Bagan Ajam assemblyman Satees Muniandy said it was during Najib’s tenure that SK Assumption was relocated in 1996, after the original building was damaged by a fire.

The owners of the current site, Sri Avenue Sdn Bhd, have said that they built a replacement school in 2008 on the basis that the education ministry would later acquire the land and buildings. Since then, the landowners had sent multiple letters to the ministry inquiring about the acquisition but without success, Satees said.

Education officers have said the school would be closed on Feb 28 because the landowner had asked for the return of the land.

Yesterday, Najib had urged the ministry to state why the school was being closed – whether it was because of the aborted land deal or that the school’s enrolment had fallen, reportedly consisting of only 55 pupils.

The ministry must clarify so that the issue did not become fodder for opposition attacks, as accusations had been made linking the closure to its roots as a missionary school, he said.

However, in response, Satees said there must have been a reason that the government had refused to acquire the school and its land.

He said the agreement was made when Najib was the education minister. “Why is it that the Barisan Nasional-Najib government that once agreed to take over the land and the building has neglected the acquisition for over 10 years since 2008?

“My guess is that (the closure) is because of the Assumption’s missionary background itself. Let the minister of education deny it. What is the reason for the federal government’s refusal to take over this land as promised?”

SK Assumption was founded in 1933 by the La Salle Brothers, an order of the Catholic church, but the church relinquished all rights when the school was relocated in 2008 and the school has been fully government-run since.