Statement Released by Dong Zong

June 22, 2017

The Relocation Expenses of SMJK Confucian Should Be Shouldered by the Government

Herewith, Dong Zong posits its stance in regard to the campus dispute between Confucian Private High School and SMJK Confucian proper:

1. As indicated evidently by extant documents and the land grant of Confucian Private High School, the ownership of the school land of the sharing two schools is entitled to Confucian Private High School. Over the past decades, there was not any land ownership disputes between Confucian Private High School and SMJK Confucian. As such, the raise of the dispute at this juncture is indeed incomprehensible. Dong Zong opines that there should not be any disputes over the land ownership and it ought to halt right there and no one should instigate further unnecessary disputes.

(2) SMJK Confucian had been over the years applied to move out of its current location for further development and was granted in 2004 by the Ministry of Education. With responses from various sectors, a number of lands were offered freely by developers, of which the most impressive ones were the 4-acre land offer in Seri Kembangan in 2007 and the10-acre land offer in 2013 at Rawang. Unfortunately, these offers were all gone with the wind attributed to a variety of factors. The most unfortunate being, the relocation issue of SMJK Confucian had constantly be raised prior to national election and was later put aside thus the matter is unsettled until this very day. The reason of its delay in relocation is hitherto unrevealed.

(3) In response to the said dispute, Dong Zong urges the School Board of SMJK Confucian to withdraw its lawsuit against Confucian Private High School over the land dispute immediately and fulfilled its relocation plan as soon as possible for the advancement of the two schools at longer term. Dong Zong opines that matters pertinent to Chinese community need not be forwarded to the court as it consumes resources from the community; rather, it should be negotiated and compromised privately.

(4) The land dispute between the mentioned two schools will subsequently lead to an internecine situation and is destructive to Chinese education. Both schools share a campus area of 2.3 acres and accommodate some 3,000 students in capacity. Their campuses are indeed overpopulated which backfires further development and is inconducive to learning. That said, we believe that negotiation should be at play to settle the problems encountered by the relocation of SMJK Confucian. Further, we also reckon the government is obliged to honour its promises towards national-type Chinese schools after directing them to reform by shouldering the expenses of land, construction and facilities to assure its earlier relocation.