‘BTN has no place in a new Malaysia’

Kit Siang: It’s detrimental to national interest as it encourages racial, religious polarisation

PETALING JAYA: The National Civics Bureau or Biro Tatanegara (BTN) must be abolished as it propagates the politics of “fear, hate, lies, race and religion”, claims DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang.

He said the BTN has no place in a “New Malaysia” and that it was detrimental to national interest and harmony as it encouraged racial and religious polarisation.

“From a bureau which should have been dedicated to promoting civic consciousness in a plural society, the BTN degenerated over time into a propaganda outfit.

“It would appear that those responsible for BTN were blissfully unaware of the Rukunegara, resulting in the BTN becoming the greatest obstacle to national unity,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Lim said it was timely that the Government was studying a proposal to abolish it now.

In 2016, the then newly-appointed BTN director-general Ibrahim Saad had said BTN would undergo a rebranding exercise to dispel negative perceptions about it.

However, Lim said the problem with BTN was not about rebranding or the “perception” that it was racist, but about its role of inciting racism, disunity, bigotry and intolerance.

“Even former top Malay civil servants in G25 have condemned BTN and have joined the call for its dissolution,” he added.

Lim said that BTN’s great failure was its refusal to leverage on Malaysia’s multi-racial, multi-religious background to disseminate the best values from all races and religions.

The BTN was set up in the 1970s as a Youth Research Unit under the then Youth Ministry, but by the 1980s, the agency was rebranded and placed under the Prime Minister’s Department.

Its objective was to nurture the spirit of patriotism among Malaysians, and train them to be future leaders who are “well-rounded intellectually, emotionally and spiritually” to support national development efforts.

The BTN has, however, been fraught with controversy for over three decades, with allegations of racism and political propaganda.

Last week, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced the shutdown of five federal agencies, namely the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), National Professors Council (MPN), Special Affairs Department (Jasa), the Residents’ Representatives Committee (JPP) and Malaysian External Intelligence Organisation (MEIO).

The announcement sparked calls for the scrapping of the BTN as well.