Malaysian National Service

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Malaysian Armed Forces
Components
Malaysian Army
Royal Malaysian Navy
Royal Malaysian Air Force
History
Military history of Malaysia
Related information
Awards & decorations
Special forces
Council
National service
Military manpower
Military age 18 years of age
Availability males age 15-49: 5,584,231
(2005 est.)
Fit For service males age 15-49: 4,574,854
(2005 est.)
Of age / year males: 244,418
(2005 est.)
Military expenditure
Dollar figure $1.69 billion
(2000 est.)
% of GDP 2.03%
(2000)
Source :
CIA World Factbook 2006

The Malaysian National Service, or Program Latihan Khidmat Negara (PLKN) was first proposed in late 2001, brought to committee the next year, and finally brought to action in 2003. Initially it was thought that all youth of a certain age would be drafted but later the numbers were restricted due to lack of resources. The issue of conscription has always been a sensitive political issue in Malaysia because of the ethnic divisions of the country. The rationale for National Service was to bond the youth of Malaysia together and create a Malaysian nation, as the problem of racial polarisation was found to pervade educational institutions in Malaysia.

Contents

Under British colonial rule the ethnic Malay population was encouraged to concentrate on subsistence agriculture, serving in the military, or working as civil servants. Ethnic Chinese were already present in what is now Malaysia and usually worked in the commercial sector. More Chinese were brought in to work on the rubber plantations and in the tin mines. When Chinese were found to be unsuitable for this sort of indentured labor, and unwilling to work under close supervision, they were replaced by Indians. Malaysia still retains a degree of separation in the economy. Malays still dominate the government and the security forces such as the army and police force. The Chinese are mainly focused in the private sector. Non-Muslim Indians remain the poorest section of Malaysian society. This has had an impact on the issue of National Service. Some ethnic Malays have not felt they can trust the other communities. Many people from the other communities are reluctant to serve in a Malay-dominated institution like the government bureaucracy, defence force and the police force.

  • Develop a young generation who are patriotic and with love for their country
  • Enhance unity among the multi-racial communities in the country
  • Instill a spirit of caring and volunteerism among society
  • Produce an active, intelligent and confident generation
  • Develop positive characteristics among the younger generation through good values
  • Develop a generation that will always obey the current government
  • Introduce a modified Islam called Islam Hadari

In late December 2003, the names of 85,000 conscripts for the first National Service program was made public. The government announced that these youths were randomly selected out of the roughly 450,000 youths born in 1986, through a computerised process.

The program has its own theme song and logo. Conscripts are issued two pairs each of three different types of uniforms: a class uniform, a sports uniform, and a combat uniform. The combat uniform's design is of blue camouflage stripes, made out of light blue, dark blue, white, and black. The general color scheme for the class and sports uniforms is blue, and black.

The program is split into 4 official modules:

  • Physical Module - Marching (Kawat), hand to hand combat (Tempur Tanpa Senjata), obstacle courses (Kembara Halangan), abseilling (Tali Tinggi), "Flying Fox", canoeing (Kayak), camping(Wirajaya), Navigation (Navigasi), survival training and first aid training.
  • Nation Building Module (Kenegaraan) - Classroom based. Nation's history, sovereignty and dignity, Malaysia and international affairs, Defence and National Security and Citizen's responsibility to the nation, and loyalty towards the current government, Barisan Nasional. The class are based on group based training (Latihan Dalam Kumpulan).
  • Character Building Module (Pembinaan Karakter) - Classroom based. It comprise 2 modules. The first one, Module A speaks about Bringing Out The Best In Me while the second module, Module B, relates to Bringing Out The Best In Others. This component is experential based and relies on games and activities as the means of teaching. It is about instilling good values and Self-confidence, leadership and self-evaluation.
  • Community Service Module (Khidmat Komuniti)- Trainees are sent in groups to places in surrounding areas to give the trainees a chance to serve society. This is about building and restoring public amenities. It also teaches them environmental restoration and protection as well.

In the 2004 program, conscripts (referred to as "trainees" or "Wira" for boys and "Wirawati" for girls) spent 3 month in physical training camp. The program consisted of three separate, overlapping batches. The first batch of 24,000 began in February and ended in March, while the second and third batches began in March and ended in June. Trainees were divided among 79 training camps scattered all over the country. Each camp was supposed to contain a good mix of youth from different ethnic groups and locations.

