Malaysian call-up scheme begins

By Jonathan Kent
BBC, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia is beginning a new programme of national service, with thousands of teenagers reporting for duty.

Some 85,000 youngsters, who turn 18 this year, have been called up for three months of training.

Recruits will study physical education and community service

It starts with a month of physical education followed by lessons in nation-building, character-development and a period of community service.

The move is intended to foster national unity in the multi-racial and multi-cultural country.

But critics of the scheme say it does nothing to address the wider causes of racial division.

The first groups reported to training camps on Monday - the remainder begin next month.

For many of the 17- and 18- year-olds drafted this was their first time away from home and they took with them what few comforts could be squeezed into backpacks.

Facing adversity

Over the next three months, they will have to make their own beds, take cold showers and live under military style discipline, though they will not receive military training.

Instead they will complete a programme of physical education and community service with exercises designed to develop character and promote national unity.

The hope is that the teenagers will face adversity together and form firm friendships outside their own racial groups.

The scheme was prompted by fears that the country's Malay, Chinese, Indian and tribal communities are drifting apart.

The growth of conservative Islam and 30 years of race-based economic discrimination are both blamed.

Mobile phones

However, critics like Dr Kua Kia Soong of the human rights group Suaram, argue that national unity would be better served by scrapping the country's remaining race-based social and economic policies.

"Everybody knows that the root causes of polarization in this country (lie) in the very blatant racial discrimination," Dr Kua says.

"A very simple way to achieve unity in this country is to abolish this discrimination. If we're going to have affirmative action, why don't we have affirmative action based on sectors and class? Why base it on race?" he says.

Some things, however, do seem to unite Malaysian teenagers of all races.

One is their love of mobile telephones.

Strict rules governing their use have been laid down - trainees will only be able to make calls and send text messages during breaks and at night.