For Justice, Freedom & Solidarity PP3739/12/2010(025927) ISSN 0127 - 5127 RM4.00 2009:Vol.29No.10 Aliran Monthly : Vol.29(10) Page 1 COVER STORY Pagar makan padi? Has the fence guarded the rice grains or has it eaten them? by Stephen Tan Ban Cheng he raging public furore over the Biro Tata TTT Negara (BTN) underlines the naked inabil- If Umno is not racist, why does it ity of all component parties of the Barisan maintain an indoctrination agency Nasional (BN) to restrain and moderate the unhealthy inclinations of a former Prime Minister. like the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) which inculcates in young Malay It is now known that since the late 1980s the pub- minds the idea of Ketuanan licly-funded BTN (National Civics Bureau in En- Melayu and wariness of the other glish) has been allegedly indoctrinating Ketuanan Melayu or racial supremacy among Malay Malay- races? (For more on the BTN, read sians. Worse, the BTN, funded by our taxes, has Dr Azly Rahman’s chapter On thetheOn also been allegedly instilling hatred against Chi- Problem of Ketuanan Melayu and the nese Malaysians. Work of the Biro Tata Negara in the In the movie The Power of One: Rainmaker, it stated book Multiethnic Malasia.) – KeeKee) very clearly that “an ideology that attacks those who Thuan Chye on 18 October 2009. least threaten it will not outlast its own generation”. In this instance, Ketuanan Melayu can only be justi- fied if the Chinese Malaysians are conflated into Aliran Monthly : Vol.29(10) Page 2 EDITOR'S NOTE Much heated debate – including the memorable ex- changes between Nazri and Mahathir - surrounded CONTENTS the Biro Tata Negara controversy. If Umno is not rac- ist, why does it maintain an indoctrination agency like the BTN, wonders Stephen Tan Ban Cheng, in COVER STORY our cover story. While all this was going on, Najib ••• Pagar Makan Padi? 222 and his team continued to promote the 1Malaysia • 1Malaysia: A Deconstruction theme. CY peers into the past to deconstruct the 1Ma- Of Najib's Myth 777 laysia myth - is there space for honest debate and more open democracy, he wonders. Some are putting a lot of hope in a two-party sys- FEATURES tem, but that alone will not automatically solve the ••• Urban Transport Alternatives problems facing the nation, cautions Jeyakumar For Penang 121212 Devaraj. On the global stage, Farish Noor reminds ••• Climate Of Tragedy 151515 us how neoliberalism and the “war on terror” sys- ••• Uphold Religious Freedom 212121 tem have worked together to terrorise the world. ••• Regretful Bigotry And Intolerance 222222 For P Ramakrishnan, one regretful incident stands ••• Neo-Liberalism And The out in the year just completed – the cow-head pro- ‘War On Terror’ Industry 323232 test. He points out that the majority of Malays are ••• Two-Party System - accommodating and peace-loving and do not sub- And A ‘Third Force’? 404040 scribe to such intolerance. Many of us, however, are not particularly bothered REGULARS about the Copenhagen climate change meeting. Angeline Loh laments the apathy towards environ- ••• Thinking Allowed 191919 mental destruction and greenhouse gas emissions. ••• Current Concerns 363636 To promote environmentally friendly transport op- ••• LettersLettersLetters 383838 tions, cheahst has come up with some interesting alternatives for Penang. OTHERSOTHERSOTHERS Meanwhile, Khor Ai-Na, Akemi Utsumi and Terri ••• Subscription Form 181818 Faust take a peek inside an institution for people with disabilities and learning problems and call for ••• CartoonCartoonCartoon 393939 a change of attitude towards special education. Fi- nally, we wish all readers a happy new year! Thank Published by you all for your continuing support in the cause of justice. Persatuan Aliran Kesedaran Negara (ALIRAN)(ALIRAN)(ALIRAN) 103, Medan Penaga, 11600 Jelutong, Aliran is an organisation for ‘social democratic reform’. We advocate freedom, justice and Penang, Malaysia. solidarity; comment critically on social issues, offer Tel: (04) 658 5251 Fax: (04) 658 5197 analysis and alternative ideas keeping in mind Email (Letters to Editor): the national and global picture based on universal [email protected] human rights and spiritual values. We are listed on the on the roster of the Economic and Social Council of Email (General): [email protected] the United Nations. Founded in 1977, Aliran Homepage : http://www.aliran.com welcomes all Malaysians above 21 to be members. Contact the Hon. Secretary or visit our webpage. Printed by Konway Industries Sdn. Bhd. Plot 78, Lebuhraya Kampung Jawa, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang Aliran Monthly : Vol.29(10) Page 3 Our protectors in a democracy one identity that it never was, is when there is no community per payer, oblivious to the fact that or will be. se? has been recurring for perhaps 20 or more years! Clearly, the Chinese – forget for a Nevertheless, according to a re- while about