PLKN does more good than harm
The Malaysian National Service or Program Khidmat Negara (PLKN) is Malaysia’s compulsory military service program and conscripting of people into the armed forces. The 3 months program, which started in December 2003, began as way to encourage friendship between youth of certain ages with different races and ethnic groups and address concerns that the country’s various races were becoming increasingly isolated from one another. I as SPM level in 2006 do not have chance to get involved in the PLKN. I feel so sad because I heard from my friends they were really enjoy doing many activities at the camp but although they tell the good story about PLKN I also hear a lot of bad story about PLKN and make me do not agree to this title above.
Despite progress towards ethnic harmony made in Malaysia in recent times it is clear that there are still problems that is after the 2004 pilot batch completed their National Service, the youth wing of the MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association, Malaysia's largest ethnic Chinese party), on behalf of themselves and 8 other Chinese-based youth organizations, issued a memorandum to the National Service Training Council calling for more non-Malay trainer. I also heard some parents who sent their son or daughter to the PLKN, the camp do not give good quality of food, lack of imbalanced diet for trainee that why last year, trainee from Sri Impian camp suffered food poisoning due to food served on the first day of camp! This story will make the future participants become scare to get involve to the PLKN. Other main controversy issues of Malaysian National Service include the selection system where the government computer database system picks up the trainees randomly without even knowing about their social status. Some cases include poor teenagers who need to work for their living and young mothers with newborn babies who were selected for the program, which are considered as inhumane.
Some people also comment that, the lack of counselors, poor communications among the various secretariats and no code of conduct for camp commandants or directors, trainers. These are my reasons why I do not agree with this title.



