AUG 20 — It is a good thing that the education minister has finally broken his elegant silence on an issue that has been roiling for the past week.

But why did Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin take so long to finally announce a probe on allegations that Johor school principal Siti Inshah Mansor had allegedly uttered “racial remarks”?

The SMK Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra principal allegedly said during a school assembly that “Chinese students... can return to China,” and likened the prayer strings used by Indians to dog leashes.

In his first remarks about the case today, Muhyiddin said he has directed education director-general Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom to set up a committee to investigate the matter.

Alimuddin had previously said the issue was a misunderstanding that had been resolved.

Today, Muhyiddin said: “We want to get the real facts. As of now the reaction is very emotional but we must be fair and have the correct information before we can decide on what steps [need] to be taken. This is because there have been many conflicting statements.”

But Muhyiddin’s statement is also conflicting.

He says there must be an investigation because of conflicting statements.

If that is the case, why did the principal apologise and why was she asked to go on leave?

This is nothing more than an afterthought by an administration that finally realises this issue will not die down.

In times such as these, we look for leadership, guidance, and sometimes, wisdom from our leaders.

Sometimes, we seek solace and assurance.

In this case, while many are baying for the principal’s blood or head, a great number of Malaysians just wanted to see whether the country’s top leaders supported her comments or were even troubled by it.

A week into the controversy, we know what the Barisan Nasional Youth and Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz think of the comments.

But we do not know what Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Muhyiddin or even Umno thinks.

And that, perhaps, is even more troubling than the offending comments themselves.