As advisor to SJKC Damansara SOS Committee, I would like to inform the public of the above matter. The struggle enters its 172nd day as of today. Seventy-five students continue their studies in the air-conditioned containers under the close guidance of 14 teachers working on a voluntary basis.

Despite the pending threats and warnings from the education ministry, we have recently received a few requests from a number of parents (including two Indian parents) to allow their kids to enrol for year 2002. Most of these parents currently have children studying at the temple. This in a way reflects the determination of villagers to keep their original school, and the level of confidence of the parents have in the makeshift school.

The struggle of SJK (C) Damansara enjoys support from all the major communities and political party such as DAP, PAS, Keadilan and PRM. All the top leaders of Barisan Alternatif have paid visits to the school to lend their support. The BA MPs have raised the issue in the previous parliamentary sessions. Even political parties within the ruling coalition have openly expressed their support. These include Gerakan, MIC, SUPP, SAPP and some of the MCA grassroots leaders and members.

Our strongest supporters from the Chinese community include Dong Jiao Zong, Selangor Dong Lian Hui, Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall and its youth wing.

The SJK (C) Damansara controversy has not only grown from a local issue into a national one, it also attracted the attention of the international media. A great number of TV and radio stations and news agencies have covered the story with great interest. These include BBC, abc, Canadian TV, STAR TV, SBC, Reuters, AFP and Asahi Shimbun.

The SOS Committee has received more than RM250,000 in donation from supporters and sympathisers all over the country. More than 300 associations and organisations have paid official visits to the school. They brought banners, money and materials to support the school. Even some grassroots leaders and members of Gerakan, MCA and SAPP were not left behind.

The committee has so far organised more than 100 forums all over the country with the help of Dong Jiao Zong, DAP and other BA parties and other Chinese guilds and associations. Most of the forums attracted great response and support from the people.

With the help our all major communities and various political parties in the country, the committee has collected 150,000 signatures within a short period of four months (from Feb 16 to June 16).

The committee will be submitting a new memorandum together with the 150,000 signatures to the Prime Minister sometime in July this year. We hope he will respect the aspirations of the Malaysian community and use his good office to reopen the school. Copies will also be sent to the Barisan Alternatif leadership and the education minister.

The committee has planned to hold a series of SOS Solidarity Dinners throughout the country to spearhead the second phase of struggle. The first dinner will be held in Section 17 Petaling Jaya on July 21.

We will invite all our supporters and sympathisers, old and new, far and near, partisan or non-partisan, to attend the dinner. We hope to use the occasion to renew our pledge and to reaffirm our demand and aspiration to preserve the original SJK (C) Damansara. If the school issue is resolved by then, we will turn it into a celebration.

The committee has produced three versions of VCDs, T-shirts, baseball cap, three newsletters (two in Chinese, one in English and Malay) to assist our SOS campaign over the first 170 days. We will be adding a car sticker to our campaign before end of this month.

Members of the public who subscribe to the concept of 'Every community deserves the school it needs' and wish to support the SOS campaign can contact Tommy Chin at 012-335 6118, Baiqi at 019-350 3563 and SJK (C) Damansara at 03-7957 4984.

The MCA top leaders, its president in particular, should be held responsible for the long-drawn stand-off. They must realise their mistakes and learn to cut losses by heeding the call of the entire Chinese community. To go against the wishes and aspirations of the community it claims to represent is as good as digging its own grave.