Community service proposal for dodgers of PLKN

2008/06/09

News Focus: Community service proposal for dodgers


THE long-awaited amendment to the National Service Act, changing the penalty for dodgers from jail time to community service, will be tabled at the next parliamentary session this month.


National Service Training Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil says steps are being taken to ensure that there are no more deaths among trainees.

National Service Training Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil said the change was supposed to be tabled at the end of the recently concluded sitting, but had to be delayed because of time constraints.

The change was initially announced in October 2006, and was supposed to be introduced in Parliament in December that year

It was mooted after a public outcry over the jailing of service dodger Ahmad Harizal Ahmad Fauzi in May 2005.

Abdul Hadi, the department's fourth director-general, said the new and more lenient penalty was being introduced as the original punishment imposed on shirkers was too harsh.

"It will be brought up at the next session, which begins on June 23."

Now, errant trainees face a jail term of up to six months or a fine of up to RM3,000.

NST Online » Local News
2008/06/09

News Focus: Only one trainee has been jailed so far


TO date, only three National Service dodgers have been charged in court since the programme's inception in 2004.

Only one person has been sentenced to jail so far for failing to participate in the training programme.

Ahmad Harizal Ahmad Fauzie, from Kuala Perlis, was the first shirker to gain the ignominy of being sent to jail for a fortnight after failing to pay a RM600 fine for not reporting to the Kuala Nerang camp in Kedah in July, 2004.

He was jailed in May 2005 but was released after a day when then Perlis menteri besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim sent his officer to pay the fine.

He told the court he did not attend the training because he needed to earn money to help his impoverished family, which resulted in a nationwide wave of sympathy for him.

NS Training Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil said the other two dodgers escaped with a RM600 fine.

Under the National Service Training Act 2003, dodgers are liable to a fine of up to RM3,000 or a jail term not exceeding six months or both.

DAILY EXPRESS NEWS
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Proposal to review NS once every five years

Kota Kinabalu: National Service Training Council (MLKN) Chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye has proposed that the National Service (NS) programme be thoroughly reviewed once every five years. Lee said he forwarded the proposal during a MLKN meeting recently but no decision was made.

The purpose would be to assess just how far the programme has met its objectives as well as identify any weaknesses that have to be addressed.

Speaking after meeting NS trainees who will be leaving for their respective NS camps in the peninsula here, Saturday,
He also said with immediate effect, NS camp commandants are required to send directly to the nearest hospital any NS trainee suffering from any kind of illness even if the illness may not be serious. "

We do not want to take any risk in such cases when a trainee falls ill," he said, adding all trainees would have to fill out a form listing their health status and also undergo medical check-up.

Lee said those with health problems are not encouraged to join the NS programme and as such trainees who are granted conditional eligibility by doctors during the medical check-up will no longer be accepted into the programme.

This is to avoid having trainees who are only able to participate in certain modules of the programme due to their health condition, said Lee, adding it was imperative for NS trainees to participate in all the modules.

Time to remove the chinks
Posted by St Low
Sunday, 15 June 2008
After approximately RM2.8bil spent on more than 400,000 trainees, the National Service programme is completing its fifth year with the last training session for the year. However, a thorough review of the programme is long overdue.

WE sent our active, healthy girl for National Service (NS) and she was returned dead. We entrusted them to take care of her and what happened?”

Too Jong Sing, father of Too Hui Min, the 17-year-old NS trainee who passed away last month allegedly from a colon infection, could barely contain his distress.

Strenous training: Even if the trainees are healthy, the physical exertion at NS camps can be a shock to the system.
Like any parent, he has a hard time accepting his daughter's demise.

“She had her whole life ahead of her. I wish she had never been selected for the programme in the first place,” he trails off.

This weekend, about 35,000 trainees are set to begin their stint in the third training programme of the year under the NS.

For most of the parents who are seeing their children off, experiencing what the Too family went through is their biggest fear. And like Too, many of them are bemoaning the fact that their child was even chosen for the service.

“It is like a lottery that you don't want to win. You hope and hope that your child will be spared and if that fails, you pray anxiously that he or she will survive the three months,” says a parent who only wants to be known as Maniam.

»We are asked to quantify the success rate of something that is unquantifiable« DATUK ABDUL HADI AWANG KECHIL
Or as another parent Zarina puts it, “You carry your child for nine months, go through extreme labour pains and look after your child for more than 17 years, only to put them at risk like that? The programme is just not worth it.”

