NS programme won’t be implemented next year, says Tok Mat

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Service Training Programme (PLKN) will not be implemented next year, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

The Defence Minister said this was due to no allocations for this in Budget 2024.

“If we want to use army camps for this, we need to upgrade all the camps in a one-off manner.

There are 13 camps nationwide.

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“The ministry will study the implementation mechanism together with all stakeholders, before it is finalised and implemented.

“PLKN may only begin in 2025,” he said during his winding up speech for Budget 2024 at the committee stage on Thursday (Nov 23).

Mohamad said the Cabinet had approved for the Defence Ministry to conduct more studies on PLKN, adding that it was currently in the study phase.

“We studied many options.

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“Suggestions by MPs to cooperate with non-governmental organisations will be considered before the paper is presented to the Cabinet for further approval.

“The probability of it starting in 2024 however is close to none as there is no budget,” Mohamad said.

On Oct 31, Mohamad announced the revival of the programme, PLKN 3.0, targeting youths who have completed their SPM examinations.

The public however raised concerns on social media platforms after the ministry mentioned that the programme would target those between 16 and 35.

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The ministry later clarified that only those born in 2007 will be called for PLKN if it is to be implemented by 2024.

It explained that the trainees would be selected based on the year they were born, adding that the maximum age limit to become a trainee is 35.

PLKN was introduced in 2004 involving the random selection of youths aged 18 for a compulsory three-month programme.

It was halted in 2015 and reintroduced the following year with participation to be made optional by 2019.

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However, it was scrapped in August 2018.

In 2021, the previous administration agreed that the defence minister would set up a special committee to study the possibility of reviving the programme with a new template.