KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 — An opposition lawmaker today slammed the government over a controversial plan to relocate over a thousand students to two other schools, over an alleged dispute over the use of land owned by the Catholic Church in Kuantan, Pahang.

Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh said the Education Ministry is going to relocate the 1,190 students and entire administration of St Thomas’ primary and secondary schools to two other schools in the area starting December 15, just because the church is now asking for rent.

“The ministry’s argument is that the church is now asking for rent, but when I met with the church’s representative in Kuantan, they said even just a token is fine since the school had been there for the past 60 years,” she said at a press conference at the Parliament lobby.

“(The relocation to existing schools) is a very stupid move, and has to be stopped. I don’t understand why the government is going through with this,” she added.

The tussle between the government and church went up to the courts last year, after Putrajaya put in an application to acquire the land, which housed the St Thomas school, from the church.

It was reported by English daily The Star that the Pahang land office had gazetted the land for acquisition on May 24 last year, and that the church only received the notice of intended acquisition of the land a month later on June 21.

The church had argued that the government decision to acquire part of the land, which is owned by the Titular Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur Rev Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam and his predecessors since 1905, is null and void as it infringes the fundamental right of freedom to practise the Catholic religion as guaranteed in the Federal Constitution.

Putrajaya, however, has since withdrawn their acquisition bid and were ordered by the courts to take all steps to de-gazette the intention to acquire the land, according to news reports in January this year.

Earlier today, Fuziah had tabled an emergency motion to debate the December 15 relocation of St Thomas’ students, but it was shot down by Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee on grounds that it is not an urgent matter.

At the press conference, Fuziah claimed that the situation is veering out of control as the ministry's alleged failure to properly deal with the issue has only bred animosity among students, who purportedly believe that it is the church's fault that they have to study at a different school until they get new premises.

Under the coming relocation, the administration and students of the secondary school will operate out of SM Sultan Abu Bakar, which currently has some 1,400 students, while the primary school will move to SK Teruntum.

She said the government has not made any effort to negotiate with the church over the status of the school despite the latter having made it clear that it intended to take back the land to expand church facilities as far back as 2008.

“The owner of the land gave notice to the education ministry in 2008, and made it very clear that they wanted to expand. But instead of relocating the school, the government started acquiring the church land.

“What disappoints me is that the students don't need to leave the school, because the church has agreed to let them stay on until December 31, 2015 ... the education ministry did not communicate with the church, only using their lawyers, and showed arrogance towards the land owners,” she claimed.

Fuziah said the parent-teacher association (PTA) at St Thomas has also been staunchly against the move, but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears despite having met with Deputy Education Minister Datuk Mary Yap recently.

“The church is upset that their actions have been misunderstood. The last thing they want is to disrupt the children's education, which is why they gave the education ministry five years. The issue now is that the ministry has a responsibility to the students,” she said.