URGENT APPEAL

Widows House Demolished
By DBKL & Chong Hwa (Private) High School
Without Any Discussion Or Compensation

We, the undersigned, are extremely disappointed with the Chong Hwa (Pr) High School and Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) for demolishing the home of a 58 year old widow, Pn Sellamani a/p V Nadesa Thevar of Kg Chinnathamby Chetty, Jln Ipoh, and without being properly compensated. This is an outrage of an educational institution (Chong Hwa High School) which is supposed to teach its young ones to have morals such as respect for the elders, to shelter those who dont have and other morals becoming of a caring Malaysian.

On April 17, 2000 personnel from DBKL demolished the widows house and two others in an effort to make way for the development of the Co-curriculum Centre of the school. The homeless people rebuilt shelters to prevent their belongings from being destroyed by the rain. Unfortunately these shelters and other properties were again destroyed by DBKL on April 18, 2000. Persatuan Masyarakat Selangor & Wilayah Perseketuan and Jawatankuasa Sokongan Peneroka Bandar (JSPB) had attempted to meet the Director of DBKL on April 19, 2000 but it was to no avail. Both these groups are still lobbying for support for the widow through various means of lobbying.

We are most outraged at the school Principal, Mr Tans sense of ethics in suggesting that Ringgit five would be sufficient compensation for this widows displacement. We are outraged that a Principal of such a well respected school should hold such miserly sense of ethics, utterly show no generosity nor respect for a homeless widow. What example is he setting for his students and for his teachers? What leader by example is he trying to depict? Do we want such leaders near our young generation?