National Service: Netizens mock inclusion of youths in their 30’s

The government’s decision to reintroduce the National Service Training Programme (PLKN) has been greeted with ridicule and sarcasm by some netizens.

This is after the government said that under the PLKN Act, youths up to the age of 35 could be drafted for the training programme.

With a focus on the involvement of youths in their 30s, they predict that the programme’s atmosphere will be filled with various “awkward” incidents.

For instance, some participants may experience bodily aches after undergoing physical training, and putting teenagers and young adults in their 30s together may present challenges due to differences in age and maturity.

Working adults, in particular, wondered how their daily routines would be radically altered if they were called up to join PLKN.

One tuition teacher joked about being placed together with his students in PLKN camps.

“If you see your teacher there, just say hi. Don’t call me cikgu (teacher); just call me ‘bro’,” he said.

Cheaper new format

The issue of reintroducing PLKN gained attention after Defence Minister Mohamad Hasan informed Parliament about the government’s decision to revive it after it was discontinued several years ago.

In response to a question from Sungai Petani MP Mohammed Taufiq Johari, Mohamad said this decision was based on the findings of a special committee that recommended it to the cabinet.

Defence Minister Mohamad Hasan

He said the programme will be carried out with a new format that will not incur much spending.

“Under this PLKN Act, only individuals aged 16 to 35 will be involved,” he said.

The PLKN Act actually states that a proclamation by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong would determine the age group of those being drafted for training.

The proclamation must not draft those who are younger than 16 or older than 35.

However, by precedent, those picked to join the training programme in the last two rounds of PLKN have primarily been SPM-fresh graduates who are 17 to 18 years old - save for those who deferred service pending their studies.

Further in his written reply, Mohamad indicated that the next round of PLKN could involve Form 4 students and SPM fresh graduates.

In his question, Taufiq asked the defence minister to state if the government intends to revive PLKN and improve the programme.

PLKN was proposed in 2002 but was only implemented two years later.

Among the objectives set are to enhance patriotism among the youths, foster racial integration, and promote volunteerism.

It also aimed to nurture youths to become more active, intelligent, and confident.

Its participants were teenagers who were selected at random to undergo training for three months at government-designated centres.

The programme was then abolished in 2018.

Mohamad said that this time, PLKN would not take much time, only 45 days, and will be held in Wataniah (Territorial Army) camps throughout the country, as well as the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) in Kuala Lumpur.

“Previously, the original cost was about RM50 million per year, while the new cost, based on the special committee’s proposal, will not exceed RM100 million per year,” he said. - Mkini