Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling
Jaya on Friday, 5th September 2008:
The Biro Tatanegara (BTN) should be
disbanded as it is a Trojan Horse in the Prime Minister’s Department
which undermines and subverts the Prime Minister’s National Day message
of national unity and solidarity and Vision 2020 objective of Bangsa
Malaysia
The Biro Tatanegara (BTN) should be disbanded
as it is a Trojan Horse in the Prime Minister’s Department which
undermines and subverts the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi’s National Day message of national unity and solidarity and
Vision 2020 objective of Bangsa Malaysia.
In his 51st National Day message last Saturday, Abdullah said united
citizens were a bulwark against any threat, either from within or
outside the country.
He said solidarity was the cornerstone of the country’s political
stability, social harmony and economic competitiveness.
However, in the bosom of the Prime Minister’s Department, the BTN had
been assaulting the national “bulwark” and chipping away the Malaysian
“cornerstone” in the past quarter of a century, with its unrelenting and
unashamed purveying of racist poison among government servants, PTD
scholars, university students and youths – using public funds running
into RM76.3 million last year and RM 72 million next year to destroy the
public policy of creating a Bangsa Malaysia out of the diverse peoples
of Malaysia.
All Cabinet Ministers, whether Umno, MCA, Gerakan, MIC, SUPP and the
Sabah and Sarawak component parties of Barisan Nasional who had served
for the past quarter of a century should explain why they had closed
their eyes and shut their ears to complaints that BTN had been
conducting divisive and racist indoctrination courses for PTA scholars,
government servants, university students and youths right under their
noses?
Even more more important, what is the stand of the present batch of
Barisan Nasional Ministers and leaders from Umno, MCA, Gerakan, MIC,
SUPP and the BN component parties from Sarawak and Sabah?
Yesterday, I had blogged about a letter from an outraged parent at the
trauma his daughter underwent in one such BTN indoctrination course for
JPA scholars and the blog had evoked a firestorm of complaints and
protests about the rank racism of the BTN.
One poster referred to a BTN indoctrination course for university
students at UiTM in Shah Alam on 6th July 2008, where one BTN speaker,
under the pretext of giving a talk on “Pendidikan”, launched into a
racist harangue, criticising the Bar Council forum on social contract,
accusing one of the forum speakers Farish A. Noor as a traitor of the
Malay race and making disparaging remarks against Karpal Singh.
Among the “atrocious” things this speaker said were:
•“Kalau ular dengan India depan mata, ketuk
India dulu.”
• That the Malays aren’t racist but ”others are racist towards us”.
• Bangsa Malaysia does not exist, neither does Malaysian Chinese and
Indians, only in the strict sense Malay, Chinese and Indians.
• Bahasa Malaysia does not exist, it is Bahasa Melayu.
•Nothing wrong with waving the Keris.
•Bumiputra hanya 55% di Malaysia, give birth to more people!
•The University and University Colleges Act was partly made to
ensure a Malay Vice-Chancellor in Universities which should be the
way.
•Blogs are “berdosa” or sinful.
•That the Pakatan Rakyat-ruled states are all going down the drain -
“this is what you get if you vote for the opposition!”
• Criticism of Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat.
As the BTN is under the direct jurisdiction
of the Prime Minister, Abdullah should explain why BTN is allowed to
conduct such divisive and racist indoctrination courses, which are
compulsory for JPA scholars and government officials but which are also
held for selected university students and youths – like the BTN course
in UiTM Shah Alam on 6th July 2008.
The negative, divisive and destructive role of BTN as the Trojan Horse
in the Prime Minister’s Department to undermine and subvert the Prime
Minister’s repeated call for national unity and solidarity as well as
the Vision 2020 objective of Bangsa Malaysia could be gleaned from some
of the postings on my blog yesterday, viz:
1. StevePCH Says:
As the theme of this Merdeka is “Perpaduan Teras Kejayaan” BTN
should be disbanded.
All these racist arms had created 2 types of extremes, one blindly
agree to it and the other strongly in the opposing side.
