National Service Training Programme (Malaysia)

The National Service Training Programme, or Program Latihan Khidmat Negara , known locally as the Khidmat Negara was Malaysia's national service program under the Barisan Nasional government. The programme was handled by the National Service Training Department, or Jabatan Latihan Khidmat Negara under the Minister of Defence. The conscripts are 18-year-old youths that are selectively drafted. The three-month program, which started in December 2003, began as way to encourage friendship between youths of certain ages from different races and ethnic groups and address concerns that the country's multi-ethnic and multi-cultural groups who were seen of "becoming increasingly isolated from one another".
The program was halted for one year in 2015 due to the federal government's efforts to cut spending. The program was reintroduced as PLKN 2.0 in 2016, with participation to be made fully optional by 2019.
On 13 August 2018, Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman of the new federal government under Pakatan Harapan announced that the PLKN and National Civics Bureau programmes were abolished, as he claimed they were being used for racial indoctrination.

History

The national service program, first proposed in late 2002, came to committee the following year, and was finally implemented in 2004. Initial proposals envisaged drafting all youths of a certain age, but later lack of resources led to restricting the numbers of the intake. The program, planned around a two-year program, was later reduced to a year, then to six months, and then to three months.

Abolishment

On 13 August 2018, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, the Youth and Sports Minister of Malaysia announced that the National Service Training Programme will be abolished with immediate effect following a series of discussion in the cabinet meetings.
The decision was made in view of PLKN and BTN been misused by certain parties for misguided indoctrination. He also announced plans to draft a replacement programme that would focus on shaping visionary youths, which will also be in line with the Federal Constitution and Rukun Negara.

Revival

On 9 October 2023, Defence Minister Mohamad Hasan announced in parliament that the National Service would be revived, albeit at a renewed and downscaled structure. The changes include a downsizing of the number of camps throughout the country to the existing 13 army camps and one police camp, a different training scheme with a three-phase process and a lower expenditure for the program. Mohamad said that the paperwork for the revival will need to be completed and presented to the National Security Council for approval. In October 2024, it will be launched as National Service Training Programme 3.0 as a pilot program set to be done by June or July 2025.
After various studies and public reactions regarding the re-establishment of the national service, the new Minister of Defence Mohamed Khaled Nordin finally announced that the PLKN had been activated and the trial session began on 12 January 2025 with age 18 to 25 years, to be carried out in stages until June of the same year by maintaining a percentage of 70 percent military training and 30 percent national module and inviting SPM graduates who have previously joined the school uniformed cadets. By January 2025, around 150 volunteers were registered for the program.

Selection of conscripts

In late December 2003, the names of 85,000 conscripts for the first National Service program was made public. The government announced that these youths were randomly selected out of the roughly 450,000 youths born in 1986, through a computerised process. Conscripts are 18 years of age and picked from a national database that includes all citizens registered with a Malaysian ID card, whether born locally or overseas. Conscripts were informed of their participation in the program by mail at the address listed on their identification card. They are also able to check their status on the program's website, or by SMS. Lists of conscripts names and ID numbers are also published in major newspapers.
Deserters and draft dodgers are subject to punishment of a fine of up to but not exceeding RM 3000, and/or up to six months of jail. Deferrals to a later date are allowed. Exclusion from the program requires that the conscript fall under one of the following ten categories:

Insanity
Physically disabled
Being held under preventive detention
Undergoing drug rehabilitation
Detained by the Children's Act of 2001
Fatal disease or condition, as confirmed by a medical officer.
Contagious disease, as confirmed by a medical officer.
Full-time member or full-time trainee of the Malaysian Armed Forces, Royal Malaysian Police, Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency or Prisons Department of Malaysia.
Pregnant women

Non selected civilians are also allowed to volunteer to enter the program after filling out certain forms in camps. During the first year pilot of the program, three teens from the north, Lee Poa Ting, Nyiau Kean Wei, and Goh Liang Kia expressed disappointment for not being drafted, gaining widespread attention and becoming national news. Since then, a voluntary option to participate was implemented.

