Noting how Ukraine had put up a strong resistance against Russian invaders, the PKR MP questioned how prepared would Malaysia be to face similar aggression.

“I want to propose that the government review our own preparations. We cannot depend on our active (armed forces) personnel,” he told the Dewan Rakyat while debating the King’s address.

“We only have around 110,000 active personnel and 51,000 reservists. As a sovereign country, we should prepare ourselves.

“I suggest that those aged between 18 and 49, which is 15 million people, be given training (so that) they can (help) defend the country if needed.”

He also called for the reintroduction of the National Service Training Programme (PLKN) for SPM-leavers, which got off the ground in 2002 but was terminated as a cost-saving measure in 2018 when the Pakatan Harapan government came to power.

Stating that countries such as Singapore continued to implement national service, Johari lauded such programmes for building patriotism, loyalty and discipline.

“It’s not only the government that has to ensure the country is ready to face any eventualities, but most importantly, the rakyat themselves must have the capability to defend the country,” he said.

While more than 1.4 million civilians have fled Ukraine to seek refuge in neighbouring countries, there have been numerous reports of Ukrainians staying put and taking up arms.

Last week, Ukraine’s ambassador to Malaysia, Olexander Nechytaylo, told Bernama TV that almost 100,000 Ukrainian expatriates, mostly men, had returned to Ukraine to defend their homeland.