Pak Lah and his ridiculous defence of the BTN

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11— Tun Abdullah Badawi was disappointing in office and just as disappointing out of office. His five years was punctuated by a fear of upsetting Umno even when he knew the party was on a path of damnation.

And even now he is scared of upsetting the party, even though he knows the Biro Tata Negara veered off course a long time ago.

His ministers had told him that the BTN was playing a divisive role but he did not do anything.

So his comments today should be taken for what they are: comments of a former senior BTN official.

He remains so obsessed with trying to avoid upsetting anyone that he has chosen to side with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, by defending the man who hounded him out of office.

The evidence of BTN’s overt racism has been overwhelming.

Course participants — many of them Malay — have come out to offer testimonies of the racist indoctrination that is the BTN.

The Chinese and other non-Malay communities continue to be labelled as “pendatang” or immigrants during such courses which are compulsory for new civil servants and public university undergraduates.

Malays participants are constantly reminded that this country is a “Malay” land which they must strive to defend against the threat posed by their fellow countrymen, the non-Malays.

But Abdullah chose to side with the very same hawks in his party who pressured him to leave office.

He also said today that the BTN courses remain relevant because they promoted the concept of 1Malaysia to the public.

This is a preposterous statement if ever there was one.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia concept, while vague, is ostensibly about promoting racial unity and better sense of belonging to the country among all communities.

To suggest that BTN courses will help promote 1Malaysia is something that boggles the mind.

Abdullah was a former director of BTN, and he claims that it was not racist during his time. But he was told while he was PM that it had become a racist institution.

Now, the current PM, Najib, has been told the same thing, and has directed the programme to be overhauled.

If Abdullah cannot help Najib to reform the BTN, he should perhaps consider staying silent.

MI
12/12/09
mi1: He is playing political games, being good in Mahathir's book, promoting his son in law for DPM post, such an ass hole.

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