It was in January of 2012 when I reported myself for National Service. That was during its ninth edition and I was in the first of three batches to undergo the programme that year.
Unlike many other of my peers at the time, who were drafted to National Service camps in West Malaysia, I only had report to its Sungai Rait camp, in my hometown of Miri.
It was not far from home – about half an hour drive from the city centre. The first few days at the camp were spent waiting for other trainees to arrive – some came from West Malaysia and most were locals coming from Bintulu, Limbang and Lawas.
We were subjected to a rigorous body search upon entrance. This was to look for contrabands – which is a big no-no in the camp. Most however, only had their cigarette stash being confiscated.
The mood in the air was fairly similar for most trainees – they didn’t want to be there. It was mandatory for those who were drafted for the programme, there is no such thing as draft dodging.
Those who were unable to commit to the programme mostly due to pursuing their studies were re-drafted and had to serve in the upcoming editions of the National Service. That explains why there were some trainees who were a little older than others.
The trainees had to serve for a period of 90 days or three months at the camp, undergoing several modules such as character building, physical, nationalism and community service.
While most of us initially didn’t enjoy being forced to undergo what most would say army-like training, upon reflecting back to that period, we had only fond memories to speak of.
Every Monday to Friday is started with a morning physical training (PT) where everyone has to be at the marching field by 6am sharp. This meant waking up as early as 5am to get ready and march as a group from the dormitory.
Later, some trainees find that waking up early to dress up is too much of an ask and wore their sports outfit with trainer shoes to bed so that when they wake up, it is just a case of washing their faces and going to the marching field.
Looking back, I am sure that trainees were treated with some leniency compared to a full-fledged army training. That didn’t mean aspect of discipline wasn’t being stressed as they were trained to maintain their beds to army standards as well as the occasional punishment for being tardy.
The modules too were actually beneficial to the trainees, exposing them to aspects of national service which they might not get from school.
We were asked to go into the jungle to set up camp and cook foods. We were asked to run obstacle courses and jump on flying fox. We had marching competitions and go to longhouses for community service.
Maybe it is the rose-tinted glasses speaking, but I find that the National Service is not as bad as most would make them out to be.
However, we cannot disregard the fact that there were mishaps happening throughout the duration of the programme in total, resulting in injuries, emotional trauma and death. This could have been prevented.
The National Service programme which was introduced in 2003 was ceased in 2015. It was revived shortly from 2016 until 2018. The current federal government will be reviving the programme, although using a different mechanism and a shorter 45 days duration.
The issue with the National Service last time was not only due to mismanagement which led to tragedies impacting the trainees but also was susceptible to leakages of government funds which turned into a money-making scheme for a few.
Regardless, for me, it ought to be revived not only for the nationalism aspect, the community service aspect or the character building.
It is for the social cohesion and national integration aspect whereby people of various background can be brought together and serve a higher calling.
In an increasingly polarised Malaysia, this is pertinent and this aspect should be made the selling point by the federal government in justifying the revival of the programme.
That, and the continuity aspect where the accredited trainees can have a pathway to serve in the army reserve to bolster the nation’s defence.
We must learn from past mistakes and improve the programme overall and make it an integral part for youth development in the country.
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the New Sarawak Tribune.
