Lo Khere Chiang
KUCHING: The controversial National Civics Bureau (BTN) should be abolished immediately as this is what Pakatan Harapan (PH) had promised in its 14th general election manifesto and not fine-tuned and rebranded, says Batu Kitang assemblyman Lo Khere Chiang.
He said PH had boasted of delivering on its promises within 100 days of winning the election and the 100 days is now up.
Lo in a press statement pointed out that PH’s feel-good manifesto is beginning to stink as barely any of the election promises made have been fulfilled.
“One by one, the election promises were chucked aside with a host of feeble excuses from PH.
“I feel sorry for the voters who must be feeling that they have been taken for a ride,” he added.
Lo, who is Padawan Municipal Council (PMC) chairman, said while the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohamed Farid Md Rafik promised to rebrand and fine-tune BTN during the winding up of the royal address, he would very much like to know what Sarawak PH has to say about this.
He alleged that BTN was anti-racial harmony and anti- multi-culturalism and as a Sarawakian, he believed it can never fit into the harmonious lifestyle that the people in Sarawak have been enjoying.
“Farid promised to rebrand and fine-tune BTN but he does not elaborate on what this fine tuning means. Will he make transparent his plans? Will the fine tuning sow even more seeds of discord among Malaysians than it had now?
“How can we believe that it will not go even more haywire than it has along the way? How can we be sure that this time around it will not lose its initial objective of ‘instilling patriotism and nationalism’ in all Malaysians,” he questioned.
Lo said with so many promises made by PH which remain unfulfilled, he was worried that BTN would not be abolished as had been promised by PH.
He believed that to continue with BTN was also a waste of taxpayers’ money especially now as PH-led federal government is claiming that Malaysia is burdened with huge debts.
“So why waste money on something that is not at all useful for Malaysians,” he asked.
Lo said in this regard, he was in complete agreement with DAP lawmakers RSN Rayer (Jelutong) and Kasthuriraani Patto (Batu Kawan) who said that the abolishment of BTN was among the promises that PH made in its manifesto in the recent GE14.
He said PH also claimed that there was no need for an agency to educate civil servants to love their country or to love other Malaysians.
“I hope that PH will keep their promises to the people and not just use these promises as a way to cheat them to win their support,” he said.