'It is BN that has colonised and brainwashed Malaysians'

An opposition MP today hit out at a federal minister for claiming that Malaysia faces the threat of foreign colonisation, saying that it is the BN government that has colonised and brainwashed Malaysians for 60 years.

Amanah Kuala Terengganu MP Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad said that it was the BN government that has dominated and monopolised all the mainstream media since Merdeka, from TV1 to TV3, RTM and Utusan Malaysia, as well as the NST group.

"The 60 years were fully utilised to brainwash and shape the thoughts of the people to make them believe that only Umno-BN can rule, or else peace will be lost and riots will be common place. This is organised mind control," he said.

He was commenting on Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak's warning that countries like Malaysia faced the threat of foreign colonisation via mind control, or through manipulating the media, social media and the banks to influence what Malaysians think.

Raja Kamarul Bahrin said that the BN government had monopolised the mainstream media and used the National Civics Bureau to control the people, with no alternative views allowed.

"Those who seek to colonise us are not necessarily from the outside. The colonisation of the mind – indoctrination or brainwashing – has long been happening in our country," he said.

He added that the only difference was that in the time of open skies and cyberspace, alternative views from outside still got through, not only from the West but from the rich civilisations of the Middle East.

He said that today the people have the opportunity – long denied to them – to seek knowledge unfettered by government filters as Islam itself encouraged its adherents to seek knowledge far and wide and use wisdom in making the proper choices.

“If, after 60 years of independence, we are still unable to make wise judgements, then it is Umno-BN that has failed to educate the people.”

Raja Kamarul Bahrin said that while BN ministers always wanted the people to live in fear of the bogeyman of foreign invaders, right-thinking people knew that the real demons were at home ruling “over us”.

If information and knowledge from outside must always be curtailed, then “why are we rushing headlong into trade agreements that will give outsiders a say in how we manage our economy?” he asked, citing the controversial trade pact TPPA (Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement) which Malaysia has signed.

Raja Kamarul Bahrin said that if Salleh wanted to find examples of mind control, he only had to look at his own state of Sabah and see what Umno has done to the local politics.

He pointed out that even its neighbour Sarawak had banned the Malay party from its borders.

"The most dangeous colonisation of the mind is the concept of perpetual dependence on Umno-BN,” he said.

This was the danger posed by brainwashing techniques like BR1M, which gave short-term benefits but made the people weak-willed and dependent on Putrajaya and its subsidies, he said.

Raja Kamarul Bahrin said that it was no surprise that under BN's 'colonisation', oil-producing states like Sabah, Sarawak, Kelantan and Terengganu continued to the the most destitute in the country.

To add insult to injury, he said, Putrajaya, like a true conqueror, even withheld rightful oil royalties from the states, only doling out small 'compassionate payments' or wang ehsan. - Mkini