I refer to K Temoc's faulty opinion on former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim's recently declared support for the cause of mother-tongue education in Malaysia.

It is true that Anwar was once an Umno education minister who implemented the national education policy, but let us not forget that policy was first formulated after Merdeka under the reign of Tunku Abdul Rahman.

It was then refined during the years of Abdul Razak and Hussein Onn right up until 1982 when Anwar made the youthful misjudgement of joining Umno.

Let us not forget the role of Mahathir Mohamad who became the Umno's education minister in 1974. It was Mahathir who first implemented the national education policy with nationalist zeal and bigotry. That was when Anwar had not yet even joined Umno or the government.

If Anwar had erred on the implementation of the national education policy, his culpability cannot be larger than Tunku Abdul Rahman, Abdul Razak, Hussein Onn and Mahathir.

In other words, if people want to criticise Anwar, they must also condemn all the previous four Umno presidents and prime ministers - and more severely.

Whatever the youthful mistakes Anwar made in the past when he was in Umno, he has at least changed for the better and is ready to make amends. These are the kind of people that we should encourage and support, not megalomaniacs who know they are wrong but refuse to admit it or make amends.

As for the Chinese educationists, I think they are right in making friends and seeking alliances with all those who declare support for their cause. This is only common sense not only in politics, but also in business.

As former British prime minister Lord Palmerston once said, '... in public affairs there are no permanent friends or enemies - only permanent interests'.

It is good to know that Chinese educationists and Anwar have correctly absorbed British wisdom and applied it back to the heirs of Victorian imperialism.

Times have changed and everyone can now be a Palmerston just as many British children are going to be Chinese-speaking Europeans .