those in Malaysia – cent Malaysian Insider report head- And here comes the crunch. In are linguistically divided into lined ‘Inner details of BTN reveal another report headlined ‘Dr M various dialect groups, economi- past transgressions by Shazwan transformed BTN to a super-racist cally divided into various social Mustafa Kamal, the BTN has al- agency, says former director. The classes and religiously divided legedly been stereotyping the vari- Malaysia Insider quoted Johari into as many religions as can be ous races as if each was a single Abdul, a former BTN director who found in the world. entity, demonising Pakatan is now the PKR Member of Parlia- Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leaders as ment for Sungai Petani, as stating In Malaysia, it is an unstated rule spies for the Jews, demonising the that “it was former Prime Minis- for years on end since Merdeka in Democratic Action Party (DAP) as ter Tun Dr Mahathir who trans- 1957 that there was a distinctive a communist party with close ties formed the BTN into a full-fledged division between the Malaysian- to Singapore, and demonising Pas racist indoctrination agency.” born or Peranakans such as the as Islamic militants. Babas and Nyonyas on the one Johari said the BTN was origi- hand and the sin kheks (or new ar- Here is the classic case of nam- nally headed by Abdullah Ahmad rivals) on the other, although the ing, blaming and shaming people Badawi, then a civil servant. sands of time have papered over as a “group”without any per- Abdullah left the Malaysian pub- this cleavage. ceived member of the group lic service for the political arena present and without those named, where he eventually succeeded Clearly, the Chinese have been blamed and shamed having any Mahathir as the fifth Prime Min- dissipated along lines that mark recourse to respond at all. Where ister on 31 October 2003. their different dialect groups, so- has the idea of upholding the Mahathir was Prime Minister for cial class and religious inclina- pride and dignity of every Malay- more than 22 years from 16 July tions. So, except for their supposed sian gone to? Awry? And why? 1981. cultural affinity, how does a Chi- And even so, at the very expense nese community threaten anyone of each and every Malaysian tax- It is well known that today, Aliran Monthly : Vol.29(10) Page 4 Abdullah has become the arch-ri- until 1963 when the federation and moderate the unhealthy in- val of his predecessor after being was enlarged into Malaysia clinations of a former prime min- hounded out of office on 3 April through a merger involving Ma- ister. 2009. He enjoyed the second laya, Singapore, Sabah and shortest tenure - five years and five Sarawak. This cowardly acquiescense to the months - among the Malaysian existence of this ugly ogre stand- prime ministers to date. In 1976, the Alliance, already in- ing in the way of our nation-build- corporating the East Malaysian ing efforts for perhaps 20 years or The second prime minister, Tun political parties since the forma- more must be contrasted with the Abdul Razak bin Hussein, was in tion of Malaysia in 1963, was en- forthright courage of those who office for five years three months larged into the Barisan Nasional have exposed this detriment. from 22 September 1970 till 14 (BN) through the inclusion of hith- January 1976. His untimely de- erto West Malaysian-based oppo- Among others in my thoughts are mise shortened what political ob- sition parties such as the Gerakan ordinary Malaysians such as pe- servers agreed would otherwise Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan) and troleum chemist and environmen- have been a long tenure. The third the People’s Progressive Party tal pollution-control specialist Prime Minister, Tun Hussein (PPP). Mariam Mokhtar, who hails from Onn, was in office for five years Ipoh and describes herself as six months from 15 January 1976 That the Biro Tata Negara had someone who “values change but till 16 July 1981. been transformed in the late 1980s respects culture”, and Pas mem- – obviously, after Mahathir con- ber Suhaizan Kaiat, who revealed Since Independence on 31 August solidated his grip on the that the party had as early as 2006 1957, West Malaysian-based par- premiership following the resig- pushed for a revamp of the BTN. ties such as the Malaysian Chi- nation of his first Deputy Prime nese Association (MCA) and the Minister Tun Musa Hitam on 16 Ordinary Malaysians must thank Malaysian Indian Congress March 1986 – without even a hint other Malaysians who have cou- (MIC), together with the trend-set- of opposition from these BN com- rageously spoken out against the ting United Malays National ponents constitutes eloquent tes- hatred and indignity that was Organisation (Umno), had ruled timony to the naked inability of freely spewed out during the the then Malaya as the Alliance all component parties to restrain courses they attended.