Letter to The Star - 9 May 2012

The Editor
The Star Newspaper
9th May, 2012

Dear Sir,

Re: Correction of errors in your today’s article entitled “Permanent home needed – Eurasian Association faces eviction after 60 years at site”

I have for reference your abovementioned article which was published in the STAR Newspaper today, 9th May, 2012.

2.     I thank the STAR for taking the time to interview both the Honourable Secretary of our association, SAFTEA and I recently on the issue of SAFTEA’s rights over the present site. Whilst publicity is welcomed for our “Save our Building Campaign” the article carries serious factual errors which must be corrected immediately.


3.     These errors are as follows:-
3.1     Eviction notice
Firstly, contrary to your article, there was no eviction notice from the land owner that had been served upon SAFTEA.

What SAFTEA received was a notice from UDA Holdings Berhad (“UDA”) to SAFTEA saying that SAFTEA’s building on the site will be demolished and offering to rent some space of 1000 – 3000 square feet to SAFTEA at a discounted rate. SAFTEA does not acknowledge nor accept that UDA is the land owner and that it has the right to issue such a demolition notice.

However, as UDA had issued such a letter, SAFTEA is understandably alarmed and had promptly responded to UDA calling upon UDA to confirm that SAFTEA’s building or any parts thereof will not be demolished at all. SAFTEA had politely called upon UDA to give such confirmation promptly so as to allay the concern of the members of SAFTEA as SAFTEA does not have any other place to go.

3.2     SAFTEA’s rights over the site of 167 Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur
Secondly, contrary to your article purporting to say we acknowledge the site is not our land, take notice that SAFTEA had occupied its current site since the 1950s at the request of the authorities because SAFTEA was told the site allocated to SAFTEA at the junction of Jalan Ipoh and Maxwell Road was required for occupation by the military authorities.

SAFTEA had over the past 60 years been recognized as the lawful occupier of this current site. In fact, SAFTEA was led to believe that this site will be allocated to it in consideration for or in exchange for the Jalan Ipoh and Maxwell Road site. Accordingly, SAFTEA had expended time and money to construct its building and has been occupying it all these years.

3.3     SAFTEA’s plea
The pleas of Joseph De Souza and I on behalf of SAFTEA were incorrectly reported in your article. The impression you gave was that SAFTEA was seeking a permanent place because SAFTEA acknowledges that it has no rights over the site. This is incorrect. What we had said was that SAFTEA’s plea to the relevant authorities is that a title to SAFTEA’s current site or another suitable piece of land with building be formally allocated to SAFTEA so as to give it a sense of permanence and security to carry out its activities.


After the interview, I had requested for a copy of the proposed article to be sent to me to review before it is published. It was not. If it had, such errors as mentioned above would not have made its way into your article.

I would be grateful that as part of your responsibility you will take immediate steps to correct the errors by taking remedial corrective measures and to publish this letter of mine. That I am taking this letter out to you immediately on the same day of your publication to have the errors corrected is because of my deep concern over how serious the errors are and how these errors, if left uncorrected may cause unnecessary prejudice to the relevant parties.

Yours sincerely,

Sheila E. De Costa
President
Selangor and Federal Territory Association
9th May, 2012