YS Tong

Even as Gerakan chief Dr Lim Keng Yaik hopes for the party's top seven to remain unchallenged in the forthcoming party elections, there is still a niggling doubt that members will toe the line on this.

PAS refuses to buy International Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz's claim that there is no politics involved in the allotment of shares to bumiputra entrepreneurs. The opposition party wants the Anti-Corruption Agency to probe the matter.

Crises-ridden MCA takes another step towards reining in its 'errant' members by introducing a code of conduct which spells out the dos and don'ts of being a good party member.

The United State embassy in Malaysia, closed since Wednesday due to what it says is a 'specific and credible threat', reopens today under tight security without spelling out the nature of the threat that led to the temporary closure.

Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar claims the United States embassy failed to inform the government about its intention to close due to a security threat. The closure, he says, casts a negative impression about Malaysia. However, the embassy says it did inform the government.

The United States embassy in Malaysia went through an uneventful day on the first anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks amid anticipation of trouble following a high security alert it issued yesterday.

A Keadilan leader who contested against ex-Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee in the Likas by-election is urging him to vacate his seats after the Federal Court rejected the application for leave to appeal against his conviction for breaching the Election Offences Act. On the other hand, the Election Commission says it has yet to make a decision on Yong's fate.

MCA Youth chief Ong Tee Keat concedes that he and a few other party leaders had helped to arrange the meeting between two Chinese groups and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday. But he insists it was necessary as the party was too slow in responding to the controversial language issue.

What did Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad really try to say after meeting two Chinese groups on the controversial language issue yesterday? The answer is definitely not in today's newspapers. The dailies, for whatever reasons, offered different and contradictory versions of the meeting.

After the peace plan was implemented, MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik had said there was no longer a 'Team A' or 'Team B' in the party. However, all pretenses are off now following the unceremonious disposal of his arch-rival and party No 2 Lim Ah Lek as the disciplinary committee head.

Is Indonesia to blame for the recent haze? Satellite images easily available on the Internet showed there were almost as many hotspots in Sarawak a fortnight ago. However, a DOE official says otherwise and backs it up with figures.

The debate over Tamil schools is an emotional one that frequently pits advocates against critics. No sound bite could sum up the arguments, which go back to the history and economic status of the Indian Malaysian community. Part 2 of our three-part series examines Tamil-language education in its wider context.

The names of new party state chiefs and a partial list of new bureau chiefs were revealed today by MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik today. Of the 18 bureau chiefs only six were retained and five were noted Ling loyalists.

As speculated, MCA deputy president Lim Ah Lek has been dropped as disciplinary committee chief but president Ling Liong Sik claims it isn't personal. The president also stresses that status quo should not make the party static and hinder progress.

Responding to speculation that MCA deputy president Lim Ah Lek may be dropped from heading the party's disciplinary committee, president Dr Ling Liong Sik says it is a matter entirely up to the central committee, peace plan or not.

Angered by the misinterpretation of his comments on the language switch issue, a fuming Gerakan president Dr Lim Keng Yaik today rebuked local newspapers for portraying him as an "idiot" and a "mad doctor".

Having declared its opposition to the language switch last week, Gerakan now calls for an independent commission to formulate educational policies in the country. It also maintains that the current controversy should be analysed based on facts and evidence.

With the ripples from the MCA takeover of Nanyang Press last year yet to subside, a new Chinese newspaper is making its debut soon in the local market, challenging the present pattern of ownership, control, content and readership of the Chinese press.

Deputy Education Minister Abdul Aziz Samsudin's allegation that Dong Zong has been conducting English lessons in 'secret' is not likely to go down well with many. But it exposes one fact some Cabinet members are just not suitable for the portfolios they hold.

Dong Zong stresses today that Chinese independent schools are operating in an open manner and not clouded in 'secret' as alleged by Deputy Education Minister Abdul Aziz Samsudin. Could the deputy minister be running out of ideas when he made the uncalled-for remark? asks Dong Zong deputy president Dr Yap Sin Thian.

It's now the official party stand. Gerakan becomes the first Chinese BN party to declare that the controversial language switch will not benefit future generations of Malaysian students and calls for other means to improve English proficiency among students.

updated version Contrary to MIC's claim, key Tamil groups fear that the switch to English to teach Science and Mathematics will lead to deteriorating standards in their schools. Galvanised by the government's resolve to proceed with the new policy, these groups are organising themselves to be heard through a signature campaign and petition.

Tamil primary schools in S Samy Vellu's Sungai Siput constituency in Sungai Siput have defied the MIC chief's warning not to oppose the controversial language switch.