
by the Education Minister, Tan Sri Musa Mohamad to close the original
SJK © Damansara at Section 17, Petaling Jaya is most unreasonable,
especially after he had himself conceded that it could still be used as
a school when he issued his ill-advised one week ultimatum that the
1,400 pupils relocated to Puay Chay II would have to revert back to the
old school premises if the school board could not get unanimous agreement
among the parents to shift.
Musa was being very high-handed and illogical when he said that
without 100% support of the parents, all the students would have
to shift back to the old SJK (C)Damansara and that the proposed school
premises in Tropicana will be cancelled.
This is because the majority has the right to have its views respected - and in any event, the minority of the parents who want their children to stay put in the original Damansara school had never sought to impose its views on the majority parents who want their children to remain in SJK © Puay Chai II until construction of the new school at Tropicana within two years.
What the minority parents are insisting is that no majority should trample on the rights of the minority who want their children to remain at the original school premises in Section 17 on grounds of accessibility and community schooling.
All right-thinking Malaysians must protest Musa’s decision to reject the "3-Win" formula to resolve the Damansara school controversy, to build the new school at Tropicana, to retain the original school on a smaller scale as a community school for pupils in the vicinity and to achieve the building of an additional Chinese primary school in the Klang Valley.
A national campaign should be launched to retain the original Damansara school in addition to building of a new school at Tropicana, which should be supported by Malaysians irrespective of race, as more and more non-Chinese are sending their children to Chinese primary schools, apparently agreeing with the comments by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad before the general election that the teachers and students in Chinese primary schools are more committed and dedicated.
(28/1/2001)