Saturday, April 24, 2004

Khidmat Negara:Keadilan hantar memorandum hari ini
OLEH:DALIA ISMAIL

Menteri Pertahanan Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Khamis memberitahu Program Latihan Khidmat Negara akan diteruskan walaupun terdapatnya kelemahan pelaksanaan fasa pertama program itu .
Katanya program itu perlu diteruskan kerana ia dapat memberi kesan yang amat besar kepada usaha pembentukan generasi akan datang, walaupun berlaku beberapa insiden seperti kes rogol membabitkan jurulatih PLKN sendiri terhadap seorang remaja berusia 18 tahun di Kem Merang, Setiu, Terengganu pada 18 April lalu.
Dalam pada itu , Angkatan Muda KeADILan, akan menghantar satu memorandum mendesak pengantungan segera PLKN Sabtu ini.
Agendadaily di maklumkan antara butiran memorandum itu mengesa PLKN dihentikan serta-merta dan satu siasatan terperinci dijalankan oleh satu jawatankuasa yang benar-benar bebas.
Timbalan Ketua Penerangannya , Badrul Hisham Shaharin,ketika dihubungi Agendadaily,mendakwa banyak cerita yang tidak didedahkan oleh kerajaan terhadap kepincangan modul progam PLKN ini.
Katanya,” kita bukan tidak setuju dengan hasrat Menteri Pertahanan untuk meneruskan PLKN. Tetapi kita amat kesal kerajaan cuba menutup kepincangan moral yang berlaku daripada pengetahuan umum.
“Bukan sahaja membabitkan kes pergaduhan dan rogol malah ada kes yang dilaporkan juga membabitkan gangguan seksual oleh jurulatih yang telah diselindungkan oleh komander kem latihan. Malah cerita jurulatih dan pelatih banyak didedahkan di akhbar berbahasa Cina.
“ Itu kita tidak bongkarkan lagi kisah kontraktor-kontraktor yang dilantik yang masih lagi gagal menuntut bayaran mereka untuk menjayakan fasa pertama PLKN ini,” ujarnya.
KeADILan mendesak PLKN dihentikan serta merta dan satu jawatankuasa bebas dibentuk kerana PLKN yang diletakkan di bawah bidang kuasa Kementerian Pertahanan itu dilihat tidak cukup bersedia untuk melaksanakan PLKN Fasa 1 yang bermula 16 Februari lalu.
PLKN kini disertai seramai 85,000 remaja yang lahir pada 1986.Mereka dipilih untuk menjalani latihan pertama PLKN, yang dibahagikan kepada tiga kumpulan setiap satu menjalani latihan tiga bulan, di 41 buah kem di seluruh negara.
KeADILan akan menyerahkan memorandum itu kepada Pengarah Jabatan Khidmat Negara untuk diajukan kepada Menteri Pertahanan di Bangunan Wisma Selborne Jalan Tun Razak, Sabtu ini jam 9.30 pagi.
Najib memberitahu para wartawan selepas satu majlis di Pulau Pinang bahawa PLKN akan diteruskan tapi segala kelemahan yang dikesan akan diperbaiki.
Sebelum itu Ketua Pemuda Keadilan Terengganu Faris Musa menyifatkan dakwaan kejadian rogol itu telah menimbulkan rasa kurang yakin rakyat terhadap jurulatih PLKN yang ada Mahkamah Majistret Kuala Terengganu telah menyambung tempoh reman selama sembilan hari lagi mulai Selasa lalu terhadap jurulatih yang didakwa merogol pelatih berkenaan bagi membantu siasatan polis.
Pengerusi Majlis Latihan Khidmat Negara Profesor Datuk Dr Ahmad Fauzi Ahmad Basri dalam kenyataannya minggu lalu juga bersetuju untuk mengkaji semula PLKN membabitkan keseluruhan konsep dan pendekatannya.
Suspend national service, says Keadilan
Yoon Szu-Mae

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan) has called for the suspension of the controversial National Service programme which has been hit by a string of negative incidents, including one alleged rape by a trainer.
At last count, said Keadilan spokesperson Badrul Hisham Shaharin (left), 72 cases have already been referred to the police, the most worrying being cases where trainers were alleged to have assaulted their young trainees.
"Parents have much reason to fear for their children. So long as their safety are not guaranteed, parents have the right to pull their children out from the programme. Legal threats and accusations of being ‘un-patriotic’ should not be used," said the party’s youth wing in its memo to National Service director-general Kamaruzaman Mohd Noor today.
In turn, Badrul said the party will provide legal help to parents facing problems with the programme, particularly the 10,000 youth dodgers who are expected to be taken to the courts by the government.
Director-General Kamaruzaman, in accepting the party’s memorandum in front of the defence ministry - the overseeing authority for the programme - told the Keadilan representatives that their concerns would be referred to higher authorities.
Besides Badrul, others present from Keadilan included its youth deputy leaders Syamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, secretary SD Johari, and exco member Zaki Yamani.
Independent assessment
"The cases mentioned are only a small portion of what had happened in the training camps. What is most regretted are the efforts made by those involved to conceal the incidents," it said.
The party proposed that once the National Service programme has been suspended, an independent committee can be set up to re-assess it in its entirety.
It also called on Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, as chairperson of the cabinet committee overseeing the national service, to take responsibility of the debacle.
"He should resign immediately. Keadilan rejects Najib’s explanation that stopping it halfway will jeopardise the programme’s objectives. Rather, if it continues without appraisal or improvements, it will not only fail the programme’s objectives, but will negatively impact the nation’s youth," said Keadilan.
Mooted by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad last year, the three-month training programme was aimed at "instilling patriotism" among the country’s youth.
"In re-assessing the programme, priority should be given to Islamic and moral elements in developing the national service modules. Religious facilities and attendance for Friday prayers and church, should be made available," it added.
Following a national service council meeting last week, its chairperson Prof Dr Ahmad Fawzi Mohd Basri told the press that the current budget of RM500 million for the programme is "not enough".
He said that additional funds are needed to deal with the problem of identifying suitable training camps for trainees and trainers, as well as setting up a special camp for some 100 delinquent trainees.
The pioneer batch of 85,000 national service trainees were divided into three groups, with the third group scheduled to finish their training in June this year.