A History of Compliance

The Al Hidayah Islamic Pre-School has been in the Setiakasih neighbourhood of Damansara Heights for many years, and they have always strived to be a good member of the community.

In 1994, Al Hidayah applied for a permit from DBKL. However, the application was rejected in 1995. Subsequent to receiving notice of the failed application, Al Hidayah appealed the decision to DBKL. It was during this time that Al Hidayah discovered that some of their neighbours on Jalan Setiakasih 1 had objected to the presence of the pre-school.

Following Al Hidayah’s appeal, a round-table discussion with the concerned parties was arranged by the good graces of DBKL. The discussion was chaired by the Pengarah, Bahagian Perancangan Bandar, Tuan Hj. Mokhtar Long Idris. Al Hidayah was represented by YM Tengku Mariam and Pn. Norainee, while on the neighbours’ side, Dr. George, Hj. Idrus, and Dato’ Mustafa Mohd. Ali attended.

Al Hidayah explained its case that they were the only English-medium Islamic pre-school in the Bukit Damansara area and that the pre-school intentionally maintained a low student count, a situation that prevails to this day. Tuan Hj. Mokhtar was persuaded by Al Hidayah’s arguments that it served an unmet need in the community, and agreed to issue the permit to Al Hidayah, with the stipulation that the institution maintain as a single session pre-school.

In 1996, the first D.O. (Perintah Pembangunan) was issued by DBKL with validity from 1 January to 31 December 1996. Since then, Al Hidayah has renewed its permit on an annual basis without fail and without issue.

However, Al Hidayah has continued to receive complaints from its neighbours, and done its level best to comply with legitimate concerns. In an early case, Al Hidayah replaced and upgraded its fencing upon Dato’ Mustafa’s complaint that it was an eyesore in the otherwise upmarket neighbourhood of Setiakasih. Al Hidayah also trims the branches of two large trees within the pre-school’s grounds under the direct supervision of their next door neighbour at No. 32 Jalan Setiakasih 1, Dato’ Mustafa, every two years to ensure that no leaves fall over into the his property.

In December 2006, Al Hidayah received a complaint from Dr. George and his wife of No. 36 Jalan Setiakasih 1, that their pre-school session was extending into the afternoons. Al Hidayah explained that their pre-school session had always been only a morning session, although they held Quran recital lessons in the afternoons for some children. These Quran recital lessons were held with batches of children, where a maximum of five children at a time were given instruction.

In January 2007, so as to avoid antagonizing the neighbours, Al Hidayah decided to stop the Quran recital lessons on its premises, and instructed the Teachers that they would have to hold those lessons in the students’ homes if they wanted to continue.

In September 2007, Al Hidayah had a meeting with Dato’ Mustafa, Dr. George, and his wife at their request. The neighbours asked Al Hidayah to move out of their neighbourhood. Al Hidayah refused.

On 18th December 2008, Al Hidayah received a notice from DBKL that the pre-school had until the end of the year to vacate the premises. And that brings us to today’s mission to save Tadika Al Hidayah from closing.