Will Najib choose the Pak Lah path?
In the ongoing debate about the Biro Tata Negara (BTN), one obvious question is staring the country in the face — will Datuk Seri Najib Razak step up to the plate or will he be another Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi?
In recent days, the Malay-language press controlled by the prime minister’s party has already drawn a line in the sand.
Despite overwhelming evidence of racism, these newspapers have been defending the BTN courses, and are implying that attacks against the National Civics Bureau are akin to an assault on the “social contract” and the special position of Malays.
Some of Najib’s own ministers have also been defending BTN despite the fact that they agreed to a revamp of the courses during a Cabinet meeting just weeks ago.
Among them are Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the deputy prime minister and Umno No. 2 who has become the face of the hawkish forces in the ruling party and government.
Yesterday, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad also argued that there was nothing wrong with the BTN.
Complaints against BTN are not new.
The courses, which are compulsory for civil servants and public university undergraduates, are racist political propaganda designed to strengthen support for Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN), the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has alleged.
But PR leaders are not the only ones who have levelled the racist charges at BTN.
Participants, many of them Malays, have come out to accuse the BTN of being racist.
Amid the debate, Najib’s silence so far has been deafening.
He has allowed the reactionary forces in his own party to set the agenda.
And in doing so, he is risking them jettisoning the inclusive agenda of his administration.
So far, the only member of his Cabinet who has made clear the administration’s intention to overhaul the BTN has been Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz.
Nazri confirmed last week that the Cabinet had already instructed Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Sidek Hassan to revamp the BTN courses.
The revamp was a direct result of a briefing for the Cabinet arranged by Datuk Seri Idris Jala in which Najib and his ministers were told of the racism being promoted by BTN courses.
Among the ministers present at the briefing was Muhyiddin, who sat besides Najib and nodded in agreement to the need for an overhaul.
With the very public campaign to defend BTN by his own party and its powerful newspapers, Najib is now facing the same kind of dilemma which his former boss Abdullah faced.
Despite having the best intentions, Abdullah failed time and again to show his resolve to ensure the success of his reforms.
Desperate not to offend any party, Abdullah tried to compromise and was eventually labelled a flip-flop PM who did not possess the steely resolve to face down challenges.
In the matter of BTN, Najib now has the choice of either bashing through this barrier of chauvinism or become just like his predecessor.
MI
07/12/09
In the ongoing debate about the Biro Tata Negara (BTN), one obvious question is staring the country in the face — will Datuk Seri Najib Razak step up to the plate or will he be another Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi?
In recent days, the Malay-language press controlled by the prime minister’s party has already drawn a line in the sand.
Despite overwhelming evidence of racism, these newspapers have been defending the BTN courses, and are implying that attacks against the National Civics Bureau are akin to an assault on the “social contract” and the special position of Malays.
Some of Najib’s own ministers have also been defending BTN despite the fact that they agreed to a revamp of the courses during a Cabinet meeting just weeks ago.
Among them are Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the deputy prime minister and Umno No. 2 who has become the face of the hawkish forces in the ruling party and government.
Yesterday, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad also argued that there was nothing wrong with the BTN.
Complaints against BTN are not new.
The courses, which are compulsory for civil servants and public university undergraduates, are racist political propaganda designed to strengthen support for Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN), the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has alleged.
But PR leaders are not the only ones who have levelled the racist charges at BTN.
Participants, many of them Malays, have come out to accuse the BTN of being racist.
Amid the debate, Najib’s silence so far has been deafening.
He has allowed the reactionary forces in his own party to set the agenda.
And in doing so, he is risking them jettisoning the inclusive agenda of his administration.
So far, the only member of his Cabinet who has made clear the administration’s intention to overhaul the BTN has been Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz.
Nazri confirmed last week that the Cabinet had already instructed Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Sidek Hassan to revamp the BTN courses.
The revamp was a direct result of a briefing for the Cabinet arranged by Datuk Seri Idris Jala in which Najib and his ministers were told of the racism being promoted by BTN courses.
Among the ministers present at the briefing was Muhyiddin, who sat besides Najib and nodded in agreement to the need for an overhaul.
With the very public campaign to defend BTN by his own party and its powerful newspapers, Najib is now facing the same kind of dilemma which his former boss Abdullah faced.
Despite having the best intentions, Abdullah failed time and again to show his resolve to ensure the success of his reforms.
Desperate not to offend any party, Abdullah tried to compromise and was eventually labelled a flip-flop PM who did not possess the steely resolve to face down challenges.
In the matter of BTN, Najib now has the choice of either bashing through this barrier of chauvinism or become just like his predecessor.
MI
07/12/09
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