KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 ― Putrajaya should dissolve the National Civics Bureau (BTN) as it is a waste of public funds, a DAP lawmaker said today, after several presentation slides leaked online yesterday showed the public agency advocating racism and pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) sentiment.

Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari also alleged that the agency was clearly being used as a political tool by the government to promote the ruling pact and to badmouth activists, non-governmental organisations (NGO) and opposition parties.

“BTN is a government agency and as a government agency they should not take such a political stance, promoting Barisan Nasional.

“So we unanimously urge that both these agencies be repealed immediately. I think there is no benefit for taxpayers’ money including the money collected from GST, to be used for the bad deeds of Barisan Nasional,” Zairil said, referring also to Special Affairs Department (Jasa) who the DAP MP claims is also used as a pro-BN tool.

Zairil also denied allegations that the secular party was using DAP members like Dyana Sofya, Syefura Othman and Jamilah Rahim to lure in Malay voters, as the BTN slides had alleged.

“This is defamatory. DAP gives opportunity to all youth, not just Malay youth but they used this as propaganda.

“This clearly doesn’t make sense and is used by BTN to confuse people,” he said.

Stampin MP Julian Tan Kok Ping added that BTN’s “defamatory” slides also alleged that DAP in Sarawak were attempting to win over voters by promoting Christianity and ideas of secession from Peninsular Malaysia.

“All these statements are defamatory and allegations that is completely baseless and is clearly meant to incite the people’s opinion, especially the Malay community, against DAP,” Tan said.

DAP’s Batu Kawan MP Kasturi Patto accused BTN of promoting “apartheid” propaganda, similar to that carried out previously in South Africa where the Whites and Blacks were segregated.

“BTN is a tool of the apartheid 2.0 in Malaysia today. The government cannot claim they don’t know about it. The prime minister must answer and must make this clear in parliament,” she said.

Yesterday, Malay Mail Online reported that independent book publishers have been tarred by the BTN as masterminds of an “anti-establishment” movement to influence youths voting in the 14th general election, in another set of presentation slides.

Another set of slides claimed that racism can unite a race for a “good purpose”, but has instead received a “negative connotation” as the idea is being used by certain parties to achieve their political goals and topple the government.

Despite denials by the government and the agency, sporadic leaks of closed-door events conducted by the BTN or featuring its staff have continued to entrench suspicions that the bureau was a hotbed of racism and “brainwashing”.