Zero-death demand

This is the fifth year that NS is being implemented. Conceived as an instrument of national unity in 2003, it aimed at fostering a better understanding between Malaysian youth from diverse backgrounds as well as instilling patriotism and encouraging community service.

The rationale behind the programme was to put 18-year-olds under one roof and create shared experiences to enable them to interact with and learn about each other in an environment that was more conducive than their schools and neighbourhoods.

Like various schemes in Malaysia, however, NS was implemented hastily after it was mooted. Inevitably, it has been dogged by controversy from the start. First, it faced various logistical hitches from inadequate transport, amenities to inexperienced staff. Later, other severe problems arose: sexual assault, gang fights, indiscipline, theft and bullying. Most damning is the death toll, which stands at 21 since the first NS training session was held in 2004. Out of the total number of fatalities, 16 were trainees, with 11 cases happening during training and five others during the breaks. Each problem has given rise to national hysteria, but the government has been fairly quick to rectify the situation.

To be fair, the NS administration has taken various measures to improve the safety and security at their camps. The issue is whether they are doing enough to ensure that the measures are implemented properly.

NS Training Council chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye opines that there is a weakness in the way each camp is managed.

“In a camp, the commandant is the big boss, and runs it as he sees fit. I think there is not enough enforcement or monitoring from the headquarters (the NS department) to ensure that all improvement recommendations and regulations are implemented properly,” he adds.

Hence, last month, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak urged the NS administration to strive for “zero deaths” in their campsites.

All national service camp commandants have to immediately send trainees to the nearest hospital the moment they show signs of being ill, Najib had instructed.

Najib added that camp commandants “have to be more proactive and handson”. “Parents place a very high responsibility on the Government to care for their children, which is why I stress that they (camp commandants) need to take their responsibilities very seriously. It's more than just a normal job,” he had said. For Too, it's too little too late.

“It's too late for my daughter. She is gone. They did not act fast enough to save her,” he insisted. Refusing to accept the RM40,000 insurance payment from the government, Too is instead suing them for negligence.

Although many agree that accidents or illness sometimes cannot be avoided, others believe that more can be done to prevent them. Even Najib had admitted, “There's no denying that there have been a few incidents that could have been avoided.”

Strict but caring

About eight of the fatalities that occurred under the programme were caused by illness, and accounts from witness and family revealed that the camp authorities could have acted faster to prevent their death.

Last year, Mohd Rafi Ameer, was forced to continue with his physical training despite his complaints of fever and nausea. His family claimed that he was only given Panadol and had almost fainted a few times before he was taken to the hospital. He died on the way to hospital and the post-mortem report showed that he was suffering from yellow fever.

It was as a consequent of his death that medical assistants were deployed to camps as a measure to prevent deaths from illness.

However, questions of the inadequacy of the medical facilities arose when trainee Afiq Zuhairy Ahmat Rozali died after suffering from a high fever for three days in April. It was reported that he had received treatment from his camp's medical assistant for two days but his condition did not improve. He was referred to a hospital on the third day, but it was too late by then.

Too, for one, believes that his daughter had been complaining about her stomach problem for three days before she was taken to the hospital.

Lee feels that compassion on the part of camp administration could have helped.

“I believe the camp commandants and trainers need to be caring to all trainees and treat them as if they were their own children. Once they have this feeling, they will automatically ensure that their camps are safe and the trainees' welfare is taken care of,” he says.

Adds Lee, most importantly, everyone needs to be clear that this NS not a military training.

“It is really a summer camp; the main thing is the safety of the participants. We also have to remember that most did not choose to go for NS, they were selected randomly by computer,” he says.

Trainers also need to be aware and open to possibilities of dangers, he adds.

“I have received many complaints from trainees and parents who said that their trainers ignored their complaints of illness or exhaustion. The trainers instead told them: 'Don't kid. You are not ill. You just want to stay out of the sun.’ ”

Lee warns if trainers and camp commandants adopted the stance that the trainees are constantly trying to pull a fast one on them, they might find themselves in a bind.

“Granted there may be a few cases of trainees pretending to be sick, but as a camp supervisor, you must never take any risks and give the teen the benefit of the doubt,” he adds.

Stepping up healthcare

NS Training Department directorgeneral Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil highlights the need for a standardised plan of action in the event of medical emergencies: “We need to have a standard operating procedure for admitting sick trainees to hospital immediately.

