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."