There are many National Service training camps in every state in Malaysia except the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya

  • Merang Suria Holiday Camp, Setiu
  • Kem Peladang Setiu Agro Resort, Setiu
  • Cheneh Cemerlang Training Camp, Kemaman
  • Bakau Resort Camp, Kerteh

In 2007 program, 100,000 people will be selected out of the country's youths born in 1989. They will be placed in 79 training camps, in three different batches. Each batch will undergo three months of training. However, the 2007 batches will not overlap, as with the previous year's. Instead, the three batches will span a total of nine months. Training of the first batch started on 1 January 2007 and will end at 11 March 2007. There were delays for trainees from the East Coast due to severe flooding in the region.

A well-known insider account of daily life in Malaysian National Service is the livejournal entries Operating Instructions by an anonymous "Kim".

The program is run by Jabatan Latihan Khidmat Negara (JLKN) or National Service Department, a department under the Malaysian Ministry of Defence.

Despite progress towards ethnic harmony made in Malaysia in recent times it is clear that there are still problems. After the 2004 pilot batch completed their National Service, the youth wing of the MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association, Malaysia's largest ethnic Chinese party), on behalf of themselves and 8 other Chinese-based youth organizations, issued a memorandum to the National Service Training Council calling for more non-Malay trainers. They also criticised the lack of counsellors, imbalanced diet for the participants, poor communications among the various secretariats and no code of conduct for camp commandants or directors, trainers, facilitators and supervisors. Despite this somewhat diplomatic language it is clear that there is a problem with bullying by Malay NCOs and Officers, a lack of cultural sensitivity by the organizers, and a reluctance to provide a proper diet for the mainly Buddhist Chinese Malaysians and Hindu Indian Malaysians.

Other main controversy issues of Malaysian National Service include the selection system where the government computer database system picks up the trainees randomly without even knowing about their social status. Some cases include poor teenagers who need to work for their living and young mothers with newborn babies who were selected for the program, which are considered as inhumane. However, selected trainees for more recent sessions with special cases can send a letter of appeal to be exempted from the training and will usually be approved

In 2005, concerns were raised in Parliament that youth were being taught to use firearms, namely M-16 rifles, in National Service. Deputy Prime Minister, Najib Razak, stated that this was merely a pilot project. However, Democratic Action Party Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Batu Gajah, Perak, claimed that the Parliamentary Select Committee on Unity and National Service had not been informed of the project.

Trainees are required to submit a health status declaration form but are not required to seek qualified medical opinion in completing this declaration (unlike, for example, United States Space Camp which requires qualified medical certification of health status).

Despite of the numbers of fatalities and casualties among trainees, the government is still insisting to continue the program. Recently, Najib Razak had hinted that the program could be extended to 2 years, but he doubted that the parents would accept his proposal.

  • Ili Ameera Azlan, 17, died on 18th January was attached to the Ayer Keroh, Melaka camp after suffering breathing difficulties [1]. The parents were paid RM 35,000.
  • 1 March 2007 P. Prema from Kajang, Selangor, attached to the Kisana Beach Resort Camp, Kelantan was found unconscious in a toilet at Jeram Linang (0230 hours). She was taken to the Tengku Anis Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
  • 3 September 2007, Mohd Rafi Ameer, 18, died at 10.30pm after having fever for 1 week. Rafi called his sister and telling her that he had fever and that his leg had been swollen for nearly a week after he fell during training.[2] Rafi death making a total of 20 death case in the National Service training camps since 2004.

  • Nurul Ashikin Karino, 17, died on 14th May at the Han Sui, Tawau, Sabah camp. Karino Jalani (father of the deceased) claimed that he was not allowed to meet his daughter who fell and was injured as part of a training accident [3]
  • S. Theresa Pauline, 17, died on June 11th was attached to the Karisma Camp, Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan. She was admitted to the hospital on May 23rd after having fits. Her death was attributed to viral meningoencephaliti. Her father, S. Sarimuthu was paid RM 32,000 [4]

  • Awang Mohd Fazil Awang Borhan, 17, Died on April 23 was attached to the Simalajau Camp, Bintulu, Sarawak. He was swimming with 36 other trainees at Sungai Cina, Matang, Kuching, Sarawak.
  • T. Saravana, 18, attached to the Ethnobotany Camp, Gua Musang, Kelantan. The trainee from 1614A Hospital Quarters, Taiping, Perak drowned while picknicking at Sungai Taman Wangi, Gua Musang, about 3 kilometres from his camp, with 250 trainees and 10 trainers.

The security and cleanliness at most camps are very poor. In the more rural camps, communal bathing in murky ponds is practiced. Sick trainees are NOT allowed to leave their camp even for treatment. This has been the cause of some trainees' death or illness.

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