The normally tranquil suburbs of Section 17 in Petaling Jaya erupted into a scene of joy and camaraderie as more than 2,000 gathered in a show of solidarity for the reopening of SJK(C) Damansara at a fund raising dinner on Saturday.

The dinner, the third of its kind, saw the attendance double that of last year , even drawing well-wishers from other states and various races.

The dinner, organised by the Save Our School (SOS) Committee, was aimed at informing the public regarding the plight of the school, their publicity campaigns as well as funding the operations of a makeshift school.

Presently, the committee operates the school at a temple next to the original school, costing them RM14,000 a month. The original school was deemed "unconducive" for studying.

After the closure of the original school, the government built a new school in Tropicana - five kilometers away but 20 minutes on traffic-free drive - causing an uproar among villagers in the area as they were initially promised a branch school.

Hence the establishment of the makeshift school in the temple. At the moment, there are 47 students and 11 teachers occupying several air-conditioned container boxes.

At the dinner, Damansara school pupils in their uniforms held candles and sang about their struggle and perseverance, drawing a deafening applause from the audience.

Remain vocal

Guest of honour for the night, the state assemblyperson for Bukit Gasing Dr Lim Thuang Seng, applauded the committee and supporters of the cause for keeping up with the struggle to reopen the school.

"If the students, parents and villagers give up, then trying to reopen the school now, would be futile," he said in his speech.

He expressed his optimism that the school can one day be reopened, but cautioned the audience not to give up their support.

"We hope that with the new (government) administration, the school would have better chances of reopening. Nevertheless, we need to continue the struggle for the community's wishes," he said.

Lim also announced his donation of RM3,000 to SOS Damansara.

Lim Lian Geok Foundation's Loot Ting Yee took the stage next and delivered a fiery speech on the importance of reopening the school.

Loot, a seasoned Chinese educationist related his story of how when his visited kampungs across the country he saw unoccupied schools that resembled "palaces".

"Why are there empty 'palaces' in the kampungs when there is not even one new Chinese school in urban areas? Is our government a benevolent government?" he asked, to which the audience replied with a resounding "No!".

Loot urged the audience to remain vocal in their support for the reopening of the school, and that the government needs to respect the rights of the minority.

"We are non-negotiable as this area needs a Chinese school. This is our basic right which cannot be compromised. The majority needs to respect the minority, now that's democracy!" he exclaimed.

Key and lock

Similarly, Chinese education group Dong Zhong chairperson Quek Suan Hiang, said that there should be at least one Chinese school in the area.

"But now... there is none," he said.

Quek believed that the government would eventually relent and reopen the school should enough pressure be put on the government.

In a symbolic act, Quek was given a large mock key to open a mock lock, which symbolised the lock on the gates of the school. A thunderous roar erupted when Quek opened the lock.

Diners were also treated to dances and skits involving teachers, students, student activist and villagers.

The night ended with a rendition of the Chinese song, ' Zhuan Teng (Continuing the flame)' in which everyone in attendance held up candles.