Geography has always been a fascinating subject to me. Back in secondary school, Australia alone took up several chapters in the textbook published by the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong). I once asked my teacher why, and she replied without even raising her head, "Well, the important bilateral trade ties and the increasing number of Malaysians emigrating there dictate that Australia will be a key part of the subject."

She was right, and Australia is indeed a blessed nation: a vast land with a low population, endowed with rich natural resources and picturesque scenery. Since the 1980s, Australia has also become a popular destination for Malaysians to pursue higher education, in which Malaysia is actually the third largest market, just behind China and India according to Australian government statistics.

What my teacher did not mention was that the country was to become a top holiday destination for Malaysian politicians also, the testy relationship between the two countries throughout the Mahathir era notwithstanding. Since becoming prime minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has visited the land Down Under no less than three times, which has sort of put the bilateral relationship back on track.

PM Down Under

And the prime minister's fondness of Australia is manifest in the fact that he cared to grace the opening of a nasi kandar restaurant in Perth at a time when much of Johor was under water last December! Of course, all the mystery surrounding the RM6 million Perth mansion persists.

But I reckon the 'Australia Complex" of the MCA leadership is, generally speaking, much more marked than that of anyone else in Barsian Nasional. It is an open secret that many of the MCA bigwigs send their children there for education, and they themselves visit the country on a regular basis either for business or leisure.

On this, Dr Ng Yen Yen is truly exemplary, and she even took up the Australian permanent resident status * while serving as senator in Dewan Negara in the early 1990s, ostensibly for the sake of her children's education! Such sacrifice almost made her a paragon of motherly love.

Who can blame her? After all, from Melbourne, Sydney to the charming island of Tasmania, Australia boasts good public safety and excellent quality of life, something that all Australians can take pride in. One can surely have angst and anxieties soothed by holidaying in a wonderful country like this.

Little wonder that Lee Kim Sai, then head of the MCA Youth, was whisked away to Australia on the eve of Operasi Lalang in 1987, ironically having vowed to fight back should anyone (read: Umno Youth) get on his nerve.

In 2000, Ling Liong Sik, while MCA president, went on a two-week vacation in Australia amidst widespread grassroots frustration that there would be no increase of cabinet posts for the party which had just helped Umno survive one of the toughest elections in Malaysian history. Nothing was solved in Ling's publicity stunt, but happiness again descended on the MCA after the leader's "glorious" return. The party leadership, as always, was shrewd enough to discern that to lose one more cabinet post in such clownish manner would border on political suicide.

Positive role

And Ling was not the last one to travel all the way Down Under for some divine inspiration. Chan Kong Choy, the current transport minister, recently took leave and sought medical treatment in Melbourne.

For several days, the Chinese press was rife with rumours that the deputy president of the MCA had been embroiled in the RM4.6 billion Port Klang Free Zone scandal, making his position untenable. Others went as far as to suggest Chan had been struck by evil spirits after being exposed to the bus crash carnage at Bukit Gantang last month!

Anyway, the minister came home in peace, although the welcoming was conspicuous by the absence of the prominent party leaders. Whether or not Chan is now a changed man is everyone's guess.

One caveat here though: Australian tourism industry may be booming, it is a country where law and order is rigorously enforced. Hence, Muhammad Muhd Taib, then chief minister of Selangor, had his good times abruptly ended after he failed to declare his possession of RM2.4 million at Brisbane airport in December 1996.

Taib allegedly told the Australian custom that his poor command of English had hindered his understanding of the relevant law in the country, where he was said to have some real estate as well. Anyway, the episode consigned the rising star to cold storage for nearly a decade, and he only began to see his "misfortunate" turn around in recent months.

On the whole, for Mahathir's period tirade against the Aussies, Australia plays a very positive role in terms of broadening our horizons as Malaysians. As for many of our public servants, it is also their second home indeed!