Thursday, September 04, 2008

My BTN Camp Experience


Allow me to tell again my story of Biro Tatanegara camps. I personally went for one as requested by INTEC, UiTM and JPA. The following paragraphs were copied from my older blog entry dated May 3, 2007.



MAY 3, 2007 , A PIECE OF MY MIND :

In this blog today , I shall reveal and speak the truth of BTN . Biro Tatanegara . INTEC students went for this camp .

And I asked some questions that weren't sensitive of racism but they were questions of leadership and history issues like Dr M vs Tunku , why the government provides a small amount for students to purchase books that cost RM 100 per copy at the PRE U level , etc .

But there was this friend of mine . He asked questions like Tongkat Melayu that Dr Mahathir wished to see removed , the issue of army taking over the country's leadership (junta style) . The then Deputy Director of BTN attacked us the students and created a racial commotion in Kem Ulu Sepri Negeri Sembilan .

He said that the question was trying to instigate the possibility of Malays killing Chinese etc . I even had a Malay friend who challenged the chances of success in Vision 2020 where there will be one united race . The Special Task officer and Deputy Director hit back saying that will Malays go to a Chinese restaurant to eat , will Indians or Chinese go to another race's stall to eat etc . The issue of pork etc comes up again . And many other examples of racism brought up .

And my pal raised up from his chair annoyed and said that does that mean our Vision 2020 will never be achieved ? I had the same idea .

The BTN course was bad enough . I had friends telling me that their group briefings ( we were separated into groups ) had issues as well . There were cases where the officer in charge ask a Malay student whether she is happy that the Malays will not get special rights one day , that the Social Contract allows non Malays to stay in their land ... there were instances where the officer even provoked non Malay students asking whether they were happy with the special rights issue .

Come on . We should utilise BTN to promote loyalty to the nation as united group . You can call it a multi racial society or one united race ... however you like . But please use BTN as the proper channel to promote unity among students and forge together ahead in bringing success to our Contender Country status ... improve it into a developed nation .

Racism should be dumped out of BTN . Sack all officers that are racists . A camp full of tension is not a camp . It is a war zone .

- end-


I hope the Government of Malaysia and the Parliament of Malaysia can look into reforming the BTN camps. I am sure the BTN modules are clear and have the unity objectives stated in there but I believe the officers are not using the modules in the proper manner. Also, BTN needs to be scrutinised by a Public Commission to ensure a peaceful Malaysia because what happened in my BTN camp could have easily sparked a racial clash right in Ulu Sepri itself.

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