KUALA LUMPUR: The Defence Ministry has clarified the confusion surrounding the age limit for the reintroduction of the National Service Training Programme (PLKN 3.0).
In a statement today, the ministry said trainees for the programme would be selected based on their year of birth, and that only teenagers will be enrolled when the programme is revived.
It further noted that the maximum age for participation is set at 35 years.
"Trainees for PLKN 3.0 will be chosen based on their year of birth. This means there is a specific birth year criterion for enrolment in PLKN 3.0.
"For example, if PLKN is implemented in 2024, teenagers born in 2007 will be called to undergo the programme.
"If selected trainees are unable to attend the programme for permitted reasons, they can request a deferment. (In the event selected trainees request a deferment), the maximum age to serve as a trainee is 35," the statement read.
The ministry also confirmed that the reintroduction of PLKN aligns with the National Service Training Act of 2003.
The Defence Ministry's statement was issued in response to concerns that the programme might include people between the ages of 16 and 35 at present.
This sparked a wave of memes and humorous comments from netizens who were discussing the physical abilities and condition of millennials when faced with demanding tasks at the camp.
Earlier this month, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan announced the government's plans of re-introducing PLKN.
Mohamad said this time the session will only last for 45 days and can be organised at the existing 13 army camps and one police camp.
PLKN, introduced in 2004, was abolished in 2018 and replaced with a youth leadership programme during the Pakatan Harapan administration.