MALAYSIA doesn't always look to Singapore for answers, but the Republic's experience in dealing with Chinese educationists is starting to draw more than just casual interest in Malaysia.

On a prime-time TV show last week, Mr Zakhir Mohamed - a life member of the dominant Umno party - proposed that the Malaysian government look seriously at the way Singapore integrated its vernacular schools during the second half of the 1960s and in the 1970s.

"In just a few years, Singapore succeeded in integrating its primary schools to create a single-medium education system. If they could (do it), I don't see why Malaysia can't," he said. But everyone knows why integration has not taken off.

The second prime minister, Tun Abdul Razak, tried to initiate it. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad wanted simply to geographically site Chinese and Tamil primary schools with Malay- stream schools, in what he called "Vision Schools".

Each time, Chinese educationists, backed by race-based political parties, put up a fierce fight. In 1987, a Chinese-school issue so inflamed things, it was one reason cited for Operasi Lalang: a series of arrests and newspaper shutdowns launched to avert racial riots.

Now, for the last couple of weeks since DatukMukhriz Mahathir proposed a single-medium primary-school system, the heat has been rising.

Dong Jiao Zong, the militant Chinese-educationist group, upped the ante this week by threatening a "mammoth rally" if the government imposed English as the medium of instruction for mathematics and science in Chinese primary schools.

Datuk Wong Chun Wai, editor- in-chief of The Star, told me that Dong Jiao Zong does not represent the majority of Chinese.

But the fact remains that it has always had the support of Chinese politicians.

Mr Mukhriz, who admitted that he lacked intimate knowledge of how Singapore managed to integrate its education system, told my paper yesterday that he is extremely interested to know the Republic's secrets.

"I find it hypocritical of the opposition, especially the (Chinese- based) DAP, when it comes to this issue. They say they are against race-based politics and often sing the praises of Singapore's progress and policy of meritocracy.

"But when it comes to how Singapore integrated (its schools), these people don't want to have anything to do with it.

"They refuse to acknowledge that our multi-medium education system is archaic and is responsible for the current polarisation which is dividing the people along racial lines."

Singapore started integrating its schools after 1965. Malay primary and secondary schools - Jubilee, Pasir Panjang and Sang Nila Utama, to name a few - died natural deaths as the government threw its entire weight behind integration.

Chinese-medium schools, including Jurong Secondary School which I attended, were not spared despite the fact that Chinese form the majority of the Republic's population.

There were but "whimpers (of protest) here and there", as a Singapore teacher told me.

In Malaysia, it's the government's efforts that end with a whimper, each time it tries to do away with vernacular schools.

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