MY, my... I read with disapproval,and am TOTALLY against the idea of NS kids being given loaded guns to practise during their stint of 2, or is it 3 months. And that too, with an M16, which has a firing rate of 750-900 rounds of bullets per minute !
Have you seen the faces of some of the kids in the papers ?They are not even ready to decide for themselves IF they should go for NS..... mind you it's the government who decides on their behalf and how can they... IF... they were asked to decide if they were ready to handle an M16 going to say NO.. remember this is a training camp and kids, naturally don't want to be seen as "chicken' by their peers and fellow trainers !!
For gods sake this is not the Palestine or some gun-trotting nation where holding a weapon is a status symbol of power. If they really need to 'play' with guns, they can be encouraged to join the army or police forces after finishing their formal education AND when they are a little bit older and responsible !
Instead, teach them to understand and respect each others cultures and to live in harmony.... I'm being an idealist here but hey!! isn't that the first approach of NS ? To keep the kids saperated or segregated for the first 17 years of their growing and learning years(in national or religious schools) and then try to acheive the impossible in 3 months !
Come on now... lets not be too quick to arm kids with guns or is there some profits to be gained by certain parties in the purchase of guns and bullets...Oh did I read somewhere that it costs 25cts. a bullet !!
I was once in a neighbour country and had the opportunity to be at a firing range...honestly just looking at the hundreds of various types of weapons laid out before me, made my stomach churn inside out!! Not because I was afraid.. but the thought of holding one of those guns in my hand and 'having the power to take the life of another with a single bullet' was not my idea of a peaceful world !And I was then 30 years old.Try giving flowers to one another instead !
Or better still, go and live for a year in another fellow Malaysians' home to learn about the other's religion, race and customs and it will be a whole lot damn cheaper!!!
My family and I will gladly open our house to anyone of these kids with the approval of their parents.
And I mean KIDS!!
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2 comments:
Shang, what i find ridiculous is the choice they are giving the national service trainees. The choice of firing with blanks or live bullets. That's totally not clever.
The idea of involving guns in a military training is to teach the trainees about the guns, how NOT to mishandle them, and what to do when you have to defend yourself or your family or your nation with that gun.
You also teach them how to load the guns (and clean them, especially clean them). Live or blanks don't make a difference in the way of loading and unloading a gun.
Since our national service is a semi-military in nature, there is no reason why live bullets should be involved.
Also, with our NS record (trainees have died in fights, they have gone missing, they have been raped, and they have rebelled) I don't know what the wisdom is in involving live bullets.
The goverrnment must make sure the NS is effective and efficient before we allow the kids to shoot with live bullets. Otherwise, it's tantamount to allowing this bungling nation of ours another chance of shooting itself in its foot.
Stephen ... Merry Xmas & Happy New Year. Just wanted to share that in high school I played with all sorts of firearms as a member of our Police Cadet platoon. I had a nice ID number - B2-018x/92 and ID card. We had shooting once a year, and sometimes a Sergeant would come to school with some pistols in a .50 cal ammo box. We were taught all about safety with respect to firearms. It was a lot of fun. Once a year, we also had jungle camping trips. They set up a nice tent for us (big enough for about 30 people!), fed us with rations, taught us orienteering, survival, etc. The uniforms were free, camping was free (just pay RM4 for insurance), etc. I enjoyed it a lot and I think it helped build up my character. Made some lifelong friends back in high school and we still keep in touch to this day.
Malaysians should perhaps do well to emulate Holland where you have a choice. Conscription in the Military, or Public Service (Cleaning canals, sweeping streets, etc. - basically DBKL jobs). So you've got a choice. Be a soldier or pacifist. The choice is yours as long as you do some good.
What do you think?
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