It is now official. The second largest component party of the National Front, MCA has reportedly decided to defy the self-styled 'moderate centre' of the ruling coalition, Umno on the proposal to teach Science and Mathematics in all primary schools next year.

According to a news report in yesterday's issue of the New Sunday Times and Berita Mingguan , after meeting for two hours last Friday, the central committee (CC) of MCA agreed without dissenting opinion that the party opposes the Umno's proposal for the language switch.

MCA president and Transport Minister Dr Ling Liong Sik was quoted by the Umno-controlled New Sunday Times in its front-page lead story on Sunday as saying that the use of English to teach Science and Mathematics should start only in Chinese secondary schools and not primary.

Ling also reportedly said that promotion of the English language should not be conducted by using the language as a medium of instruction, but through the teaching of English itself. MCA, on its part, has not denied the accuracy of the report.

To date, Umno still shows no sign of backing down or compromising on the proposal.

NST editorial

In an immediate and rhetorical response, the Umno-controlled New Sunday Times editorialised on the same day that the MCA decision is "most regrettable", "a defeat for the country", "a setback to the reform of education policy" and "a blow to the BN system of consociation for the common good".

The strongly worded and impotently angry editorial also attacked MCA and other parties which oppose the proposal as "recalcitrant quarters", and described the MCA decision last Friday as a "leap" from "the moderate centre". In other words, the second largest component party of the National Front is accused by Umno to be moving towards the "extreme fringe".

Defiance mounted subtly or bluntly by component parties of the ruling alliance against Umno is rare but not unique or unprecedented. For example, in 1964, a former MCA president, Dr Lim Chong Eu angrily resigned, and left MCA and the government to join the opposition after failing to negotiate for more seats and higher sensitivity be given to Chinese educational issues, from the Umno-dominated Alliance coalition (forerunner of the National Front).

Recently, another Chinese-predominated component party of the National Front, Gerakan has also expressed surprisingly consistent and vocal opposition to the language switch proposed by Dr Mahathir Mohamad's Umno.

For example, despite the very blunt warning delivered personally and publicly by Mahathir when he opened the 31st national delegates' conference of Gerakan recently in Kuala Lumpur, the newly returned deputy president of Gerakan, lawyer Kerk Choo Ting reiterated the party's opposition when he closed the meeting.

No official endorsement

In his warning, Mahathir called on all component parties of the National Front to be "brave" and "not scared" to defend "all government decisions". Neither the National Front nor the Cabinet has formally and official endorsed the proposal yet

Gerakan, the Chinese-predominated multi-ethnic party in the National Front was initially expected or hoped by Umno to check and balance against MCA, and support the proposal of language switch. However, Gerakan later backed down and joined rank with MCA, other three Chinese-based component parties of the National Front, and the Malay-based multiethnic opposition coalition in a broad united front to oppose the proposed policy shift.

The spectre of creeping assertiveness of non-Umno component parties, especially the Ling-dominated MCA, in the National Front seems to be haunting the minds of the more discerning ideologues and strategists of Umno.

Seen from a historical and overall perspective, Ling's MCA has succeeded remarkably to neutralise and turn over Gerakan which it always perceives to be Umno's Chinese counterbalance against MCA. At least, as far as the language switch controversy is concerned, Umno is now, politically contained and isolated.

Ling's MCA has also dishonoured with impunity an Umno-brokered "peace agreement" to accommodate what it suspects to be the Umno-backed Team B. In other words, the rear and flank of Ling's MCA are now relatively secure, and it needs only to frontally confront Umno.

Both Umno and Team B still seem to be helpless and impotent on this balance-of-power game within the ruling coalition.

Silent majority

On the language switch proposal, Umno still entertains the hope or illusion that there is a "silent majority" of Chinese Malaysians somewhere that somehow agrees with it, and disagrees with MCA, Gerakan and the other three Chinese-based component parties.

In tones signalling anger and haughty desperation, the Umno ideologue and/or strategist editorialised in the New Sunday Times yesterday that " the Oct 9 gathering at Bukit Jalil of 500 cultural associations and business guilds in support of the move (to teach Science and Mathematics in English in all primary schools next year), led by the Federation of Chinese Guilds and Associations, was for all its razzle-dazzle a heartfelt indication that not all those for whom the MCA speaks would agree with the uncompromising stand the party has now taken".

Indeed, the Oct 9 gathering in Bukit Jalil was organised by one Federation of Chinese Guilds and Associations in collaboration of the Chinese advisers or secretaries under the direct pecuniary employment of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. However, the exact number of associations actually involved has still not been independently verified.

Originally, it was planned to show Chinese support for the language switch proposal, despite the opposition of MCA, Gerakan and three other Chinese-based parties. In all the official media, it was uniformly reported that 10,000 people attended the gathering, including Mahathir and his deputy, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as well as two MCA dissident leaders, Lim Ah Lek and Chua Jui Meng.

Conspicuously absent

However, conspicuously absent from the gathering were MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik and Gerakan president Dr Lim Keng Yaik and his deputy, Kerk Choo Ting. Other top and prominent MCA and Gerakan national, youth and women leaders were also not noticeable. A source in the organising committee told malaysiakini that formal invitations were actually sent out to "all top leaders" of MCA and Gerakan.

The absentees seemed to know beforehand the game plan of Umno and its Chinese advisers, as well as the pitfalls of their attendance and presence in such 'sensitive' meetings. Umno-organised Chinese gatherings of such nature could also be jealously construed as Umno's calculated 'insult' and 'disrespect' to MCA and Gerakan.

It is public knowledge in the Chinese-speaking community that the Federation of Chinese Guilds and Associations is but one of the many "federations" in the Chinese-speaking civil society. The more socially influential and widely networked Dong Jiao Zong, Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCIM), Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (SCAH) and the MCA-controlled Federation of Chinese Assembly Hall (Hua Zong) are still publicly or quietly opposed to the language switch proposal.

Above all, one of the chief organisers of the Oct 9 gathering, Liew Poon Siak had issued a press statement on Oct 17, "clarifying" that he did not call for any support to the Umno's proposal when he delivered his speech at the Oct 9 gathering. The statement was published by, among others, Sin Chew Jit Poh on Oct 18.

Optical illusion

According to Liew, who is the president of the Federation of Chinese Guilds and Associations, he only expressed support for the general improvement of the proficiency of English, not teaching Science and Mathematics in English in Chinese primary schools beginning next year. Liew added, no one should "twist" or "distort" his speech.

Seen from the perspectives of these alternative accounts, the editorialist of the New Sunday Times could be unconsciously suffering from optical illusion, or self-delusion in groupthink psychology.

In any case, it is certainly interesting to observe closely whether it is Umno or MCA-Gerakan which will back down from their clearly expressed but anti-thetical positions, from now on to December 31. The leadership quality of the Umno president-in-waiting, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is being critically tested.

Like it or not, it is now an 'either-or' situation. Umno's meat is almost certainly MCA-Gerakan's poison. The clock is also, as usual, ticking without fear or favour.

However, it must also not be forgotten that opposition parties like the Malay-based PAS, Keadilan, PRM and Chinese-predominated DAP also oppose the proposal. In short, the broad opposition, inside and outside the National Front, is multi-ethnic and multi-religious.

JAMES WONG WING ON is chief analyst of Strategic Analysis Malaysia (SAM) which produces the subscriber-based political report, Analysis Malaysia . Wong is a former member of parliament (1990-1995) and a former columnist for the Sin Chew Jit Poh Chinese daily. He read political science and economics at the Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. While in Sin Chew , he and a team of journalists won the top awards of Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) for 1998 and 1999.