PUPILS of SJKC Pekan Lama used to play basketball at an open court under the searing heat in Sungai Petani, Kedah.

But this will be a thing of the past with the opening of a new covered basketball court costing RM480,000.

The school’s board chairman Gan Hor Chye said parents and pupils were lobbying for a covered court for many years.

They launched a fundraising campaign and collected RM360,000 last year.

MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai topped it up with RM80,000 when he opened the court on Friday.

He said he was happy to help the school.

Gan said they would organise another programme in June to raise the remaining RM40,000.

“We are glad the pupils can now play basketball in a conducive environment.

“Before that, they practised under the hot sun. We are grateful to MCA for coming to our aid,” he said.

Gan said construction began in November last year and it was completed two months later.

Liow, who is also Transport Minister, earlier attended the first Cabinet meeting on the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) 2017 exhibition in Langkawi and went on a site inspection with Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein at several LIMA venues.

Liow also had a fruitful meeting with representatives of several Chinese guild associations and youth associations in Kedah at a restaurant in Alor Setar.

Despite his busy schedule, he stopped briefly at Gurun’s New Light Cafe for a cuppa with locals.

He then visited the Sungai Petani Hock Teik Soo temple and contri-buted RM50,000 from his allocation to the temple’s expansion.

Temple chairman Ngan Che Poh said the rebuilding and expansion would cost about RM5mil.

“We have raised about RM500,000 so far,” he said.

Project coordinator Ooi Tse Piao said the temple’s history dated back to over 200 years.

“The building last underwent major works in the 1960s,” he said.

Later, at the Bakar Arang MCA division Chinese New Year dinner at SJKC Sin Kwang, Liow contribu-ted RM50,000 to SJKC Lin Khay’s development fund.

-The Star-