Objectives

Develop a young generation who are patriotic and with love and devotion for their country
Enhance unity among the multi-racial communities in the country
Instill a spirit of caring and volunteerism among society
Produce an active, intelligent and confident generation
Develop positive characteristics among the younger generation through good values
Develop a generation that is obedient and loyal to the government
Identity

The program has its own theme song and logo. Conscripts are issued two pairs each of three different types of uniforms: a class uniform, a sports uniform, and a combat uniform. The combat uniform's design is of blue camouflage stripes, made out of light blue, dark blue, white, and black. The general color scheme for the class and sports uniforms is blue, and black. Criticisms against trainees' uniforms are apparent as blue clothes are easily spotted in jungles and verdant vegetation areas except the sky and water.

Ranks in the National Service

Conscripts exhibiting promising leadership capabilities are promoted to rank-holders during the early course of the training. These rank-holders are entrusted with military officer-like responsibilities and authorisations throughout the remaining course of the training. The ranking system however differs slightly among camps throughout the country according to each camp commandant.
Among the ranks available are:

Chief: Leader of all conscripts in camp. 4 stripes
Deputy Chief: Assistant to the Chief, usually 2–3 per camp. 3 stripes
Company Commander : Also known as Squad OC, leader of a company. Usually 1 per gender for each company. 2 stripes
Assistant Company Commander : Also known as Company Sergeant, assistant to the CC. Usually 1–2 to each CC. 1 stripes

Other ranks :

Public Relations Officer: Normally one for each camp.
Religious Affairs Officer: Normally one for every major religion in the camp.
Quarter Master: Normally one for each camp.
Sports and Recreation Officer: Normally one for each camp.
Dorm Administrator: One for each dorm.
Logistics Personnel: One for each camp, as liaison between conscripts and the camp logistics department.
Modules

The program is split into four modules:

Physical Module – Marching, hand-to-hand combat, Colt M16 usage, obstacle courses, abseilling, Flying Fox, canoeing, camping Navigation, survival training and first aid training.
Nation Building Module – Classroom based. Nation's history, sovereignty and dignity, Malaysia and international affairs, Defence and National Security and Citizen's responsibility to the nation, and loyalty towards the current government, Barisan Nasional. The classes are based on group based training.
Character Building Module – Classroom based. It comprises 2 modules. The first one, Module A speaks about Bringing Out The Best In Me while the second module, Module B, relates to Bringing Out The Best In Others. This component is experential based and relies on games and activities as the means of teaching. It is about instilling good values and Self-confidence, leadership and self-evaluation.
Community Service Module – Trainees are sent in groups to places in surrounding areas to give the trainees a chance to serve society. This is about building and restoring public amenities. It also teaches them environmental restoration and protection as well.

In the 2004 program, conscripts spent 2 months in physical training camp, followed by a final month in a university setting. The program consisted of three separate, overlapping batches. The first batch of 24,000 began in mid-February and ended in the beginning of May, while the second and third batches began in March and ended in June. Trainees were divided among 79 training camps scattered all over the country. Each camp was supposed to contain a good mix of youth from different ethnic groups and locations.

Budget and spending

Trainees were initially given a RM300 allowance by the government. Beginning in January 2008, this amount was raised to RM150/month, or RM450 total. Trainee allowances come in the form of a Sijil Simpanan Premium from Bank Simpanan Nasional, or an account with Agro Bank Malaysia. The accounts with Agro Bank Malaysia have been criticised for taking out RM 20 from each account, for processing and ATM card fees.
According to then-Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop, RM2.37bil has been spent to finance the National Service program since it was introduced in 2004. RM608.6mil was spent in 2004, RM604.8mil in 2005, RM588.2mil in 2006 and RM565mil in 2007. Then-former Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had said earlier that the programme would not exceed RM500mil a year.

Year	Budget
Total	RM2.37 bil
2008	TBA
2007	565.0 mil
2006	588.2 mil
2005	604.8 mil
2004	608.6 mil