First, the Malaysian Chinese Association and the Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, partners in the National Front coalition, acqueisced in turning more than a hundred acres of Chinese, Japanese, Christian, Singhalese, Hindu cemetry land in the heart of Kuala Lumpur into shopping malls and office blocks. Next, the MCA oversees the destruction of one of the oldest Chinese temples, beside its headquarters in Jalan Ampang. And it raised not a beep. This time the destruction is overseen by its temple committee. I came upon it by accident this afternoon, as I walked past the demolished site this afternoon to get to my car parked in the Ming Court Vistana Hotel opposite. The site of the temple is surrounded by a twenty foot construction wall, with the old entrance still visible, but peering through the partly open side-door, I got the shock of my life: The Kun Yam Thong Buddhist temple, built more than a century ago and one which the architect, Mr Hisham Albakri, described in a guide to notable buildings in Kuala Lumpur, which he published in the late 1970s, as his prime candidate for preservation, is now rubble. The notice outside says the site is to be renovated, not rebuilt, over the old building. The Nombor Rujukan Pelan as stated in the cryptic message outside it is BP E990037. I telephoned several in the Chinese community. None had heard about it. It looks the custodians of the temple felt that an old temple should not exist amidst new skyscrapers, certainly not within sight of the Petronas Towers and the complex of new buildings surrounding it. There is a painting of the new temple as it would look, but nowhere does it say the old temple would first be destroyed.

The MCA is not only against the Islamic tax of "kharaj" on non-Muslims, but accuses the DAP of ambiguity over it. The Gerakan is horrified at it. The MIC is vehemently opposed. (From the opposition, the DAP is equally against and vague about it at the same time.) But UMNO, pre-eminent in the National Front and with impeccable Islamic credentials, is strangely quite. The Prime Minister's Department unveiled a plan to ensure only proper Islamic subjects would be the subject of lectures and sermons to staunch declining support for the government. The home ministry warns PAS that its organ, "Harakah", should be sold only to its members, that they would be seized if sold to non-members. But UMNO is strangely silent on kharaj and the other perennial, "hudud". The constitutional legality of "kharaj" is in doubt but not of "hudud". Yet, the Attorney-General's Chambers has not challenged the Kelantan Government having on its books the hudud laws -- with the support of the UMNO state assemblymen. Why not? And what is UMNO's view on these two issues?

His reactions suggest that he is uncomfortable with the actions of those his Central Executive Committee expelled, or otherwise penalised, for anti-party activities. He is stung to react when accused of motives other than his stated intention for his party's political tours around Malaysia. The Prime Minister's tours, if his officials and he can be believed, are to ensure national unity. No one believes it. Not the opposition. Not the people. Not even a number of UMNO leaders. But I have yet to see an opposition tract discuss these visits in other than the framework set for it by UMNO and the National Front. His trips are to gauge the extent of the opposition to him, particularly, and to UMNO in general. It is not the DAP alone which suffers this internal prevarication. UMNO is on tenterhooks with the fallout of the Anwar Ibrahim affair. The Gerakan seems to have a death wish for self-destruction. The MCA nervously hopes that the Chinese community would, in supporting the Prime Minister and UMNO, would throw that support towards it. Mr Lim's problem is not confined to the DAP or him alone. Every political party and Leader in the National Front faces this problem.

The Gerakan president, Dato' Seri Lim Kheng Yaik, a geriatric member of the Malaysian cabinet of timewasters, is upset: How dare the opposition grouping call itself Gerak, two letters short of Gerakan? And the prospect of a strong opposition -- the best chance it ever had had since 1964 -- could cause a repeat of May 1969. Both he believes could only hinder democracy in Malaysia, where Dato' Seri Lim and his ilk has decided that only the National Front administration under Dato' Seri Mahathir Mohamed can preserve democracy (in olive oil?) But the National Front is a grab bag of political parties, which includes everything including the kitchen sink variety of Malaysian political parties. His colleague, Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon, the chief minister of Penang, also wants his five minutes of fame but cannot amidst the concentration of Malaysian newspapers on the aftermath of the Mahathirian imbroglio after one rabble rouser got a black eye when detained under the ISA.

Dr Yee has since been followed by Dato' Yong's National Partners -- UMNO, Gerakan. Dato' Yong's ascerbic high moral ground does him no good. One the face of it, there is some hanky panky. He is asked this question not as chief minister but as chairman of Warisan Harta. The investment has cost the state RM72 million, and the people of the state has the right to question what happened. There is no attempt here, as Dato' Yong alleges, of people pre-judging the issue. That comes when he consistently refused to talk about the purchase.

There is much seething beneath the surface amongst leaders of the two main Chinese parties in the Barisan Nasional, the Malaysian Chinese Association and the Gerkan Rakyat Malaysia. The Penang chief minister, Tan Sri Koh Tsu Khoon (Gerakan), accuses the federal transport minister, Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik (MCA) for not lobbying hard enough to ensure that its resiting plans for Bayan Lepas airport; as it happens the new northern international airport would be built, if present plans work out, in the mushy reclaimed lands in Kedah. Dr Ling has been heard to mutter that the MCA could confront the DAP, the "enemy", as he put it quaintly, but not a "friend", Gerakan. That compliment is returned in double measure. It looks could kill, both Dr Ling and his cabinet colleague, the Gerakan president, Dato' Sri Lim Kheng Yaik, died a long time ago.

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