Ministry clears National Service of negligence, bullying in past deaths

The Defence Ministry has confirmed that no deaths in previous National Service Training Programme camps were caused by negligence or bullying.

The ministry noted that the National Service (NS) 1.0 and 2.0 from 2004 to 2018 involved 894,256 participants, out of which a total of 20 deaths were recorded.

However, it said that a “majority” of the fatalities were due to pre-existing health complications or sudden heart attacks.

“Investigations by authorities have confirmed that there were no deaths caused by negligence during training or bullying incidents.

“Accordingly, the Defence Ministry reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that the programme’s implementation is safer, more focused, and relevant to the current needs and challenges of today’s youth,” the ministry said in a parliamentary written reply yesterday.

The ministry was responding to a query posed by DAP’s Raub MP Chow Yu Hui, who requested statistics on bullying or deaths in National Service camps from 2003 to 2017.

The backbencher also sought clarification on whether individuals called up for mandatory participation in NS 3.0 will be fined if they fail to report to duty.

In response, the ministry said participation in the NS 3.0 Training Phase is mandatory for individuals selected and issued with an official notice, in line with the National Service Training Act 2003.

It highlighted that under Section 19 of the Act, failure to report without reasonable grounds or a valid exemption constitutes an offence that may result in legal action, including a fine of up to RM3,000, imprisonment for no more than six months, or both.

Addressing absenteeism

However, the ministry said it has outlined measures to address absenteeism, including sending notices via registered post, publishing the list of trainees on official and social media channels, and visiting homes.

Besides that, deferment is limited to a maximum of two times, subject to the submission of strong reasons supported by relevant documentation.

“If a trainee still fails to attend after the deferment period has ended, a counselling session with family members will be arranged as a final intervention to obtain feedback.

“Should all diplomatic approaches and support mechanisms fail, legal action will be strictly enforced in accordance with the Act,” the ministry added.

It also said that, to date, two series of NS 3.0 have shown “positive and encouraging” progress, with the participation of 560 trainees aged 17-27, consisting of 116 trainees in Series 1 and 444 trainees in Series 2.

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