The gate issue stays open

THE Bandar Utama Residents Association BU6 area committee wants SJK (C) Puay Chai 2 to open its original back gate for use and not the 15-foot gate that was constructed by the school. 

BURA BU6 area committee representative Sheikh Mohd Ghazali Yusoff said the school’s Parents Teachers Association (PTA) had not been truthful about the entire issue where the school and the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) were at odds over the manner in which the council closed the rear gate. 

The PTA had argued that the gate was part of the original school design and the gate should be allowed to remain open. 

“This is the original gate,” said Ghazali, pointing to a three-foot gate behind the school that was hidden behind some shrubbery and trees. 

“Their claim that the 15-foot gate that has been here since the school was built and should be allowed to be open is far from the truth.” 

This is it: Residents of BU6 pointing out the original rear gate of the school along JalanBU6/6.

Ghazali said Bukit Lanjan assemblyman Yong Dai Ying took the initiative to resolve the problem amicably by having consultations with various affected parties when the issue first surfaced in Sept 15, 2005. 

An agreement was reached 18 months later with the understanding that MBPJ would spend some RM70,000 to build several facilities in return for the school closing the gate. 

Despite the agreement and the implementation of the facilities that led to the closure of the gate on Jan 15, the school orchestrated a demonstration using seven to nine-year-old pupils carrying placards condemning MBPJ with wordings like “MBPJ Use Your Brain For Children Safety!!!.” 

“The school took unilateral action for the second time by opening the 15-foot gate on March 19,” said Ghazali. 

“We also lodged a protest with MBPJ on March 12 and 15 that during the closure period, the school did absolutely nothing to monitor or control the so-called traffic congestion. No traffic wardens were on duty to control traffic as promised by the school.” 

Through their enquiries with the Education Ministry, the committee said all 874 schools in Selangor have only two gates - one front main gate and a standard three-foot wide rear gate. 

“The rear gate functions only as an emergency exit. The surrounding schools in Bandar Utama have only two gates. But Puay Chai 2 has five gates.” 

“The school has blatantly wasted public money by not keeping its part of the agreement and by getting MBPJ to spend RM70,000 of PJ rate-payers money to upgrade a portion of Lebuh Bandar Utama where lay-bys were constructed, special signages were erected and other related jobs were done at the insistence of the school,” said Ghazali. 

The committee has obtained 228 signatures from the residents in BU6 who are against the opening of the rear gate. 

“Our stand on this whole issue is that the school should open the original three-foot gate for use by residents of BU6 who have children in the school,” said Ghazali.