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PETALING JAYA: The government’s plan to revive the National Service (NS) program could be good on paper, but not timely during efforts to curb the Covid-19 pandemic, says the National Association of Patriots (Patriot).
Its president, Brid-Gen (Rtd) Datuk Mohamed Arshad Raj, said in a statement that while the goal is good, better and cheaper alternatives should be seriously considered, with the Ministry of Education at the helm.
“Patriot agrees that NS is a good program, but its reactivation at this time is not necessary as the country faces economic and financial problems caused by Covid-19.
“Affordability, timing and the possibility of better and cheaper alternatives must be seriously considered.
“There was a lot of criticism of the training program, including that the main objective of instilling patriotism, fostering understanding, harmony, unity and a caring Malaysian society had failed.
“The National Society was also accused of enriching cronies, with almost half the total cost to pay the rent for the training grounds.
“The NS program cannot and must not continue until these criticisms are addressed,” he said.
Alternatively, he said the Ministry of Education can focus on developing extracurricular activities that can produce results similar to HL, and at a much lower cost.
“The ministry of education must have experts in motivational training capable of developing training modules that meet similar objectives to those of the NS.
“Activities like scouting (Brownies, Boy Scouts, and Girl Guides), outdoor motivational camps, military and police school cadets, and school choirs are good examples. The Red Crescent and the San Juan Ambulance are also good examples, ”he added.
The national service program began in 2004 under former Defense Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and was dissolved in 2018 by the former Pakatan Harapan government after Putrajaya took office.
A total of 885,956 youth had participated in the training, he added.
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