Youth receptive to national service, but make it voluntary, says poll
Though clueless initially, most of the secondary school students polled by malaysiakini in the Bangsar area said the government's proposal to implement compulsory national service would benefit both themselves and the country, though they would prefer it to be on voluntary basis.
The Cabinet agreed on Oct 30 to introduce a compulsory uniformed national service to promote national integration and inculcate patriotism among the young generation.
On Oct 30 in the Dewan Rakyat, Defence Minister Najib Abdul Razak was quoted as saying that the ideal age group for enlistment in national service would be at the age of 18, after sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and that girls could be included as well.
He also said that the national service would not be purely military in nature but would include other "nationalist elements" that would create good values and positivity in the young generation.
For the rest of this story and more, subscribe for only RM150 a year. If you're already a subscriber, please sign in.
Sign in Subscribe now