The Biro Tatanegara (BTN) course has helped to maintain peace among people of various races and religions for 35 years, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Ahmad Maslan said today.

He said Malaysia would have been destroyed long ago if the BTN course was racist as claimed by the opposition.

NONE "Millions of people had attended the BTN course since 1974. Malaysia would have been destroyed if not for the BTN course. It made the nation good and successful.

"The BTN course modules apply to all groups and aimed at nurturing pure values and the spirit of unity," he said after presenting a paper titled "Gagasan 1Malaysia" at the 1Malaysia Seminar for the Prime Minister's Department (JPM) staff.

He said BTN not only organise courses but also other programmes to nurture the spirit of patriotism.

"Those who say that BTN course is racist are afraid of their own shadows," he added.

Ahmad said it was not wrong for BTN to deliver government policies to participants and it was up to them to accept them or not.

He said this when asked whether political elements were included in the BTN course.

"If states ruled by the opposition want to have their own course, they can do so but don't say that BTN is not good.

"I am sure that the Selangor government will deliver its policies during its course," the deputy minister added.

Anwar's BTN speeches on the net

On a related matter, the New Straits Times today said that some video clips of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim delivering speeches at BTN courses in the early 1990s have appeared on the Internet.

The report said that in some of these courses, Anwar "not only defended the Malays' special privileges but said these rights should not be questioned by non-Malays".

The tapes are available at YouTube online video site and cited in several blogs.

The opposition had criticised the BTN courses, claiming that the courses were used to "brainwash" students.