Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari says the National Civics Bureau and Special Affairs Department both appear to have been misused to promote Barisan Nasional's political agenda. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, June 16, 2015.
AP today urged Putrajaya to abolish the National Civics Bureau (BTN) and Special Affairs Department (JASA) as both "propaganda units" are irrelevant towards nation-building after several slides were leaked online yesterday.
Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari said both units appeared to have been misused to promote Barisan Nasional's political agenda.
He also said Putrajaya could save RM80 million a year from the exercise.
"During the presentation of the 11th Malaysia Plan, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak suggested the rationalisation of the public sector to increase productivity and performance.
"If he is serious, then departments involved in political propaganda are no longer relevant in the government effort on nation-building," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.
Yesterday, the bureau also red-flagged the Malaysian "indie" music and literature movement, saying that it was anti-establishment and could impact on the results of the next general election.
In a document that was earlier available online but has now been removed, the bureau highlighted student activist Adam Adli Abd Halim, DAP member Melati Rahim and writer and independent filmmaker Amir Muhammad as being members of the indie scene.
Among its list of recommendations to deal with the indie movement were to ban such books and for government leaders to connect more with youth to understand their thinking.
Today, the bureau was caught in another controversy when a document on its website, which was available until last night, said the open letter by the G25 or group of prominent Malays calling for a rational dialogue on the position of Islam and Islamic law in Malaysia has given ground to pluralism and liberalism.
It also said members of the G25 had been educated under a "socialist" system, going through English-medium schools during the socialist era.
Zairil added today, the bureau's attack on DAP was nothing new as the party has always been labelled by such groups as anti-Malay.
"If DAP has ill-intention, why is it that it is accepted by many from various background and races, including national laureate Datuk A. Samad Said?"
As for the leaked documents, Zairil said it was clear the bureau was being used as a BN propaganda machine, misusing the taxpayers’ money.
Zairil also questioned the amount of cash received by the "propaganda units".
"In 2015, the civics bureau was allocated RM58.6 million while JASA gets RM 21.7 million. This amounted to RM80.3 million per year.
"Comparatively, the Parliament gets RM89 million this year."
- TMI
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