KUALA LUMPUR: Legal action under the National Service Training Act 2003 is considered a last resort, with the government ready to explore reasons behind trainees' absences.
Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari stated that the ministry's priority is raising awareness of the National Service 3.0 (PLKN 3.0) and will consider all factors that might prevent a trainee from attending training.
"The minister acknowledges the existence of the National Service Training Act 2003 under Section 18(1).
"However, we learned that absenteeism was due to health, education, and employment reasons," he told the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (July 24).
Earlier, Syed Ibrahim bin Syed Noh (PH-Ledang) noted that the failure of some trainees to attend National Service was a "missed opportunity" and inquired about efforts to ensure compliance.
Adly mentioned that those absent during the second series of PLKN 3.0 have expressed readiness to participate in the next series.
"Therefore, the ministry aims to raise awareness and considers these factors, prioritising opportunities over enforcing the Act, which is seen as a last option," he added.
Section 18(1) of the National Service Training Act 2003 states that selected individuals who fail to attend without a valid excuse may face legal consequences, including a fine of up to RM3,000, imprisonment for a maximum of six months, or both.
He informed the Dewan Rakyat that PLKN 3.0 started in January, with three series of training, involving a total of 1,200 trainees.
PLKN 3.0 kicked off on Jan 12 with 142 volunteer trainees aged 18 to 25, including 44 females.
The second and third batches will be randomly selected and screened.
About 70% of PLKN 3.0 consists of basic military modules such as navigation, marching, and personal arms training.
The remaining 30% is devoted to civics or nation-building subjects, including Malaysian history, its political system, and multicultural diversity within society.