Previously, there was a 48-hour waiting period before trainees who were ill would be referred to a hospital.” One proposal to reduce the death toll is to conduct mandatory medical check-ups for trainees. However, this has been ruled out due to its astronomical cost.

“There is no guarantee that they will not fall ill at the camp anyway,” says Lee, stressing that our young lead an unhealthy lifestyle.

“Many study all the time and when they have spare time they play video games or watch television. Even if they are healthy, the physical exertion at the NS camp can still be a shock to their system,” he adds.

Thus, instead of a pre-NS medical check-up, health screenings will be conducted during the trainees' first two weeks of training.

“Trainees will be screened by our medical staff based on their declarations and, if necessary, be asked to see a doctor,” says Abdul Hadi.

There are plans to create 120 new positions for full-time hospital assistants and nurses in each of the programme's 84 camps while trainers will be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency medical treatment.

The medical personnel would be directly attached to the NS training department.

“From the beginning of this year, we have had Health Ministry staff attached to the camps. Having our own medical staff round the clock will be better.”

However, he says it would take time to recruit the personnel and added that the earliest it could happen would be next year.

To sieve out candidates with medical conditions that would exempt them from physical training, the NS department also announced that they would change the format of the health-screening forms next year.

“One change is to remove the conditional eligibility option, which means a trainee is eligible but cannot do strenuous exercise, from the form.

These candidates will not be selected for the NS programme. This is to ensure that there are no untoward incidences,” says Abdul Hadi.

Unresolved concerns

While many welcome the measures to beef up the camp's medical infrastructure, parents are still concerned about another health hazard in NS – the cleanliness and hygiene in the camps.

Since NS was implemented, there have been various complaints of poor water and food quality, which has caused various viral infection cases. Mohd Rafi, for one, was said to have caught yellow fever after consuming food tainted with animal faeces at the Cheneh Cemerlang camp in Terengganu.

Early this month, 57 trainees in Kem Desaru Johor were hospitalised for viral fever.

Last month, eight trainees at Kem Agro Resort, Setiu, suffered from food poisoning, which led to the closure of the camp’s canteen. A week later, 67 trainees from the camp were rushed to hospital for another food poisoning case. This time the food was catered from outside, as the camp's canteen was still closed after the earlier food poisoning incident. According to former trainer Ravinder Sran, hygiene and the water quality has always been a problem.

“I had complained to the authorities when I was a trainer in the first batch. That time, I thought a reason could be because the camps were new, so water supply was a problem. But I just had a course in the same NS camp last month, and the quality of the water supply at that camp is still bad,” she shares.

Abdul Hadi assures they are fully aware of the problem and are taking steps to address them.

For instance, he adds, an inspectorate division had been formed early this year to inspect NS camps nationwide and report on improvements that needed to be made. To date, they have closed down three sub-standard camps.

“We are being more stringent now, and if the camps don't follow our requirements, we will take action, including shutting them down,” he notes.

By HARIATI AZIZAN

- The Star

21,000 to be recalled for national service

SEREMBAN, July 6 - Youths who had sought postponement of their National Service (NS) training in order to further their studies or for other valid reasons, will be recalled for training.

National Service Training Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil said 21,000 such youths had asked for postponement, mostly due to furthering their studies, since the NS training programme was introduced four years ago.

"There will be no exemption even though they have completed their studies or have started working.

"According to the National Service Training Act 2003, youths can be called for training until age 35 and exemptions will only be given if they have health problems, are physically disabled or having an infectious disease," he told reporters here today.

"We are checking the records of the 21,000 youths to see whether they have completed their studies or not," said Abdul Hadi.

"If they have received a letter asking them to report for training but failed to do so without a valid reason, they can be taken to court."

Under Section 18 (1) and 18 (2) of the Act, the offenders can be jailed for up to six months or fined up to RM3,000, or both, upon conviction.

"So far, three youths have been taken to court for failing to attend NS training without a valid reason," said Abdul Hadi.

He said in future, the department might not need to choose youths at random for NS training as the number of those who volunteered to undergo training was increasing, for instance, to 1,274 this year from 929 last year.

