In the last tango between Singapore and Malaysia, it's clear which dancer has outfoxed, out-trotted and outclassed the other. The Minister Mentor is not founding father of 'From Third World to First' Singapore for nothing.

A simplistic banner headline such as 'Kuan Yew says sorry' barely scratches the surface. Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Syed Albar has clarified that the government does not consider Lee Kuan Yew's explanation an apology as the letter did not say Lee was sorry for making his statement.

In other respects, Lee's three-page letter - which he released to the media as soon as it was received by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (in chess, a 'check' move) - was a masterful piece of riposte. Lee also capitalised on his apology to up the ante, not to mention send those of us who think he was spot-on to thumbing his memoirs once again.

There's no denying Lee's mind remains as keen as a steel trap, and Pak Lah has let himself be caught in its maw. Having done his homework well, Lee easily showed up Malaysia as the pot which has the gall to call the kettle black.

And through the clarification demanded of him by Pak Lah, LKY has gone on to provide more grist for the mill. Lee's chutzpah leaves Malaysia trailing sheepishly on the dance floor gazing at two left feet. And perhaps one detached stiletto.

But thanks to LKY also, we at least have a clearer picture now of the context in which the 'M' word occurs: 'They (the Chinese) are successful, they are hardworking and therefore, they are systematically marginalised, even in education. There are quotas to prevent you. So you have got to make money to go abroad or go to one of the private universities which are being set up. And they want Singapore, to put it simply, to be like their Chinese, compliant.'

I won't retread the same ground that others better qualified have examined and more cogently regarding the truth of the matter above. I'd already written on the issue of education, quotas, and private college funding in a previous two-part feature here.

How the pundits call it

I have not read any convincing rebuttal to the veracity of LKY's statement. Although the mainstream spin is gearing up, 'fair comment' doesn't seem part of the vocabulary so far.

Would anyone agree that the success of a handful of titled Chinese billionaires can be cited as testimony that Chinese on the whole have not been marginalised? You might agree if you were an NST reader. This 'tycoon and Tan Sri' hypothesis was deployed by Datuk Paddy Bowie writing in that daily.

Although I beg to differ with Bowie's views, I rate her lengthy article a definite 'must read'. It is instructive if only to look at how someone famed as a consummate media practitioner, PR doyen, management guru, prolific and experienced writer, and well-known political analyst tackles the thorny subject.

Equally not to be missed is the column 'Sympathy, not brickbats, for LKY' by another high-profile and highly qualified professional Tan Siok Choo in The Sun .

Tan opens with: 'Instead of hurling brickbats at Singapore's former premier, Malaysian politicians should offer Lee several mega-litres of sympathy. It is much needed. Two events in September and one in July have added up to a summer of discomfort for Lee and Singapore's top leaders.' 'Poor Singapore!' exclaims Tan.

A quarter-way through, you realise that Tan's commiseration was meant in irony.

I had been misled by the headline into thinking I'd be reading arguments in support of LKY's views. Tan's article, in fact, does not touch at all on marginalisation in Malaysia. It covers from start to finish what she perceives to be the island republic's shortcomings and 'misfortunes'.

Is shifting the spotlight to shine on Singapore relevant? I gauge the Malaysian public's antenna at the moment to be more sharply tuned to whether someone, anyone, in the corridors of power, would actually grab the bull by its horns. Like the matador indeed, Bolehland is adept at sidestepping issues and maintaining a charade through sleight of hand. And when the establishment and its tools (like TV and newspapers) do take the offensive, it's to attack LKY and initiate yet another cycle of Singapore-bashing.

Nonetheless, even if Singapore is to be successfully buried under a mound of metaphorical sticks and stones hurled at it by the Bashers Brigade, how will this in any way affect the reality of the situation this side of the Causeway? Malaysia can't be bashing every other country that is in agreement with LKY's views. Denial is the last resort of the ostrich.

Massaging public opinion

Ordinary people genuinely feel sidelined (be they Chinese, Indian or bumiputera) and they jolly well know Truth when it stares them in their face. But this latest controversy is already being mired in accusations and counter-accusations of racism, hidden agenda and brinkmanship, making us lose sight of the paramount concern - facing up to Truth.

A further irony could well be that even in talk the rightful subject (i.e. 'unequal' citizens shut out from fair opportunities) would be itself 'marginalised'. Take for example the two articles I've cross-referenced. Datuk Bowie chimes with the NST's elitist voice and speaks of Vincent Tan, Robert Kuok and Lim Goh Tong, and her own circle of happy shiny Chinese friends.

Tan - who, unless I'm mistaken, is a daughter of Tun Tan Siew Sin (late finance minister/MCA president) and granddaughter of MCA founder Tun Tan Cheng Lock - displays what hovers close to an obsession with the goings-on of the elite Lee clan. Ordinary people are not in their picture at all.

Furthermore the government spin is showing signs of weaving in erratic directions. I hear LKY's remarks described as 'disparaging' of the Chinese. I'm Chinese and I don't feel at all disparaged by Lee. In fact, to me the crying shame is that it took a Singaporean to say the obvious.

Understandably, the dominant opinion-shapers wish to rally public opinion to their cause in this present instalment of the Singapore Story.

Among the first to step on stage is Hishammuddin Hussein (minus his gaudy prop this time?), demanding an apology from LKY for violating Malaysia's 'dignity and sovereignty' through the statement. Even though I burst out laughing when I read about Hisham, I'm betting this scion of impeccable Umno pedigree managed to say all that he said with a straight face.

I would suggest to him to ask Pak Lah for a copy of LKY's annex attached to the explanatory missive, and peruse it with some deep thought. Oh yes, and hire a new speechwriter.

Will the public debate now escalate or will it be tamped down? Pak Lah's 'don't repeat the statement' broadside at LKY hints that a muzzling could follow.

The crux of the matter is this. LKY has brought Bolehland's dirty linen out into the open. If anything, thanks is owed to the elder statesman for doing us this favour. He has given voice to a condition the Barisan Nasional refuses to acknowledge exists. It required someone outside of Putrajaya's court to say the Emperor's garments are not spun of gold. The palace courtiers would certainly not dare point out that the Emperor's new clothes are illusory.

It will be the hope of eternal optimists that with LKY a midwife to the birthing of Truth, the Barisan Nasional government should now embark on a positive action plan to bring about rapprochement with those segments which feel themselves marginalised.

Pessimists will doubtless point to the reaction and response of BN chairman Pak Lah and BN Youth chief Hisham, and logically deduce that denial will be the order of the day. In this round, I don't think the establishment might even bother with the pretence of setting up a slew of special committees to 'investigate'. In Bolehland, it is sadly the pessimists who are the realists.

Note: KJ John has also addressed Paddy Bowie's article in his column 'In Another Tongue'. .