COMMENT | Abandoned school, a 'pontianak' and accountability

COMMENT | Twenty-two years ago, I moved to Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur, with my family. We rented an apartment overseeing a large piece of land that looked like a common wetland area.

Every weekend, I saw people walking in and out of the area – with fishing rods and their catch of the day. On a clear day, white storks would be flying around looking for snacks.

Having a peaceful looking green area right across the street from my balcony was a delight I must say, especially after a long stressful day.

A couple of years later, a new construction project to build a public school took place in the area. Many of us in the neighbourhood discussed the suitability of the soil structure of the land for a school building, especially since it involved the safety of children.

However, since construction projects would normally include regular progress reports submitted to and approved by the client – which in this case is the Education Ministry - we believed everything would be well executed.

In 2003, SK Danau Perdana was built at the cost of RM14.5 million. Situated at Jalan 1/109F in Taman Danau Desa, Jalan Kelang Lama, the school started to enrol its first batch of students that year.

My daughter, who started her schooling in 2004, was among the school’s second batch of students...