"This shows that youths and their parents believe in and are supportive of the NS training programme," he added. - Bernama

Sunday August 31, 2008
NS deals led to RM110m loss
By ROYCE CHEAH


PETALING JAYA: National Service shirkers and a very “rigid” contract have caused the Government losses of up to RM110.1mil from 2004 to last year, the 2007 Auditor-General’s report said.

Over the four years, the audit found that 63,417 people failed to attend the programme for various reasons, which led to the Government having to fork out the money to camp operators due to the way the contract was set out.

The contract spelt out that the Government would pay rent for the use of equipment and facilities for between 690 and 890 trainees for 2004 and between 300 and 400 trainees for 2005 and beyond.

The fee, per trainee, worked out to RM30 in the peninsula and RM41 in Sabah and Sarawak for 2004. In 2005, it cost RM25 in peninsula and RM34.30 in Sabah and Sarawak.

This meant that the Government had to pay for the stated number of trainees in the contract even if the number of trainees turning up was less or more than the figure stipulated in the agreement.

“Every year, between 16% and 23% of those called up to join the programme did not turn up. The ministry must review the contract conditions regarding how many trainees are allocated to each camp,” the report said.

It added that the ministry should also have a backup name list as there had to be a stop to the losses due to people not turning up for training.

“The NS Training Department also has to double-check its name list with the relevant authorities before putting out the roll call,” it said.

Among the reasons those called up did not attend were: a change in address, still studying, sole bread-winners, disabled, did not receive notices, died, overseas, in the army, health problems or have attended NS before.

In its reply, the ministry said it was in the midst of reviewing the contracts, adding that the department would be increasing the number of trainees next year to 140,000 to make up for any shortfall.

The audit also found that RM57mil in arrears had yet to be collected from camp operators for advances they had taken to construct the camps.

The audit also checked on certain camps from various angles such as the suitability of its location, cleanliness, food quality and quality of equipment supplied.

It found that the Beringin Beach camp in Langkawi was unsuitable because high tides often flooded dormitories and left a classroom unusable.

For the Wawasan camp in Sabah, camp operators told the audit team that it was difficult to obtain fresh fish to cook for the trainees but the audit team found it otherwise at the Kota Kinabalu market.

The audit also found that T-shirts, track pants, baseball caps and sports shoes supplied under contracts worth RM41.12mil were of low quality.

NS Dept: Jane Lim must attend training

Tuesday, 23 September 2008 00:23
PETALING JAYA: Jane Lim must still attend National Service (NS) training because her brother’s death is not a valid reason for exemption.

NS Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil said it had no authority to exempt the 17-year-old from the programme because her brother Ricky died nine days after his NS stint.

“If she wants to defer training or be exempted from the programme, she will have to submit an official request to our department according to normal procedure,” he said. Abdul Hadi said Jane could only be exempted from the programme if the reason given for her request fell under the conditions stated in the National Service Training Act.

On Sunday, Jane’s parents Lim Geok Kim and Meng Yeok said they would not let their only surviving child go for the training following the Ricky’s death.

Ricky, 20, passed away on Sept 15 after completing his three-month NS training on Sept 6.

The SMK Catholic High student did not complain of any illness or pain prior to his death but he did complain about the camp’s hygiene and yellowish water supply.

In a press statement, Abdul Hadi said Ricky attended all training modules without suffering from any health problem, except for a cough and mild fever.

“He followed the training as usual after receiving treatment from our medical staff,” he said.

He also said the Lagenda Gunung Ledang Asahan camp had received clearance from the Jasin Health Department on June 18 and was safe to be used.

The report also showed its water supply had been treated at the Jasin Water Supply Department in Malacca, he said.

In Malacca, Lim remained firm on his decision not to allow Jane to attend the training. He said he and his wife would not accept any reasons from the authorities. “We will not let her go and I don’t care what it takes. My son’s death is already totally unacceptable for us and we are sure we will not take any risk of losing my only surviving daughter, he said.

“I will not bother to write to apply for anything (exemption). If any warning letters (from the authority) come I will just tear it,” he said.

- The Star

Marching orders

Tuesday, 23 September 2008 08:07
But Then Again: Mary Schneider

A teenager’s plan to prepare for college overseas is overtaken by call-up for National Service.

WHEN I first found out that my daughter would have to participate in the National Service programme next January, my brain went into overdrive.

“Oh my God! What about her asthma and her allergies?” I said to a friend. “They will force her to march until her poor lungs can’t take it any more, and then deprive her of her inhaler.

