The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin defended the controversial Biro Tata Negara (BTN) courses today as a form of nationalism in line with the 1 Malaysia concept despite growing criticisms of racism and political indoctrination.

The deputy prime minister denied that the courses, which are compulsory for civil servants and public university undergraduates, are aimed at “converting” participants to the political ideology of Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN).

His defence of the BTN courses comes a day after the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) administration moved to bar its civil servants and students from state-owned institutions from the course described as racist and a form of political indoctrination by the federal government.

PR leaders have accused the federal government of using the BTN courses to “brainwash” participants.

It has been reported that participants of BTN courses were repeatedly told of the concept of Ketuanan Melayu, or Malay superiority. Participants are also told not to question “Malay rights” and the “social contract.”

“There are no ulterior motives. These courses are well intended,” Muhyiddin said in Muar today.

He claimed that the Selangor state government had been misinformed and given a wrong impression of the courses.

But his comments today appear to run counter to a proposal by his own Cabinet colleague Datuk Seri Idris Jala to revamp BTN courses in an acknowledgement that it did not promote the 1 Malaysia concept.

The Malaysian Insider had reported last week that the proposal to revamp BTN courses is part of initiatives being pushed by Idris and a task force set up to promote 1 Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Razak's concept announced when he took the top job on April 3.

1 Malaysia is one of several laboratories set up to push through ideas on Key Performance Index (KPI) and National Key Results Areas (NKRAs) that Najib knows will be the tipping point in the next general election.

His ruling BN coalition was badly beaten in Election 2008 under the leadership of former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when it lost four more states and 82 federal seats to give up its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority.

It was felt the BTN needed a complete makeover to promote inclusiveness.

But Muhyiddin provided a stout defence of the BTN courses today, and asserted that the programmes promoted nationalism and unity.

BTN courses have been running for years, and are intended to instil nationalistic values and patriotism, but are now seen as more of a propaganda unit. The courses are for university students on public scholarships and civil servants. BTN is under the Prime Minister’s Department.

Under the Selangor PR administration's new directives, students at Selangor government-owned institutions of higher learning including Universiti Industri Selangor (Unisel), Kolej Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Selangor and Inpens Selangor will no longer be required to go for BTN courses.

Last week, a group of young PR elected representatives urged the Selangor government to stop allowing students to be sent for what they called “brainwashing propaganda” programmes by BTN.

The group of seven PR lawmakers had also said BTN courses — compulsory for local university students and civil servants — taught students to hate and were contrary to their original purpose as well as the Constitution.

Seri Setia state lawmaker Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, speaking from his own experience, said they were told that PKR members were Jewish agents, that DAP was a Singapore party, while PAS was labelled a deviant movement.

Batu Caves lawmaker Amirudin Shari said a big part of the programme had nothing to do with nation building or education but was an Umno and BN race-based programme where participants are indoctrinated with propaganda about “Ketuanan Melayu”.

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