KINGSTON, Jamaica--Opposition spokesman on education, Ronald Thwaites says that the government must consider, during this financial year (2017/18), the possibility of introducing a compulsory period of military service for “unattached” youth.
“I am positing to my colleagues in the House, that we must consider, this financial year, introducing a compulsory period of military service in this country for those who are not engaged in tertiary education, or who are not employed, but who leave school and become feckless individuals because of the absence of those opportunities,” Thwaites said Wednesday, as the House of Representatives completed debate on a Bill amending the Defence Act.
Thwaites made a similar call in the press last September, when he stated that the country needed a programme of national military service, lasting at least six months in the first instance, available to all, but required of those who drop out or finish school without qualifications or skills or with behavioural problems.
He argued then that the process should extend to the “corner men and women” as well, but leave out weapons training from the process.
Last week Wednesday, Thwaites suggested that Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who piloted the Bill through the House, use available expertise from other countries that have introduced similar programmes to guide its introduction into Jamaica.
“I believe our Prime Minister recently visited Israel, and they have a system like that because they are fearful of war and unrest,” Thwaites noted.
“Our state of crime and social unrest exceeds, statistically, the indices of a civil war, and for all of the other measures that we will take, led by the leaders of crime fighting in this country, they are likely to be more expensive, they are likely to be more punitive than necessary – if we only had a proper system of reorientation,” he stated.
“I will argue at another time that much of this could be dealt with, if we were to engage that process much earlier, but the reality is that we have thousands and tens of thousands of young people who require strong guidance and consistent engagement in order to be able to turn out to be positive and productive citizens,” he added.
Thwaites gave his full support to the Prime Minister’s Bill, and encouraged formation of uniformed groups for youths, as measures which could be accelerated to good effect.
Attorney General Marlene Malahoo Forte and Opposition spokesman on national security Peter Bunting also supported the Bill.
Malahoo Forte congratulated the Prime Minister on bringing the Bill to the House, and committed that she would encourage young people in her West Central St. James constituency to apply for the 700 places it would create for the entry of Jamaicans, from the age of 17, to enter the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF).
“I am excited by this new opportunity that will be created for them. This Bill is a good move in the right direction. There are many young Jamaican men and women who are looking for new opportunities to be trained, to be taught skills that they should have been taught in their homes, but have not been privileged to do so. I am very excited for the young men and women in my constituency,” she said.
Bunting, although giving support, was concerned that at 17 years old, the Bill was reducing the entry age for applicants from the 18-year-old minimum age for joining the JDF.
He said that he was also concerned about the funding of the initiative as well as the need to keep recruitment outside of the “political arena.”
The Opposition spokesman also noted the provisions of the Bill did not address the critical problem of violence prevention.
“Those most likely to be recruited into criminal gangs are among those who will not be recruited, but need the re-socialisation most of all,” Bunting insisted.
He suggested that it should not be at the expense of the current Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP), which collaborates with the JDF’s engineering unit in training and resocialisation.
Responding, while closing the debate, Holness said that it was not the intention of his government to lower the recruitment age requirement for the JDF. However, it was felt that this was necessary in this case in light of the focus on unattached youths.
However, recruitment at the age of 17 would have to involve parental consent.
“It creates a pool of trained labour of a fairly high standard for the rest of the society to absorb,” Holness pointed out.
He said that the government was also concerned about those who had applied, but could not meet the enlistment requirements for the JDF.
“In my conversations with the chief of defence staff, he revealed to us that the demand [for recruitment into the JDF – Ed.] was overwhelming, but many could not meet the standard,” he said.
“It shows the severity of the problem that we have. We are not going to leave them there to feel rejected. There are other programmes. Those who apply and did not make it will be able to apply for the other programmes, and when they reach the necessary standard can re-apply for enlistment,” he stated.
The Act is being amended to facilitate the establishment of the Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC), one of seven projects under the Government’s new Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) initiative.
This programme is targeting job and training opportunities for unattached young people ages 19 to 24. The engagement will complement the JDF’s recently launched National Service Enlistment Programme, which will target the annual recruitment of 1,000 young people ages 18 to 23.
The Bill, which was unanimously approved by the House of Representatives, will next be debated in the Senate. ~ Jamaica Observer ~
