Malaysia makes armed forces more attractive to young graduates<\/p>\n
V.K. CHIN, The Star, Asia News Network, Kuala Lumpur<\/p>\n
Defense Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Najib Tun Razak has proposed
\nthat future graduates joining the armed forces in future will
\nstart with the rank of captain instead of lieutenant.<\/p>\n
Another incentive is that they will receive a salary instead
\nof an allowance while under training.<\/p>\n
The proposal is aimed no doubt at encouraging more graduates
\nto join the force which has never been attractive to school
\nleavers in the past.<\/p>\n
At the same time it is also one of the measures being taken to
\nupgrade the quality of the armed forces.<\/p>\n
There is a likelihood that graduates will take a closer look
\nat employment opportunities in the army and this is not
\nnecessarily due solely to the incentives being offered.<\/p>\n
With the economic slowdown, jobs are difficult to come by and
\nmany graduates have found themselves in the unenviable position
\nof being unemployed.<\/p>\n
With fewer jobs being available, graduates and school leavers
\nwill have to cast a wider net in their search for work.<\/p>\n
Many young Malaysians are put off by army life because of the
\ndiscipline and therefore give it low priority in looking for a
\ncareer.<\/p>\n
To the adventurous, there is a certain glamour in such a
\nprofession and if the prospects of promotion are good, it should
\nbe able to interest more graduates to join it. But it is unlikely
\nthat there are many opportunities in the army due to financial
\nconstraints.<\/p>\n
The military may also be interested in only certain graduates
\nto become its officers.<\/p>\n
In any case, the army will not interest those with scientific
\nand engineering qualifications as these graduates should have
\nlittle difficulty in finding work after graduation.<\/p>\n
For example, only doctors and dentists have to serve a three-
\nyear compulsory service with the government before they can leave
\nto set up practice in the private sector.<\/p>\n
If not for this regulation, it would have been impossible for
\nthe armed forces and the government to get such graduates to
\nremain in the public sector.<\/p>\n
The army also provides scholarships to eligible students for
\nthem to pursue their tertiary education and these scholars will
\nhave to serve for a number of years before they can go to join
\nthe private sector if they so wish.<\/p>\n
Due to the supposedly hard life in the army, it is unlikely
\nthat it can attract many graduates to apply for jobs on their
\nown.<\/p>\n
With better perks and career prospects, and the present dismal
\neconomic situation, more fresh graduates may consider such
\noffers.<\/p>\n
Actually, an army career is not all that bad and discipline
\nand regimentation may be good for the majority of Malaysians.<\/p>\n
The experience is certainly enriching and those who have had a
\ndose of it will have a new perspective of life in general.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the only setback, if it could be described as one, is
\nthat army personnel live in a world of their own with little
\ncontact with the outside world.<\/p>\n
They live in quarters, mix with their colleagues and families
\nand do their own thing together.<\/p>\n
Their daily needs are therefore looked after by the Defense
\nMinistry and some of them have become so dependent on things
\nbeing done for them that they might find it difficult to adjust
\nto the outside world once they leave the army.<\/p>",
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