Chow told the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday the RM50 million allocation in the 2025 budget to revive the programme would be better directed towards sectors such as education, healthcare, and economic empowerment.
The council’s president, Izzat Afifi Hamid, said the RM50 million would not be wasteful as it would be used to invest in developing human capital, which is equally important as education and health.
“The impact of human capital development may not be immediately visible, but it will be seen in the future,” he told FMT.
“In fact, I believe that the RM50 million allocation is relatively small compared to the actual cost that would be incurred to implement PLKN comprehensively.”
Youth activist Imran Tamrin agreed with Izzat, stating that the programme would help foster unity and create a self-reliant and disciplined society.
“There are several areas that can be improved, and the government has reviewed them all.
“The RM50 million allocation for PLKN 3.0 is justified, compared to previous costs that reached hundreds of millions,” he said.
Urging the government to reassess the need to revive PLKN, Chow had said Putrajaya should focus on more impactful initiatives such as volunteer programmes and the revamped Rakan Muda programme.
The DAP MP also questioned the effectiveness of the programme, which was launched in 2004 by the Barisan Nasional government, suspended in 2015, reintroduced a year later, and abolished in 2018 when the Pakatan Harapan administration took over.
About RM8.4 billion was spent for the programme during the period.
Under the programme, 18-year-olds were drafted randomly to undergo three months’ training, encompassing team building sessions, camping and firearms training.
On Oct 26, deputy defence minister Adly Zahari said PLKN 3.0 will be implemented in stages from January with about 500 participants, with the number to be increased in the June intake, Bernama reported.
He said the programme would be held at two military camps in Kuala Lumpur and Pahang before being expanded to 13 other camps nationwide once fully implemented in 2026.
Adly said PLKN 3.0 would target participants aged 16 to 35 from among students in Form Four, Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia leavers and students from institutions of higher learning.