12 May 2005 (NST Press) - Heard about the boy who was sentenced to jail for not joining the National Service? Hmmmm ... maybe they have resolved the issue of thet POOR (in many ways than one) boy, but we are again MISSING the point here. Listen people, the word here is SERVICE, get it? I really don't understand why we Malaysians always do things the hard way as though we are lacking in thoughts and alternatives.
Firstly, we want the young generation to 'feel' a sense of love for the Nation, service in a way that can be experienced in Modern times. There is no Perang in our country, no Huru-hara in Malaysia. The NS will instill working together, loving each other (don't take this the wrong way aa) and working towards nation building. Patriotic feelings for the good of the nation.
But we are also dealing with 'ordinary' people. If anyone is so responsible, we don't need laws. No one is an angel. The boy may be ignorant of the implications, granted. Can he be rendered some assistance. If he is so clever, he will not be in a position that he is. So the real 'clever' people, did you provide the necessary SERVICE to him, to encourage him to participate or find out for sure, the real reasons.?? Dah buat ke?
To take the action of law is the EASIEST and lamest excuse that anyone can give. So throwing him in jail will make him PATRIOTIC??. He will be hateful for the rest of his life. The hurt, embarassment, the confusion and all he wanted to do was help his family. He is POOR and you FINE him, how more brilliant can the solution be?? My goodness ... hello people up there ...
There are many other ways to implement the 'SERVICE'. There are many other ways to address approaches of deterrent for the skivers. Are we lacking of ideas?? Can he join later?? Can we have alternatives, like the Detour in the 'Amazing Race' ... where there are alternatives of tasks of equal weightage of difficulty?? I am ALL for the National Service and to me it can only get better. We can have NS Version A, NS Version B, NS Version C - programmes with the same basic events but with some differences in liue of location (perhaps), such as the jungle, the sea, town area. Come on, let us show our 'strength' too in terms imagination and creativity of implementation, not just the strong arm ... Aiyaa, tak tau lah ...
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