I refer to your article: BTN courses help maintain peace, says deputy minister .

Umno information chief cum Deputy Minister Ahmad Maslan is a political novice learning rapidly to be a crooked politician.

Despite the criticism of a courageous few who attended the BTN course and viewed it as 'divisive, racist and politically motivated ' this obnoxious Umno member adamantly claimed that BTN helped to maintain peace.

His perception of how BTN with its racist undertone and political connotations can contribute to peace is not only absurd but also a reflection of how warped his thinking is.

Its is unfortunate that Ahmad Maslan was not born during Tuanku Abdul Rahman's era when he was the first prime minister. I am a product of that era and therefore have the benefit of comparing the situation then and the situation now.

During Tuanku's era, most Chinese, Malays and Indians all attended national schools which was our school of choice. Religion or religious ceremonies were conspicuously absent in our school curriculum.

There was no doa selamat recited during class or school assembly. We respected the sanctity of each other's religion and correctly kept whatever religious observance we had in our homes.

We had a good mixture of teachers from various races and from that example the students of all races had a bond that had no need for any 1Malaysia concept.

There were no Mara schools to segregate the different races. We all attended the same schools and played on the same field. It was this close contact and proximity that united us as Malaysians.

Fast-forward to the present era, national schools are despised by the non-Malays because of religious overtones.

The overwhelming majority of teachers are of one race, the lack of professionalism in the teaching profession indirectly contributed to poor teaching methods.

The end result of such a change precipitated the exodus of non-Malay students to vernacular schools which provided a more conducive environment for educational advancement.

From this polarisation of race where non-Malays opted for vernacular schools and Malays attend national schools, Malaysians are gradually drifting apart.

BTN and other exclusive institutions like Mara which catered for only the Malays were vehicles which further expedited the racial polarisation.

BTN courses were only introduced during the last 10 years and with its divisive, racist and politically motivated agenda how could it contribute to racial unity and peace?

Ahmad Maslan is obviously a product of the current crop of Umnoputeras who fervently believe that any concept contrary to Umno's ideology is anathema to peace and that any support of opposition politics is a traitor to the nation's cause.

That explains why even in one module, they even branded Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim a traitor.

That basically explains why Ahmad Maslan, an Umno information chief was appointed to oversee the BTN course so that Umno's propaganda can be subtly propagated in BTN's modules.