“And if that doesn’t kill her, she’ll be forced to eat fried rice or noodles containing prawns, causing her throat to swell up to such an extent that she won’t be able to breathe. I can just picture her gasping for air in the middle of some far-flung jungle as a bunch of people with no First Aid knowledge look on.

“And if by some fluke, she does survive all of that, some lecherous instructor will molest her in the girls’ bathroom while she’s brushing her teeth.”

“But surely, they’ve ironed out all those kinks from previous stints,” said my friend, sounding way too pragmatic for my liking.

“Kinks? Since when were death and rape classified as kinks?”

“I didn’t mean to suggest ...”

“And what about the National Service camp in Penang that is on the verge of collapse after a recent landslide? What does that tell you about the planning that goes into these places? Doesn’t that indicate that one set of ‘kinks’ is being replaced by yet another?”

“But isn’t the Government going to inspect all National Service camps to make sure they are safe?”

“Yes, but I’m sure something else will happen that the organisers didn’t have the foresight or experience to think about.”

“What else could happen?”

“Well, there’s always food poisoning, gangsterism and violence.”

“But these things have already happened.”

“Exactly!”

Fortunately, my daughter is not as paranoid as her mother. She is disappointed about being called up for National Service, but her grouch isn’t with the programme per se but with the timing of it.

For the past six months, my daughter has been making plans for that period between finishing her SPM exams at the beginning of December and going off to college at the beginning of April next year.

And no, those plans do not include daily activities like sleeping for 16 hours, sending text messages to her friends for two hours, updating her Facebook profile for one hour, hanging out at the shopping mall for four hours, watching TV for six hours, and learning that a day doesn’t have 29 hours.

Among other plans, there were the French lessons that would have given her a head start with her college course work; the driving lessons that would have led to more independence; and the temporary job she was hoping would partially pay for her air ticket for an overseas trip to attend a family wedding next year.

But enough of the whining. If participants succeed in fulfilling the objectives of the National Service programme, they will morph (in a mere three months) into people of character who take setbacks in their stride and try to look for the positive in every experience.

Such people will go to college during the day, take extra lessons in the evening, hold down a job on the weekend, help the less fortunate, and take public transport without complaint.

As a parent, I surely can’t complain about that.

But there’s more. According to the great resource that is Wikipedia, the National Service has the following objectives:

> Develop a young generation that is patriotic and loves its 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 will always obey the current government.

So parents who wave goodbye to a bodoh child can look forward to welcoming home a new, improved, intelligent version after just 90 days of their teenager eating bad food, getting lost in the jungle and learning how to handle a rifle, among other character-building activities.

As a parent, I surely can’t complain about that.

Perhaps the people responsible for developing the programme ought to take part in the exercises themselves.

As a parent, I surely wouldn’t complain about that.

- The Star

Helping Jane get exemption from NS

Friday, 26 September 2008 09:23
MALACCA: Several parties are helping 17-year-old Jane Lim in her bid to be exempted from national service (NS) following the recent death of her brother soon after attending the three-month training.

Malacca National Service Supervisory Panel head Wong Nai Chee said that although exemption was given for valid health reasons or physical impairment, Jane’s case should be considered on the basis of her suffering real psychological trauma.

Several NS officials, including those from the Lagenda Gunung Ledang Asahan camp here, visited Jane’s family on Wednesday to assist in her appeal for exemption.

Wong, the former Kota Melaka MP, said this was a positive move because the officials had taken note of her case.

He said that he fully supported her appeal and would follow up with the case.

Jane’s plight was highlighted in the media by her parents Lim Geok Kim and Meng Yeok who were concerned about her safety following the death of their 20-year-old son, Ricky.

Ricky died at home on Sept 15, nine days after completing his training at the Lagenda Gunung Ledang Asahan camp.

An initial post-mortem could not identify the cause of death and health authorities are carrying out further tissue analysis which is expected to take between two and three months.

Although the couple is not blaming the authorities for Ricky’s death, they said they could not risk losing Jane, their only remaining child.

NS Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil had said that Ricky’s death was not a valid reason for Jane to seek exemption.

Lim confirmed that eight officials visited him at his home in Tanjung Kling to get his daughter’s particulars.

“I’m glad and am so relieved that the authorities have taken note of my daughter’s plight and are willing to consider her appeal.

“I really hope they allow her to be with us considering our family’s recent loss,” he said.

- The Star