BTN ‘Ultra Malay racist’?

I’ve attended several BTN programs with my father and I do not find BTN speakers being racist or trying to spew hatred towards others as claimed by G25 as reported on the Malay Mail Online.

Instead BTN programs give awareness about the importance of having integrity, dignity and being patriotic to our beloved country.

Below are my answers to G25’s statements, the Malay Mail Online’s text is in red and my answer will be in blue.

The National Civics Bureau (BTN) is undermining Putrajaya’s effort to promote inclusiveness among races, former ambassador Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin said yesterday after the agency’s slides critical of several groups were leaked online.

Noor Farida also slammed BTN for toeing the line of religious authorities by demonising liberalism and pluralism without explaining why, when such concepts are reflected in the Quran, the Federal Constitution, as well as the Rukunegara.

Since Datuk Farida mentioned the Quran, I think that she is talking about liberalism and pluralism of religion. For a person who believes in pluralism of religion, all religions are the same while a person who believes in liberalism of religion feels that he is free from any religious laws, free to either believe in god or not to believe in god and is free to do anything he wants.

So, liberalism and pluralism of religion are against the teaching of Islam and the Federal Constitution of Malaysia; and liberalism of religion is also against the Rukun Negara or the National Principles. Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution says that, Islam is the religion of the Federation, meaning no other religion can be at par with Islam as said by Justice Mohd Noor Abdullah in his ruling of the case, Meor Atiqul Rahman vs Fatimah Sihi and others. (Please click here for more information). Since a liberal person is even free to chose not to believe in god, religious pluralism is also against the first principle of Rukun Negara which is, “Believe In God”.

“There seems to be very little doubt that BTN is an ultra Malay racist agency. How the government can establish an organisation like this and use civil servants and public funds boggles the mind,” said Noor Farida, the spokesman of G25, a group of former Malay high-ranking civil servants.

G25 labels programs that give awareness about understanding the history of Malaysia, the Federal Constitution and the agendas of our enemies including foreign militant groups as racist? Now, what is wrong about educating the people? Does G25 actually want Malaysian to be easily fooled by the agendas of our enemies so that they’ll be wasting their time rolling on the roads like the Bersih demonstrators?

“Instead of promoting national unity, the BTN is undermining it. Notions like Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Supremacy) appears to be it’s main agenda. Whatever happened to the Ministry of National Unity? It has now been relegated to nothing.”

Does G25 refers Ketuanan Melayu to Malay privileges as granted by the Social Contract and Article 153 of the Federal Constitution? Social Contract and Article 153 is important in maintaining the national unity. Emeritus Professor Tan Sri Dr. Khoo Kay Kim is a Chinese but he talks about the importance of understanding the history behind the Social Contract and Article 153 and explained why it must be respected and not to be questioned by any race including the Malays in order to maintain the national unity. Please click here for Dr. Khoo Kay Kim: Malaya For The Malays (Video)

My question is, why is G25 not happy about Ketuanan Melayu but does not bother when the Malays is being humiliated and provoked?  

In one set of slides leaked online, BTN accused members of the G25 of being a product of a “socialist era” through their English-medium education in the 1970s, and blamed it for opening doors for pluralist and liberal movements.

G25 is not promoting liberalism and pluralism? G25 condemned BTN, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom and other Islamic authorities when they are doing their jobs but G25 says nothing about the malicious statements made by people like Lim Kit Siang, Eric Paulsen and Tony Pua that humiliate and slender Islam, the Muslims and JAKIM.

The BTN also disputed claims that the G25 has no political motive through its strongly-worded open letter last year, pointing out to Noor Farida’s role in civil service.

It is hard to believe that G25’s open letter has no political motive. (Please click here G25’s open letter). 

Like opposition leaders, Datuk Farida condemned the prime minister for not listening to the DAP powered Bersih 4’s demands (please click here for the article). She claimed that the Bersih 4 demonstrators, which according to a Malaysiakini’s report were 90% Chinese are the voices of most Malaysian. But she did not condemn the Bersih demonstrators for the provocations made by them towards the leaders of the Malay parties, UMNO and PAS.

Noor Farida laughed off BTN’s suggestion of a “socialist” influence in the 1970s, admitting that she was astonished that her role representing Malaysia at the International Court of Justice when she served as the ambassador to the Netherlands meant a “political interest”.

“Does this mean that civil servants performing their duties are politicians?” asked Noor Farida, who is also a former Sessions Court judge.

Malaysian civil servants serve the government, which serve the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong. So according to a constitutional expert, Professor Dato’ Mahamad Naser Disa in his book, “Islam Asas Kenegaraan Malaysia,” civil servants must uphold the oath made by the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong as in Article 37(1) of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia to protect Islam as the Religion of the Federation and other Articles of the Federal Constitutions and not to go against them. 

Noor Farida also claimed that BTN is out of touch with the reality, after the agency claimed in another set of slides that “racism” can unite a race for a “good purpose”.

“[This] shows a low IQ on the part of the BTN officer who prepared the report as well as a total lack of sensitivity … This also indicates the total lack of competence, critical thinking skills and professionalism of BTN staff. Is this the calibre of civil servants that we have now?” said Noor Farida.

G25 should attend BTN programs before calling them racist and undermining the national unity. National unity is not about listening to demands from the opposition supporter groups like Bersih and COMANGO that are working hard to tarnish the name of our country. In last week’s BTN program, Datin Paduka Datuk Professor Dr. Ramlah Adam reminded us that Malaysia is Tanah Melayu. Our Raja-raja Melayu had sacrificed their absolute powers to unite the Malay States as one; and the Chinese and Indians who were stateless before our Merdeka Day were given citizenship while the Malays who are the citizens of Tanah Melayu were given the Malay privileges as written in Article 153. Malaysian must be fair to each other but fairness must not always means equality because equality is not always fair.

Even the West understand what equality does not mean fairness.

To be united, Malaysians of all races must understand history, uphold the Federal Constitution and not question the Malay privileges.

The Malays are not racist, only those who are racist call other people racist.

G25, this is what Tun Tan Siew Sin said in answering to DAP’s attack on the matter during the 1969 election: