Putrajaya's move to retain the controversial National Civics Bureau (BTN) is against the Pakatan Harapan manifesto.

MCA vice-president Chew Mei Fun said this was in breach of Promise 28 of the manifesto, which states: "The Harapan government will dissolve BTN which over the years actively became a cheap political agent for Umno."

She said that by retaining the controversial bureau, the Harapan government had once again breached another pledge.

"By keeping the dreaded BTN, the Harapan government is following up on the stereotype racial profiling of 'the Chinese are rich, Malays are poor and must be helped' stressed by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohammad during his interview with Channel News Asia.

"Thus, the 'Malaysian Malaysia' ideal perpetuated by DAP over the decades and this whole concept of voting as Malaysians during the GE14 was none other than a front devised to hoodwink people for their ballot count," Chew said in a statement today.

She added that it was "bewildering" that non-Malay cabinet ministers and elected representatives have remained silent over the retention of BTN by the new government.

However, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang and PKR Bukit Tengah assemblyperson Gooi Hsiao Leung have both spoken out against the move to retain BTN.

Under the previous BN government, the BTN has been accused of being a hindrance to national unity with its programmes being accused of allegedly fueling racial and religious discord.

Broken promises

Besides retaining BTN, Chew highlighted other instances of Harapan dishonouring its manifesto.

She pointed out how Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu had said that Harapan would not abolish the National Security Council Act 2016, which is against Promise 27 of the Harapan manifesto to scrap oppressive laws.

The Defence Ministry's statement that Mohamad had meant that the National Service programme would be retained was, according to Chew, against Promise 28 of the manifesto which said: "NS will be abolished because it is not able to achieve the desired aims and objectives."

She also cited Putrajaya's move to appoint a MACC chief without Parliament vetting as promised by the manifesto, and Mahathir's initial plan to take up the education minister's portfolio before he walked back the decision.