National Service And BTN Has Been Abolished With Immediate Effect
The abolishment for both agencies was announced earlier today by Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
By Samantha Khor — 13 Aug 2018, 01:27 PM
Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman announced today, 13 August, that the National Service programme and National Civics Bureau (BTN) have been abolished with immediate effect
Syed Saddiq made the announcement during a press conference at the Parliament media room earlier today, adding that the decision was made following a Cabinet meeting last week.
The Youth and Sports Minister also said his ministry will be looking into drafting a new replacement programme that can "shape future youths to have strong vision and character"
According to Malaysiakini, the minister explained that the new programme will be holistic and incorporate activities that emphasise on team-building, character building, national integrations, nationalism, and political socialisation.
Syed Saddiq added that the new programme will be in line with his ministry's goal to empower youth and lower the voting age from 21 to 18.
For the time being, according to a report by Malay Mail, that manpower and resources from both agencies will be absorbed into relevant agencies
"The Youth and Sports Ministry, which is managing the new programme, will restructure the functions, appointments, allocation and assets of the National Service Department and BTN," he explained, as quoted by Malaysiakini.
In the same press conference, Syed Saddiq also revealed that the previous administration's 1Malaysia 4 Youth (iM4U) initiative was actually used as a platform to promote former PM Najib Razak
According to Malay Mail, the minister said that funding for the iM4U initiative, which was meant to encourage volunteerism among youths, was actually diverted towards the Barisan Nasional administration's 'I Love PM' programmes.
He added that the initiative will hence be revamped to ensure that the focus of iM4U remains that of its original purpose instead of being used as a political tool.