When Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan announced that they were going to revive the Program Latihan Khidmat Negara (PLKN) 3.0, or National Service Training Programme, my mind went, "Yes, those Gen-Z kids really need to have some sort of training!" However, in a recent turn of events that has sparked both humour and concern on social media, the Defence Ministry announced that the PLKN, which was first introduced in 2003, would be for ‘youths’ aged between 16 and 35.
Social media went abuzz with the announcement, with those who thought they had avoided the training scared of the possibility of being re-selected.
The Defence Ministry again clarified their statements, saying that the PLKN 3.0 would only be for those born in 2007, but they can defer until age 35.
According to the ministry, trainees will be selected based on their year of birth, with a specific birth year cut-off for trainees to commence PLKN 3.0.
"If the selected trainees cannot participate in national service training for valid reasons, they can apply for deferment.
"The maximum age to be a trainee is up to 35 years," it said in a statement, hoping that the clarification would resolve the confusion and concerns among the public regarding the age requirements for PLKN 3.0 trainees.
For the record, the PLKN 3.0 is part of a renewed initiative after its previous discontinuation in 2018.
The initiative is structured into two phases, although specifics on these phases are not fully detailed at the moment but would take place for 45 days of basic army training as outlined by the Defence Ministry.
But if you get selected to be a part of the trainee programme for PLKN 3.0, let me take you back to 2007, when I did my PLKN training as a 17-year-old, and why you should not defer the training. Here are the things that I had to endure: