The Ministry of Defence (MKN) recently announced that they are planning to reimplement the National Service Training Program (PLKN).
The announcement, however, has in turn angered many Malaysians. This even caught Syed Saddiq’s attention, who has voiced his stand against the government’s plan.
The Muar MP wrote on his Facebook, “According to YB Ismail Sabri, this PLKN is aimed for the spirit of patriotism. But, there are some things that are not told to the public. Firstly, PLKN is one of the most expensive government programs. When I say expensive, the cost of spending for PLKN from 2004 has reached RM8.43 billion. This is too much for a three-month program.”
“Second of all, we need to know that half of the cost for the program is only to cover the campsite rent. From that figure, 43% of RM8.43 billion is mainly for campsite rental, and not for training curriculums,” the political figure further added.
All in all, he asserted that the proposal to revive the PLKN clearly shows that the government is not paying enough attention to the current problems faced by the people. “This is not the time for rhetoric mega projects and wasting millions of ringgit for a three-month program. It is time for the government to realise that the people are suffering, hungry and sick,” the young politician concluded his post.
Many netizens also echoed the same sentiment provided by Syed Saddiq. Surprisingly, apart from arguing that the program is only a waste of time and money, those who have gone through National Service also shared that other issues such as rape, sexual assaults and physical altercation were also common in the past.
Check out some of the reactions that we got from Twitter below:
As someone who has been to PLKN. It’s an utter waste of time. I did not feel fitter,nor did I learn anything that could help protect the country in cases of wars. I only learned how to wake up at 4:30am everyday feeling grumpy and had 6 crazy ass meals a day. #cancelPLKN https://t.co/C5e4BZSQyw
— André Yapp (@AndreeYapp) November 24, 2020
https://twitter.com/byenashie/status/1331446698883760128
TW // Rape, Sexual Assault
Since PLKN started in Dec 2003, a total of 23 deaths at camps nationwide have been reported.
The main reasons for the deaths are drowning & health issues like viral infection. Apart from that, sexual assault, rape & fights have also taken place.
— your local pontianak (@karissalund) November 24, 2020
https://twitter.com/__shuhairi/status/1331095702051557378
Sebagai ketua Kompeni Alpha, Kem Pinggiran Pelangi Muadzam Shah, saya rumuskan PLKN adalah satu program buang masa anak muda dan menguntungkan kroni. Silibus entah apa². Anak org kaya boleh buat surat Dr palsu utk lps kn diri. Jauh panggang dr api dgn NS Spore. https://t.co/JdJJFf5CCD
— Adam (@mokntell) November 24, 2020
Where do you stand in the reimplementation of the PLKN?
Source: FMT.
