By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 8 — PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub showed support to Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz for wanting to revamp the controversial National Civic Bureau (BTN) while stressing the need for the course’s curriculum to be reviewed.
“I support the view that was critical from Datuk Seri Nazri regarding the need for BTN to be revamped. I say this based on my previous experiences and the implication that this racist programme will have.
“This is because I myself have been a victim of BTN in Langkawi and Mersing, where the course targeted me as one of the threats to the country’s security. So this is how they indoctrinate hatred into the participants.
“I agree with the view of Datuk Seri Nazri that the whole curriculum needs to be reviewed,” he told reporters at Parliament today.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department yesterday called Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad a “bloody racist” for defending the BTN courses, and reasserted the Cabinet’s earlier decision to overhaul the programme.
The Kubang Kerian MP added that the prime minister needs to clarify the government’s stand on BTN.
“I feel Datuk Seri Najib (Razak) needs to clarify the government’s stand on this issue and he must give a clear direction which is accurate so that the curriculum can be reviewed for the betterment of the country.
“If the government would like to review BTN, then I am ready to give views to a module which is more responsible for the betterment of the country,” he explained.
Salahuddin also blasted Utusan Malaysia, and said BTN must be viewed objectively and rationally.
“I feel we need to think objectively and all parties must rationally look at [the] racist nature of BTN, so I hope that everybody will be able to look at this issue holistically and think rationally to ensure that BTN [courses] won’t be abused by any party for the interests of their political party,” he said.
Utusan on Sunday urged the government not to “bow down” to the opposition on BTN and said that Nazri alone wanted the programme to be revamped even though the move was decided by the Cabinet.
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