Lessons on the importance of independence and not being reliant on foreign assistance are among prominent themes in the National Service (NS) training programme currently involving some 85,000 youths nationwide.

Based on feedback from trainees, a recurring theme woven into the NS syllabus is one which cautions students about the evils of imperialism.

During the camp segment of the three-month stint, trainees are being shown films on independence struggles such as award-winning war epic Leftenan Adnan . Those undergoing classroom sessions are being taught history of independence struggles in Malaysia and neighbouring countries.

"In the lessons about foreign powers, we were taught that foreign intervention is not good for the country." said a cadet who requested anonymity.

"We also had a lessons on imperialism. It is similar to a history lesson but we also talked about the experience of other countries such as Indonesia with the Dutch, and the Philippines with the Americans and the Spanish."

Leftenan Adnan

is a Malay-language film by director Aziz M Osman which chronicles the experiences of a battlefield hero fighting against the Japanese during World War II.

Mock Parliament

Other themes in the NS syllabus include lessons in nation-building and government taught through a mixture of lectures and role-playing exercises.

According to a trainee, one of the classes on democracy requires students to trace the progress of the electoral process from the nomination of candidates to the forming of government by winning political parties.

Students are also required to set up a mock Parliament and debate the viability of hypothetical reform proposals.

"We were asked about the leaders of various political parties, including several opposition parties. They told us that we should write to our parliamentary or state representatives if we are not happy about things such as road conditions," said the trainee.

Other activities require students to act out various scenarios involving the government and the citizenry.

"We had to act out the different scenarios as to what would happen if the country has only citizens and no leaders, or if there are only leaders and no followers. Another skit was about how the country would fail despite having good (resources) if no one was willing to work."

Dull classes

A common complaints of cadets interviewed was their lack of interest in the course content and teaching methods.

While the lessons are relevant to educating students on participatory democracy, cadets said many are uninterested in participating actively in the classes.

"A lot of students simply sleep through the classes. The lecturers have tried to get us to share our opinions but a lot of people do not understand the subjects so our classes end very early," said the cadet.

"For instance, they asked if we know of (Philippine independence hero) Jose Rizal or (British scientist) Stephen Hawkings. Most trainees have not heard of them."

The NS programme was conceived last year by the government in an effort to instil values of patriotism and national integration into Malaysian youths.

However, various complaints have surfaced in newspapers over the recent weeks, ranging from trainees' dissatisfaction with course content and concerns over the participants' safety in view of disciplinary problems .

The programme has also been marred by implementation hiccups and co-ordination problems.

In view of the rising tide of criticism, opposition politicians have called for the programme to be suspended pending a review of its content and arrangements.