NS not best platform to teach youths about unity

 

The president of the Malaysian Youth Council (MBM), Izzat Afif Abdul Hamid, says the National Service (NS) programme is the best platform to teach our young about racial unity and educate them about democracy.

He is wrong.

Izzat may wish to revive NS, but has he given his proposal much thought? Has he done research into the issues which NS participants and their parents faced in the past?

We know that NS was started to instill patriotism among our youths. It was ostensibly designed to build character, encourage racial integration, make children more disciplined and morally aware, and foster the spirit of volunteering.

However, all these lofty ideals are a farce. Most children treat NS as a boot camp. What they learn is forgotten within days of finishing their NS stint.

NS is not the platform to educate teenagers about democracy. Qualified teachers are needed to explain the intricacies of democracy. They are trained to give the students a fair and balanced explanation about the democratic process.

Izzat believes that NS will be able to mend the country’s increasingly fragile racial unity, especially after the last general election (GE15).

Has he wondered if proper law enforcement would suffice? Although there are specific laws in the land against religious and racial rhetoric which can threaten public safety and order, a two-tiered system exists when justice is dispensed. Clerics and politicians who instigate violence and spread malicious rumours and lies about certain races or groups of people are only given a rap on the knuckles.

Is it any wonder the ordinary rakyat thinks that two sets of laws exist? One for them, and another for clerics, politicians and the elite.

More importantly, NS is not going to solve these divisive issues.

So, before Izzat promotes NS to teach teenagers about unity, he may wish to consider these 10 reasons.

• Three months are inadequate for character building and long-term racial interaction. This assimilation and bonding cannot be achieved by force, in a controlled, camp environment. What percentage of participants will apply what they learnt, in real life, once training is over?
• The quality of the food is poor. Several incidents of food poisoning had been reported in the past. In 2008, 155 trainees at the Teluk Rubiah camp in Lumut fell ill after eating contaminated, badly prepared, or inadequately stored food.
• Every provision is made to accommodate the religious food requirements of Muslim trainees but, allegedly, very little provision is made for Buddhist and Hindu trainees.
• There is a poor safety record, and no code of conduct, for the staff of many of the NS camps. In 2011. Basant Singh woke up at the Sungai Bakap camp in Penang to find that 50cm of his hair had been cut, while he was asleep.

Girls have allegedly been molested by some staff, fights break out because of lack of supervision, accidents are not dealt with immediately, there are thefts of personal items, and the proper precautions when swimming are not adhered to.

• Trainees are required to have a medical check-up before starting the programme, but this is not strictly enforced, with the result that pregnant girls have ended up giving birth in the NS camp.
• Bullying is common, with constant fights breaking out among the trainees. More serious are the allegations of bullying by the camp commandants and their officers.
• NS staff have been accused of gross negligence, with cases of trainees who fell seriously ill not receiving immediate medical attention.

In 2010, Norhashimah Wahid was forced to continue with her modules, despite having breathing difficulties, while undergoing “commando-style” training at the Jugra camp in Banting. She lost consciousness and was sent to hospital, but the camp failed to notify her family. After five days in intensive care, she died of severe pneumonia and multiple organ failure.

• The divisive and intolerant upbringing of some of the trainees is reflected in the camps. In 2010, trainees from Kelantan and Kedah who were sent to do their NS in Sarawak had difficulty assimilating with other racial groups.
• Theft of personal belongings is common in the camps. Accusations are rife, and it is alleged that in the days before the end of the NS stint, trainees wreak their vengeance on others.
• Although attendance of the NS camp is compulsory for those selected, the children of the well-connected appear to be exempt. Some claim to have music recordings or filming contracts to fulfill, others will find similar pressing engagements as excuses.

 - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.