Dr M dare to Nazri: Resign from 'racist' Umno
KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has challenged Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz to resign from the 'racist party' Umno.
The former prime minister said Nazri "belongs to a party that is only meant for the Malays and no one else can join in."
“He is a member of a racist party and he is anti-racist so he should just resign from Umno,” Dr Mahathir said after giving a keynote address at a seminar on Malaysia-Indonesia economic cooperation.
Dr Mahathir was responding to Nazri's comment that he (Dr Mahathir) 'is a racist for defending the National Civics Bureau (NCB training modules.'
"(He) must be right if he said so," said Dr Mahathir.
“I must be a racist if Nazri says I am racist. Don’t ever say that I am not. He knows everything,” he added.
Dr Mahathir had previously said criticisms against the NCB modules were exaggerated.
The course, he said, should be retained as it taught valuable history lessons and instilled good values such as discipline and integrity. Nazri however reiterated his stance yesterday that the NCB should be revamped as patriotism was for all Malaysians regardless of race. He said the syllabus should not focus on patriotism for one community alone.
Ku li: ‘I was battered by BTN’
By Adib Zalkapli
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 8 – One of Umno’s most respected leaders,Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, has come out to back the closure of the Biro Tata Negara (BTN), saying he was a victim of its controversial courses when he led an opposition front.
“Yes I have heard, I have been battered about in seminars, discussions in BTN,” the Gua Musang MP said when asked if he has been a victim of BTN.
“They said a lot of things,” he replied when asked to elaborate on the nature of the attack against him.
The Kelantanese prince was also a victim of hate campaign during Election 1990, when photograph of him wearing an East Malaysian headgear was widely distributed just days before polls.
The photograph of Razaleigh in the headgear, which bore motif similar to a crucifix, is credited with turning away significant numbers of Muslim votes from Semangat 46, which he led.
The BTN, under the Prime Minister’s Department, runs compulsory courses for civil servants and undergraduates and has been accused of promoting hatred and racism by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders.
“I think BTN should close down, it has been used to promote personality cult and also used for badgering people who oppose the leadership,” he told reporters after delivering his speech at the United Nations Human Rights Day here.
“It’s a waste of money,” said the Gua Musang Umno chief.
The PR-led Selangor government recently imposed a ban on its civil servants and students within its state-run educational institutions from attending BTN courses, while Penang — another PR- governed state — is said to be considering similar action.
But the hawks in Umno, through Malay-based dailies like Berita Harian and Utusan Malaysia, have moved to defend BTN and attacked its critics as “traitors” who are trying to politicise the issue.
On Sunday Utusan urged the government not to “bow down” to the opposition on BTN.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz had said that BTN training modules would be revamped to better reflect the 1 Malaysia concept introduced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
However former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been defending the BTN courses saying that the criticism against is has been exaggerated.
Tuesday December 8, 2009
Nazri calls Dr M a bloody racist for defending NCB
By MAZWIN NIK ANIS and JOSHUA FOONG
KUALA LUMPUR: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz has called Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad a bloody racist for defending the National Civics Bureau (NCB) training modules.
Nazri said that while he agreed with the former prime minister’s sentiments about patriotism, he felt it was not the sole rights of the Malays.
“There are many of those who came out from the course very angry as many have felt that terms like Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy) is ridiculous.
“When he was prime minister he asked everyone to think as Malay-sians. Now that he is not, he’s asking everyone to think otherwise.
“If you want to talk about patriotism, it is for all,” he said when asked about the issue at Parliament lobby yesterday.
Stressing that he disagreed with any syllabus that concentrated only on one community, Nazri wanted the Opposition to point out which part of the proposed revamp of the training modules they were unhappy with.
Nazri also reminded the Oppo-sition that some of them had been directly involved with the bureau.
“Selangor PAS commissioner Datuk Dr Hassan Ali was a former bureau director. Sungai Petani MP Datuk Johari Abdul was also once a bureau officer.
“Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s father-in-law was formerly involved with the bureau as well,” added Nazri.
