The National Service Training Programme, or Program
Latihan Khidmat Negara (PLKN), is Malaysia's National Service program. The
conscripts are 18-year-old youths that are selectively drafted.
The three-month program, which started in December 2003, began as way to
encourage friendship between youths of certain ages from different races and
ethnic groups and address concerns that the country's various races were
becoming increasingly isolated from one another.
But the happenings
in most of the PLKN camps don’t meet the objectives of government. So far, 17 trainees have been killed and on Feb 28,
2004, a 17-year-old female trainee was raped by an instructor. Apart from that,
hundreds of trainees have suffered sickness ranging from food poisoning to
various diseases. Participants lose their confidence and determination as
they have been bullied and beaten up.
In the case of
late Vinoth, authority is still
giving inconsistent responses to his parents. Everyone is saying a
different story and yet the truth is hiding behind a mask. Not only
in this case but in many other cases, the truth has not been revealed yet. Although
the government spent billions of ringgit each year, the problems and risks have
not been eliminated. The parents of the trainees have therefore justifiably
lost confidence in the programme.
It
is now the responsibility of our government to correct the
mistakes of the National Service Training Programme. If not the trust that we
put in such a training programme will be lost forever. Eventually, any efforts
taken by the government in future will not gain our support any more.
By: Anita Raj, Kuganaeshwari, Nageswarie, Rajeswary
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