National Service Training Department

Jabatan Latihan Khidmat Negara (JLKN)
Department overview
Formed	30 October 2002; 21 years ago (2002-10-30)
Dissolved	13 August 2018; 5 years ago (2018-08-13)
Jurisdiction	Government of Malaysia
Headquarters	Bangunan Zetro, 2-5, Jalan 9/27c, Wangsa Maju, 53300 Kuala Lumpur.
Minister responsible	Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Minister of Defence
Deputy Minister responsible	Adly Zahari, Deputy Minister of Defence
Parent department	Ministry of Defence (MINDEF)
Website	web.archive.org/web/20180403011439/http://www.khidmatnegara.gov.my/

The National Service Training Programme, or Program Latihan Khidmat Negara (PLKN), known locally as the Khidmat Negara ("National Service") was Malaysia's national service program under the Barisan Nasional (BN) government. The programme was handled by the National Service Training Department, or Jabatan Latihan Khidmat Negara (JLKN) under the Minister of Defence (MINDEF). 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 multi-ethnic and multi-cultural groups who were seen of "becoming increasingly isolated from one another".^[2]

The program was halted for one year in 2015 due to the federal government's efforts to cut spending.^[3] The program was reintroduced as PLKN 2.0 in 2016, with participation to be made fully optional by 2019.^[4]

On 13 August 2018, Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman of the new federal government under Pakatan Harapan (PH) announced that the PLKN and National Civics Bureau (BTN) programmes were abolished, as he claimed they were being used for racial indoctrination.^[5][6]

History

The national service program, first proposed in late 2002, came to committee^[which?] the following year, and was finally implemented in 2004. Initial proposals envisaged drafting all youths of a certain age, but later lack of resources led to restricting the numbers of the intake. The program, planned around a two-year program, was later reduced^{[by whom?]} to a year, then to six months, and then to three months.

Conscription has long been a sensitive political issue in Malaysia because of the ethnic divisions of the country.^{[citation needed]} Proponents of National Service promoted bonding the youth of Malaysia together and creating a Malaysian nation, as the problem of racial polarisation was found^{[by whom?]} to pervade educational institutions in Malaysia.

Selection of conscripts

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.^[7] Conscripts are 18 years of age and picked from a national database that includes all citizens registered with a Malaysian ID card, whether born locally or overseas. Conscripts were informed of their participation in the program by mail at the address listed on their identification card. They are also able to check their status on the program's website, or by SMS. Lists of conscripts names and ID numbers are also published in major newspapers.

Deserters and draft dodgers are subject to punishment of a fine of up to but not exceeding RM 3000, and/or up to six months of jail. Deferrals to a later date are allowed. Exclusion from the program requires that the conscript fall under one of the following ten categories:^[8]

• Insanity
• Physically disabled
• Being held under preventive detention (such as the Internal Security Act)
• Undergoing drug rehabilitation
• Detained by the Children's Act of 2001 (Act 612)
• Fatal disease or condition, as confirmed by a medical officer.
• Contagious disease, as confirmed by a medical officer.
• Full-time member or full-time trainee of the Malaysian Armed Forces, Royal Malaysian Police, Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency or Prisons Department of Malaysia.
• Pregnant women

Non selected civilians are also allowed to volunteer to enter the program after filling out certain forms in camps. During the first year pilot of the program, three teens from the north, Lee Poa Ting, Nyiau Kean Wei, and Goh Liang Kia expressed disappointment for not being drafted, gaining widespread attention and becoming national news.^[9] Since then, a voluntary option to participate was implemented.

Objectives

• Develop a young generation who are patriotic and with love and devotion 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 is obedient and loyal to the government

Identity

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.^[10] The general color scheme for the class and sports uniforms is blue, and black. Criticisms^{[by whom?]} against trainees' uniforms are apparent as blue clothes are easily spotted in jungles and verdant vegetation areas except the sky and water.

Ranks in the National Service

Conscripts exhibiting promising leadership capabilities are promoted to rank-holders during the early course of the training. These rank-holders are entrusted with military officer-like responsibilities and authorisations throughout the remaining course of the training. The ranking system however differs slightly among camps throughout the country according to each camp commandant.

Among the ranks available are:

• Chief: Leader of all conscripts in camp. 4 stripes
• Deputy Chief: Assistant to the Chief, usually 2–3 per camp. 3 stripes
• Company Commander (CC): Also known as Squad OC (Officer-in-Command), leader of a company. Usually 1 per gender for each company. 2 stripes
• Assistant Company Commander (ACC): Also known as Company Sergeant, assistant to the CC. Usually 1–2 to each CC. 1 stripes

Other ranks (varies from camp to camp, not all camps have the following officers):

• Public Relations Officer: Normally one for each camp.
• Religious Affairs Officer: Normally one for every major religion in the camp.
• Quarter Master: Normally one for each camp.
• Sports and Recreation Officer: Normally one for each camp.
• Dorm Administrator: One for each dorm.
• Logistics Personnel: One for each camp, as liaison between conscripts and the camp logistics department.

Modules

The program is split into four modules:

• Physical Module (Fizikal) – Marching (Kawad), hand-to-hand combat (Tempur Tanpa Senjata, largely similar to taekwondo), Colt M16 usage,^[11] obstacle courses (Kembara Halangan), abseilling (Tali Tinggi), Flying Fox, canoeing (Kayak), camping ("Wirajaya") (During Wirajaya, trainees will be also given mock missions such as: Search and rescue, night patrols, perimeter Guard, first aid and at night trainees have to guard their company flag from being stolen by instructors of other companies who would infiltrate their opponent companies' bases) 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 classes are based on group based training (Latihan Dalam Kumpulan).
• Character Building Module (Pembinaan Karakter) – Classroom based. It comprises 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 2 months in physical training camp, followed by a final month in a university setting. The program consisted of three separate, overlapping batches. The first batch of 24,000 began in mid-February and ended in the beginning of May, 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.

Budget and spending

Trainees were initially given a RM300 allowance by the government. Beginning in January 2008, this amount was raised to RM150/month, or RM450 total.^[12] Trainee allowances come in the form of a Sijil Simpanan Premium (Premium Savings Certificate) from Bank Simpanan Nasional, or an account with Agro Bank Malaysia.^{[citation needed]} The accounts with Agro Bank Malaysia have been criticised for taking out RM 20 from each account, for processing and ATM card fees.^{[citation needed][by whom?]}

According to then-Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop, RM2.37bil has been spent to finance the National Service program since it was introduced in 2004. RM608.6mil was spent in 2004, RM604.8mil in 2005, RM588.2mil in 2006 and RM565mil in 2007. Then-former Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had said earlier that the programme would not exceed RM500mil a year.

List of National Service Training Camps

There are many National Service training camps in every state in Malaysia. The camps are not available in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya.

Initially, the program involved a two-month placement in a rural outdoor camp, followed by one month in an urban setting (a university, or sport facility). Following university complaints of vandalism, the urban setting placement was discontinued after the 2004 program. The canvas tents in the outdoor camps that housed 10 trainees each were replaced with concrete dormitories that housed 20 trainees each. Trainees are now housed at only one location throughout the duration of the program.