Meanwhile in Cyberjaya, Dr Maha-thir described the criticism levelled against the bureau’s modules, which had been around for more than 20 years, as mere exaggeration as nobody who had attended the programme had complained about it.
“The participants had always found the courses useful because they taught about new cultures and new values like discipline, honesty and to reject corruption. I don’t see what is wrong with that,” he said after witnessing the signing of an agreement between RHB Islamic Bank Berhad and Joyful Gateway Sdn Bhd on the construction of a green building.
Dr Mahathir said that when Malaysia’s history was discussed, it would be mentioned that this country was once called Tanah Melayu.
“Now it is Malaysia because we have people who have come to settle down here. That is a fact of history. You can’t deny facts and history. But if we can’t even mention that, then we are denying history,” he said.
Mahathir - 'Father of all racism' - Nazri
Nazri calls Dr Mahathir "the father of all racism”
Hemananthani Sivanandam
KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 9, 2009) : Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz lashed out at former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad today, calling him "the father of all racism."
Responding to Dr Mahathir's urging to him (Nazri) to quit Umno because it is a racist party, Nazri told reporters in Parliament today:
"He’s saying I’m in a racist party, so he confirms what I said about him. If he says I’m in a racist party because I’m a member of Umno, then he’s the father of all racism, (as) he was the president of Umno for 22 years."
"As the ex- PM, he should give better suggestions. I feel sorry for him. Please do not think I’m being disrespectful but if he’s free to comment on us; then he must accept the fact that he’s open to criticism also," said Nazri who also affirmed that he will not resign from Umno.
"What for? I’m not going to give him the pleasure.... of resigning to make him happy because I’m not stupid to fall into his trap," said Nazri.
Both Nazri and Mahathir have been at loggerheads over the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) or National Civics Bureau which drew flak from various quarters over its curriculum which allegedly cultivated racism instead of the intended purpose of nation building.
On Monday, Nazri had called Mahathir a "racist" for defending BTN courses which the Cabinet had announced would be revamped in line with the 1Malaysia policy mooted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.
Nazri said he did not mean to be disrespectful to the former premier but was just counter-arguing Mahathir’s criticism.
"Although he’s an old man, he got himself involved in a matter that invites criticism from others. Don’t call me kurang ajar (rude) because I criticise him.
"Last time in the 1969 when he criticised Tunku Abdul Rahman, that’s not kurang ajar? He taught me. He’s my teacher," said Nazri.
Asked as to Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s comment that labelling Mahathir as a racist was extreme, Nazri said he respected the DPM but felt he was entitled to his own opinion.
"That’s his view, but he’s in Japan and the issue is happening here. So I feel he is taking the role to solve the problem but I’m entitled to my opinion," he added.
Muhyiddin, who is currently on a special trade and investment mission to Japan had said that everyone, especially leaders should not be trapped by the opposition’s strategy to the extent of quarrelling among themselves, and adopt the "talk less" approach.
To this, Nazri said that nothing can be hidden from the people with the current modern technology, and the people have the right to know the views of both parties.
He reiterated that leaders should not be in denial as the revamp of the curriculum should reflect on the 1Malaysia policy.
"We’re not katak bawah tempurung, we’re katak bawah glass (we’re not frogs under a nutshell, we’re frogs under a glass). We can see what’s happening but we still want to deny it.
"The old BTN did not involve Datuk Seri Najib, now we have 1Malaysia so obviously the curriculum should reflect that," he added.
Websites - http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/45804-ku-li-i-was-battered-by-btn ,
http://razaleigh.com/2009/11/28/oil-payments/ ,
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/12/8/nation/5257633&sec=nation ,
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/45796-transparency-vital-to-protect-human-rights-says-ku-li ,
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/12/8/nation/20091208185715&sec=nation ,
http://www.malaysianmirror.com/homedetail/45-home/22149-cmon-ministers-support-nazri ,
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/12/8/nation/5257633&sec=nation ,
http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=41137 ,
http://www.theedgemalaysia.com/political-news/155340-nazri-calls-dr-m-father-of-all-racism.html ,
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