Boot-camp program bridges ethnic divisions

Boot-camp program bridges ethnic divisions

Sean Yoong, Associated Press, Rembau, Malaysia

Striving to shed old ethnic and cultural divisions, Malaysia is conscripting its young into a boot-camp-style national service program designed to cultivate patriotism, discipline and, especially, tolerance.

But the early going has been marred by clashes among the 85,000 young men and women randomly drafted for the first class.

Ng Han Shen, an 17-year-old ethnic Chinese conscript, recently showed off a stitched cut at the back of his head, just hours after more than 30 Malay teenagers at his training camp battered him with fists and metal chairs. "They thought I had been rude to one of them," he said.

The fight testified to the ethnic divisions that led the government to devise the nonmilitary training program, which is aimed at helping this fast-developing Southeast Asian country find a peaceful, modern and increasingly middle class identity.

The first group of 85,000 was selected by computer -- out of nearly a half million 17- and 18-year-olds -- for three months of community service, patriotism classes and physical training.

Officials hope the program will forge multiracial understanding by bringing teenagers from different backgrounds and cultures together in dozens of jungle camps set up across Malaysia.

Many of the draftees came out of ethnic-based schools that afforded them little opportunity to make friends of other races.

While such young people can end up working in racially mixed offices, there often is little inclination for ethnic interactions, even though most Malaysians pride themselves on ethnic tolerance and relations are generally amicable.

Nearly two-thirds of Malaysia's 25 million people are ethnic Malay Muslims, and there are large ethnic Chinese and Indian communities that practice Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity.

Historically, Malays have dominated the country's politics while Chinese are considered the backbone of commerce and Indians are numerous in retailing and laboring -- though the divisions are becoming increasingly blurred.

In the national service camps, recruits from every race train together and share tents that each comprise roughly six Malays, three Chinese and an Indian -- a microcosm of the national population. They share the same meals, typically consisting of rice, chicken or fish curry and vegetables -- but no pork, which is forbidden under Islam.

Training ranges from marching, unarmed combat and emergency first aid to classes in which recruits discuss Malaysia's future, the need for racial integration and how to guard against terrorists and illegal immigrants. Trainees can leave the camp for religious festivals and weekly rites at nearby mosques, temples and churches.

"I'm learning to become a responsible Malaysian who appreciates the importance of national harmony," draftee Amir Hamzah Mohamad Yusoff said after a role-playing class during which trainees pretended they were Cabinet ministers and mapped out new policies to bring ethnic groups closer.

The first recruits began training in February. Fresh out of high school, some draftees -- and parents -- grumbled because they were forced to postpone vacations, jobs and college plans.

Since then, disciplinary headaches -- sometimes apparently linked to racial rivalries, though the government denies it -- have infected numerous camps, prompting some parents and opposition politicians to call for suspending the 500 million ringgit (US$132 million) project.

Defense Minister Najib Abdul Razak insists the program isn't a failure. He argues the troubles stem from a tiny minority who are "a reflection of the problems in our society".

"You cannot expect everyone to be angels," Najib said. "We must expect problems in a program of this magnitude. I hope people will understand that we're making an important attempt to produce better citizens."

Many instructors think trainees are just frustrated with a regimen that stretches from dawn to dusk, causing tempers to flare whenever someone jumps the cafeteria line, cheats on the soccer field or makes an insensitive racial remark.

"There are fights almost every night," said Nizam Mohamad Isa, a trainer at a camp on the outskirts of the capital, Kuala Lumpur. "Some of the recruits are restless because they feel like they're living in a prison where there is not much freedom."

Army reservists have been sent to some camps to help with problems, while hundreds of mischief-makers are being reassigned to a center with stiffer discipline.

Some conscripts say that despite the flaws, it has been a worthwhile experience.

"I've discovered how much I enjoy having new Malay friends," said Vimalkumar Sugumaran, an ethnic Indian. "There will always be people who want to create trouble because they refuse to get along, but unless the rest of us try to mix, then we will always be a divided country."