BeEnd had lost ground by playing the race card for 50 years. ..
This post colonial “divide and rule” by religion and race had truly
backfired.
Long live Malaysia !!!
2. mata kucing Says:
This indoctrination had been going on since the program was
initiated. It’s nothing a Umno indoctrination machine similar to
Hitler’s youth program. I hope that this will be the first thing to
be dismantled when Anwar comes to power. No “if” or “but” but a
“must”. It’s too dangerous. Those who drew up the program should be
locked up permanently.
3. max2811 Says:
I am glad you have brought up this issue which I have commented on
with regard to the UMNO racists. MCA knows about it but nothing was
done. I have complained to party leaders many years back…
The leaders of these parties have so much at stake that they are not
willing to give up this ATM machine. Luckily, I threw away my MCA
membership card last year.
4. Jeffrey Says:
So is BTN’s racist indoctrination courses helping? BTN should be
disbanded for doing the nation a disservice.
5. wanderer Says:
The letter from the parents of this child exposed the rot of
racialism going to its core…only an amputation can remove this
‘dangerous disease’. Tainting young minds with hate, only UMNO is
capable of doing. This proves racialism is the cornerstone of BN’s
policies. What happened to the component parties, MCA, MIC and
GERAKAN, this indoctrination course by JBA has gone on for awhile,
why the silence?
6. big bird Says:
A similiar course was conducted recently for all government servants
supposedly in the name of “perpaduan”. The said seminar happened in
Selangor of which my wife’s colleague (a school teacher) was a
participant. What you described is exactly what they went through as
as well. Maybe what we know so far is just the tip of a even bigger
“racist” iceberg.
7. dankers Says:
another thing to add on,
i think why speeches in BTN were agreed by most participants is
because of fear of revoking their scholarship.
do you know that BTN is a pre-requirement for students to study
overseas? you cant fly if you do not pass BTN camp.
BTN camp have assessments, objective and subjective. objective part
is 60 questions. as for subjective marks, it is given by the
facilitators and is on their will.
i HAD to agree to everything they say even you are not. not worth it
to fight them with their fingers on my neck.
8. ahming Says:
I’m studying in one of the IPTA.Our Uni made it compulsory for us to
attend the BTN camp by telling us that if we dont attend,we will not
graduate from the Uni. On the other hand,My friend in UMS doesnt
even know what the heck is BTN camp. It’s not like what my Uni told
us, Compulsory. so it’s like we are being drag into a BN’s political
plot.
The camp is a pro- BN campaign (everyone in the camp Malay,Chinese
and Indian knows it )and also a racism camp . The speaker talk about
the social contract, about the hak keistimewaan melayu, how May 13
happen, NEP, The 12th General election and so on. And also, quite a
few times, mention ‘Cina boleh balik China tapi Negara China pun
tidak mahu terima. Sama juga dengan orang India’ sort of statement.
One of the speaker even mention your name Mr Lim, saying you are
Bodoh, and also mention about Anwar-Saiful case, how Anwar will do
to the country if he gains power, and of course the still undergoing
by election. Unfortunately all of our handphone were taken away by
the facilitator, so no voice or video are recorded.
9. doc Says:
My daughter went through this so called induction course, as it was
called, recently. She was so traumatised by the blatant racism
spewed by the trainers that the first thing she wants to do is find
some way to migrate! She is a professional and could not digest that
such a thing was carried out as official government programme. I
wish there is some way to expose this disgusting practice so that
the general public can see it for what it is - perhaps a video
recording a la Lingamgate.
As Abdullah has promised to be a Prime
Minister for all Malaysians, he cannot keep quiet to a Trojan Horse in
the bosom of the Prime Minister’s Department working to undermine and
subvert his National Day message and the Vision 2020 objective of Bangsa
Malaysia. He should tell Malaysians what action he is taking to end the
rank racism of the BTN.
*
Lim
Kit Siang, DAP
Parliamentary leader & MP for Ipoh Timor
http://dapmalaysia.org