Close down ‘toxic’ BTN now, says Nik Nazmi

PKR Youth chief says National Civics Bureau 'operates in a Cold War framework' while young Malaysians have moved on and are more hopeful about the country’s future in a way that BTN never foresaw.

PKR Youth leader Nik Nazmi says it is time for the National Civics Bureau to go.

PETALING JAYA: The federal government should take immediate steps to shut down the much-criticised National Civics Bureau (BTN), says PKR Youth chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

Nik Nazmi described the bureau today as being “highly partisan and toxic to genuine national unity” and that it still operated on “a Cold War framework” even though the world had moved on.

It is simply time for the BTN to go,” he said in a statement today.

Nik Nazmi, who was elected MP for Setiawangsa in the general election, said he had personally found BTN’s activities to reek of racism and politics.

As a student, he had once attended a BTN camp, at which he found that Malay participants were being incited against fellow Malaysians of other races and faiths, and where there was attacking of the opposition parties while glorifying the ruling party.

“There have been too many reports of such rhetoric being used in BTN events to dismiss them as isolated incidents,” he said.

He had little confidence that the tone or content of BTN’s programmes had improved. In 2015, BTN found itself in a controversy after public revelation of slides it had prepared which claimed that indie music was a threat to the nation, among other issues.

The Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has announced the abolition of another government agency of the former government, the Special Affairs Department (Jasa), which had been criticised as a propaganda unit of Umno. The National Council of Professors was also abolished.

Two weeks ago, Amanah communications director Khalid Samad said Pakatan Harapan would study if BTN and other government bodies used for political purposes could be redesigned before deciding whether to abolish them.

Nik Nazmi said there were better and more effective ways to nurture patriotism, including among the young.

“Pakatan Harapan’s victory in the recent general election has done more to make young Malaysians hopeful and optimistic about the future, as well as eager to serve the country than anything the BTN has ever done,” he said.  - FMT