Even as the Education Ministry is taking steps to sue a local Chinese daily for allegedly misreporting a walkout by some Barisan Nasional backbenchers at a ministry function, one member has admitted to leaving early with others when they found there was no point in staying on.

Backbencher Thong Fah Chong, when contacted by malaysiakini today, said he left a dinner hosted by Musa at a Kuala Lumpur hotel on Monday after receiving a verbal message urging the guests "not to raise controversial questions" about the proposal to teach Science and Mathematics in English.

Thong, the MP for Ipoh Timur, said he went off as he felt it was not a "suitable forum" to raise their concerns over the implementation of the language switch.

However, he denied feeling unhappy with the proceedings.

"I left with several other MCA members of Parliament, but we did not feel unhappy," he clarified, adding that he did not know how many backbenchers left.

Nanyang Siang Pau in an exclusive report published Wednesday said several backbenchers walked out of the dinner apparently in protest of the government's decision to teach Science and Mathematics in English in all primary schools from next year.

It said they left after hearing that ministry officials were circulating a verbal message urging guests to refrain from raising questions on the issue.

The report, quoting an unidentified backbencher, said the dinner was held "to mainly explain the issue". It also quoted a ministry official as saying that the dinner guests "unanimously agreed with the government proposal".

Legal action

However, Education Minister Musa Mohamed, quoted in today's Chinese dailies, called the report inaccurate and said legal action will be taken against Nanyang Siang Pau for 'misleading' the public into thinking that government MPs had also objected to the language switch.

Musa's press secretary Bakhari Ariff confirmed today that the ministry will file "a defamation suit" against the paper and that the legal advisor of the ministry is handling the case.

The ministry's legal advisor department refused to comment on the suit when contacted.

Elaborating on the dinner, Bakhari said it was organised by the ministry for the Parliament's backbenchers, club members and also the BN youth members. More than 100 people attended the dinner.

"The dinner was only a briefing to the participants on the latest development of the language switch issue," he said.

It was learnt that the news report caused the ministry grave concern and was even discussed in Wednesday's post-cabinet meeting.

'Did not leave unhappily'

The next day after the report was published, the same newspaper followed up on the issue by clarifying that the backbenchers did not leave the event unhappily.

The report quoted Hoo Seong Chang and Liow Tiong Lai, members of Parliament for Kluang and Bentong respectively, as saying that the backbenchers left to "give time and opportunity" for other participants to speak up on the issue.

In a related development, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said in today's newspaper that no decision has been reached on the language switch as the government is still studying its implementation.

This has only added to the public's confusion as Musa had said on Tuesday that the new policy will apply to all national schools starting from next year though its implementation in Chinese and Tamil schools is yet to be decided.

Deputy Minister Abdul Aziz Samsuddin was quoted as saying the following day that all schools vernacular schools included will not be exempted from the switch with the exception of those which lack the facilities to implement it, which amount to less than 10 percent of the total number of schools in the country.

The Chinese component parties in the ruling coalition have reportedly met at least four times to discuss the contentious issue and have repeatedly voiced their reservations.

MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik said last month that the Chinese component parties have reached a consensus on the implementation but declined to give any details.

Students in Year One, Form One and Lower Six in all national schools will begin Science and Mathematics lessons in English from next year.