James Wong Wing On

While Australia and Singapore are criticised for maintaining close defence ties with the US, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad refuses to Look East, where Japan is doing the same, if not more.

State propaganda in Malaysia, based on selective half-truths and a distorted sense of proportion and time-line, is nowhere more blatant than the recent anti-Australia and anti-Howard 'outrage' in the tightly controlled official media.

Contrary to the unilateral assertion of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Australian Premier John Howard's claim for the right of 'pre-emptive' self-defence as the last resort in the fight against terrorism is not entirely unacceptable to Asians. Japan has, for example, thrown its weight behind Australia.

A pending disciplinary inquiry relating to recent actions of two MCA Penang state assembly representatives may well boil over and scald BN component parties, as their leaders stoke the fire.

The suggestion to set up a BN disciplinary board to hear the case of the two MCA reps from Penang may not be the best solution. Besides unanswered questions on its power, the move may further widen cracks among the National Front components.

MCA chief Dr Ling Liong Sik and his party seem to be having a hard time in resolving the disciplinary problem of two of its elected reps in Penang. The episode points to a Umno-Gerakan versus MCA showdown.

While the conduct of the two maverick MCA politicians in Penang will tax the ties within the ruling coalition, it also provides opportunities and threats to the factions involved in a bitter struggle for power within the country's major Chinese-based party.

Of late, Dr Too Chee Cheong has certainly made himself an object of historical inquiry among young Malaysians, and subject of passionate and nostalgic speculations for the elderly.

Why has a former officer bearer of Dong Jiao Zong surfaced recently to speak out against the organisation, especially after a 30-year disappearance from the Chinese education front? An examination of his past may reveal an answer.

The state-controlled electronic and print media devours anybody seen as a threat to their political masters. They have perfected the art of racial and religious-based propaganda, and their present victims are those who oppose the language switch.

The merry-go-round of the controversial language switch continues. This time, an MCA leader attacks the pro-Umno dailies for what he claims to be "distorted" and "exaggerated" statements published by the papers. Not surprisingly, PAS quickly jumps on the bandwagon.

The second final decision on the language switch has been greeted with cynically quiet but widespread dissatisfaction. Threats from the government may have managed to quell the voices of dissent but not the anger.

Malaysia has agreed to host the Asean anti-terror centre. But the proposal has since met with a lot of flak as well as support. To sum it up, it is not a black-and-white, or yes-or-no issue yet.

Malaysia has always been buddies with Uncle Sam since independence, never mind the anti-Western rhetoric that often comes out of Dr Mahathir's mouth.

The public is uneasy over the regional anti-terror centre to be set up in Malaysia and the government should patiently convince them, with facts and figures, that it will not disrupt their day-to-day activities.

The proposed anti-terror centre may not include military training or witness the presence of foreign troops because other forms of defence cooperation between Malaysia and the United States already exist.

Although the BN has made a controversial decision on the language switch, the Cabinet has not. Only the decision of the Cabinet is constitutionally and legally binding on the nation. So Umno's rear is actually not very secure when it frontally confronts MCA and other Chinese-based parties on the issue.

Confusion is most likely to be the first English word that students will grasp judging from the way the language switch issue is progressing. Contradictory statements and reports have become the norm.

The 'unanimous' approval for the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English has put MCA and Gerakan in an uncomfortable spot. With their image dented and niche lost, what will become of these parties?

For the first time, MCA has made a public stand on the language switch proposal. The party says it should only be implemented at secondary level, not primary. This is not likely to go down well with Umno but the clock, as usual, continues ticking without fear or favour.

Sept 11 has forced a relook at the definitions of war and terrorism. The distinctions are there, in terms of target, method and cause. But the more pertinent question for humanity is: How do we prevent terror?

Indonesian lawyer Dr Adnan Buyung Nasution was recently denied entry into Malaysia by the immigration authority without giving any reason. Just who is Adnan Buyung Nasution?

In yet another battle for the hearts and minds of local Muslims, both Umno and PAS have set out to criticise the United States for apparently agreeing to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Clarifications from the White House show how both have leapt before looking again.

Rhina Bhar's victory is a surprise, Kerk Choo Ting's is not. However, the duo's win can be seen as bolstering up Gerakan's image as a multi-ethnic and multicultural party. But will Kerk's ascendance means that the conservative forces in Gerakan continue to dominate the party?