By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, July 30: SK St Alban Sungai Tapang headmistress Redis Rawes has come forward to clear the air after she felt that the school was allegedly being ‘used’ by Opposition politicians for their political gain.
According to Anglican Church Education Council Sarawak (ACECS) diocesan secretary Rev. Fr. Jeffry Renos, Redis said Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak member Michael Kong and his companion named John indeed came to the school yesterday (July 29) to hand over a RM20,000 cheque to fund the school activities under the SK St Alban Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)’s name.
After the visit, Kong published a statement the same day, saying that the headmistress had sought the assistance of DAP to write to the Ministry of Education (MOE) to pressure for the school’s development.
“In fact, I didn’t say anything like what was being reported. Now I feel they are using our school issue for their political gain, and I personally feel disturbed by the picture and the media report.
“During the brief meeting with them (DAP men), I talked the least, but then in the report, everything was twisted,” she said in a statement forwarded by the Church to DayakDaily today.
Following the event, the incident has complicated Redis to the extent that she is now in a position where she could lose her profession and may be subject to disciplinary action for something she didn’t do.
In Kong’s statement, he also highlighted an old block of the primary school which he described as not only ‘unsightly’ but also poses a danger to students and teachers as part of the roof could crumble anytime.
To this, Redis rebuked the statement by saying that the old block was only a small picture of the school, which Kong used as a political spin.
“SK St Alban is a beautiful school with good buildings. The old block is indeed located inside the school, but it has already been made inaccessible by the school fraternity with a ‘No Entry’ sign being put up.
“Additionally, the school already has development plans to demolish the old block pending several processes,” she explained. — DayakDaily
