http://malaysianpeace.wordpress.com/2011/03/18/plkn/

By Jonathan Woon

Texting my identification card number to some random five-digit number, I got a reply about

five minutes later congratulating me for being drafted into National Service. It

read, “Tahniah, anda terpilih untuk mengikuti Program Latihan Khidmat Negara!”

“Want to go or not leh?” I vividly recall that argument deep inside my mind. Being a typical

Malaysian, I started listing down the pros and cons of the rather-new Program Latihan

Khidmat Negara (PLKN/NS) hoping that the list would serve as a guideline to whether or not

PLKN was worth my time.

The final list was no stranger to me. All those good and bad stuff about NS has already been

rooted in my mind for quite some time now. Remember discussing with your Bahasa

Melayu cikgu about PLKN for karangan? We run in circles only to find ourselves back in the

same spot where we started our run.

No mum and dad meant time to learn how to berdiri atas kaki sendiri. Waking up early

simply meant a healthier lifestyle that we lack (so they say). The list of pros and cons never

really helped me make up my mind.

The problem I’ve always had with PLKN is not the good or bad changes it brings to the lives

of young teens. But rather, I think the idea of mewajibkan all drafted teens to attend the

program is really absurd; a dense decision made by whoever that’s in charge which lacks

thorough evaluation. Does everyone need such training?

I totally understand how the government is trying to raise a generation so patriotic that is not

only full of zeal for the country’s well being but also familiarized with the whole idea of

being one as Malaysians. Of course the government is also well aware of the moral well

being of Malaysia’s pemuda-pemudi today. However, does everyone fall under the tidak

patriotik category and does everyone behave like monkeys?

No, I don’t think so. Random drafting isn’t the way to go but selective drafting should do the

trick. Selectively drafting those who aren’t patriotic enough and has behaviors liken

to monyets will definitely combat the whole issue we’ve been battling all these years- sampah

masyarakat.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, first day of National Service wasn’t really impressive. Officers

that yelled at me even at day one for no reason certainly degraded the whole program in my

eyes. Obviously, I was observant at all times and tried my best not to sway my judgments to

either side; positive or negative. It was hard but turned out worth it as I look back now.

Of course, it would be impossible to go into detailed explanation of my time spent there

(three months in total). Being put in charge of all trainees as commanding officer wasn’t

necessarily a good thing, for real. Throughout the program, I often find myself

metaphorically comparing my life there as a pressure cooker. It wasn’t leadership training

that I was going through, more like a torture house.

Let me briefly blurb out some interesting highlights at my campsite:

1)      A dead friend

Due to the late invitation letter they sent to us (two days before camp), none of us had time to

go for a proper medical checkup. Surprisingly, we were still forced to go through the

program. Guess what, my friend died of leukemia during camp. Of course, the disease was

not contracted during camp but I strongly believe that the physical modules he went through

certainly did exacerbate the problem.

2)      Paint the campsite red!- a celebration for the dead

This personally sparked anger in me but being leader, I had to hold back and kill thoughts

that defended my own skin color. A particular group of male trainees of about 30 people

decided to wear red-colored t-shirts the night he (my friend mentioned above) passed away.

The Chinese community and red-shirt group ended up in a fight, physically and verbally.

There was tension on the campsite and after hours of Q&A sessions, we finally found out the

true story; those who wore red did not know that it was disrespectful to the Chinese

community for one to display the color red during sorrowful occasions. Don’t we all know

that already, or do we need to educate them with these tiny little aspects of peace and

harmony? Whether or not it was done intentionally is a different argument altogether. What’s

significant here is the fight that took place. Yet, we claim the program to be a mind-changing

program where peace is thought and embedded within trainees.

3)      Balik kampong

Ask any Chinese where their kampong is and I’m confident it will be a local place; Batu

Lima, Teluk Intan, Petaling Jaya, Kota Baharu, Kuching, Kelang, etc..Have you heard your

friend say he’s from China and that his kampong is Szechuan? No. There was once during

lecture, a trainer yelled at a male trainee which was rather poor in his Bahasa Melayu. She

asked him to balik China. The whole lecture hall experienced silence and all of a sudden

some other trainees joined in the “fun” and started agreeing to what the trainer said. How sad,

I almost cried that day but held back these things because of my responsibilities as a

commanding officer.

Enough said, there’s more to it but I won’t go on. I’ll leave these thoughts with you, it is

sufficient. What the media paints about PLKN and what I experienced was a totally different

thing.

At the end of the program, what happens? In fact, this is what the program is all about; the

after effects.

The moment we stepped out of camp the effectiveness of the program became evident-

smokers resumed their puffing routine and the beige-skinned community clustered once again

like glue. Everyone goes back to square one, as though PLKN was a mere dream and

yesterday’s syok punyer experience. Clearly, nothing really changed.

However, things could have been different if the program was made available only to those

who are interest. Are we looking for quality of quantity? The quantity that we produce which

is a mass amount of “patriotic Malaysians”does no good at all. They don’t last, they lack

quality and is of no use to the country. Toss them away into the trash because they’re all back

to square one; sampah masyarakat.

Jonwoon is a freshman majoring in communication studies with an emphasis on radio &

television production/performance and a minor in journalism. You can contact him at

jonathan.woon@sckans.edu. He is currently studying at Southwestern College in Winfield,

Kansas.

Review

The pros and cons of national service

PLKN is a program for teenagers who have been chosen after SPM. Those who try to escape

will be punished to the extend of going behind bars. The pros and cons of national service is

still be the hot issue for some people. People are debating on the effectiveness and the

outcome of this program so far. Money and time always be the issues because some think it is

a waste or opposite. The pros are we are providing employment opportunities to

individuals who are involved in each camp. Among them were former soldiers, ex-police, ex-

fighters, soldiers, police, firemen, nurses, doctors, laborers, clerks, and workers we also

provide space to develop individual business involved in the preparation ofuniform trainees,

trainers and commanders.  Bus operators, food suppliers,contractors and landlords to

build camps for the camp site set up.

To expose young people to live independently  even for 3 months at least the exposure is still

there. For teenagers who are used to living away from their families is no problem, but there

are still many who have never lived away from their families. This is

the class that they will be exposed to the real life. However we are provide opportunities

for teens to hang out and socialize in a "controlled" environment. The meaning of "control"is

a big words. How far is "controlled" is control? How mixing method "under control" is

meant? Mix between men and women. How does the actual situation in the camp during

training sessions run? Parent will never know. We are letting young teenager to stay in a

same area. Many cases happened. I still remember my friend’s son told me they are involved

in a contract love means 3 months basis relationship only.

However, is it enough time for 3 months for trainees to gain knowledge as much as possible.

In other countries as examples of neighboring countries, the National Service they are 3 years

old. They are taught how to use the weapon properly until they are truly familiar with these

weapons.  Trainees here are exposed only once to use the M16 gun. Only once every 3

months. If you're lucky may be able to feel hold M16 2 times. Sometime four months after

the completion of the training program, these trainees will not be able to use these weapons.