Lim Teck Ghee, who wrote the book Challenging Malaysia’s Status Quo, described the three Ks as “ketuanan Umno, ketuanan Melayu and ketuanan Islam” (Umno supremacy, Malay supremacy and Muslim supremacy).
He said Malaysians must be steadfast in their rejection of the Biro Tatanegara (BTN) modules, as well as its version of the country’s past, present and future.
Lim said that although he had never attended a BTN course himself, thousands of others had and the “brainwashing and indoctrination of the three Ks were taking place all the time” at these courses.
“We need to be steadfast in our rejection of dogmas and policies of racial and religious dominance.
“We need to put into practice, including in our own lives, the norms of equality, fair play, understanding and respect in our relations with fellow Malaysians.
“We need to do away with our insecurities, envy and sense of hatred,” he said at the launch of his book at the KL Regional Centre for Arbitration (KLRCA) today.
Present were law professor Azmi Sharom, G25’s Mohd Sheriff Kassim, businessman Yong Poh Kon and former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Zaid Ibrahim.
Saying Malaysians needed to be realistic, Lim, who is Centre of Policy Initiatives (CPI) chief executive, added, “The odds are against us challenging the system. We are outnumbered and perhaps outfought.
“But let us give them a damn good fight before going down.”
Lim said there was no magic bullet or quick fixes to resolve the country’s contentious issues, even if the opposition came to power and cautioned that these would continue to exist in the ideological, religious and political arenas.
Like many Malaysians, Lim said, he too was caught up in the roller-coaster ride of what the country was going through.
He said not only was the country’s secular society slowly ceasing to exist, so too was the separation of executive, legislative and judiciary powers.
Checks and balances to prevent monopolies and the abuse of power were also suffering the same fate, he said, adding, “You despair, I despair to see our nation and people driven down religious authoritarianism towards an illiberal and shackled society.”
Lim explained that he wrote Challenging Malaysia’s Status Quo so Malaysians could become aware of the key challenges facing the nation whether from the perspectives of society, culture, economy and governance.
“It is a reminder that many of the problems — although deep-seated — have worsened by the government’s failure to pursue a course of fair, open and reform-oriented change,” he said.
Lim stressed that the book was not simply a critique of the current situation in the country but offered suggestions for alternative policies.
“It is especially directed at the younger generation of Malaysians who need to have their faith and hopes for the country’s future kept alive,” he added.