The Editor, Sir:

Pastor Glen Samuels' call for mandatory military training for young persons, particularly males, was made on the weekend as an initiative to stem the nation's worrying crime problem and, according to him, "in this way ,we will be able to deal with hopeless youths and re-socialise them in a mandatory, disciplined and structured way."

This is, at best, short-term thinking that if implemented could have long-term devastating effects for a free society and must not be entertained by our leaders.

Sir, having experienced some military training myself and also teacher training, I conclude that military training in this way is not suited for the development of a free enterprise capitalist society that needs free thinking and innovative people, not a set of people who jump to the command of every and any person put in charge of you.

Environment for discipline

I understand the frustration of Pastor Samuels who is not alone in thinking of this short-cut method of enforced discipline. Discipline is best achieved for the long term if the environment is created to enhance disciplined behaviour in that the individual begins to think that a certain kind of behaviour is the best way forward.

In a classroom, for example, if you leave the children unattended and particularly without challenging work to do, they will tear that classroom apart within minutes. The classroom is a microcosm of the larger society and this is where you assist the young minds to make desirable choices. Military training made mandatory is a short cut to creating discipline and would be preparing young minds for either slavery or some kind of dictatorial regime.

Creating criminality

People are graduating from schools illiterate and with no skills, and even with skills a contracting economy cannot absorb them so 'idle dog worry sheep'. You give them military training for two years; then what?

The same criminality you are trying to stem would now be mandatorily be creating a whole new cadre of 'soldiers of fortune' ready to do work in their field. We must remind ourselves that a soldier is primarily trained to kill, and I do not think we want as a society to make that training mandatory.

Let us stick with the civilian educational institutions whether it be the regular schools, the HEART/NTA programme or other such institutions where we could make it mandatory that they learn skills useful to civil society. Let us seek ways to create a population that is not docile, can think, control and regulate their own behaviour. That is real discipline.

I am, etc.,

MICHAEL SPENCE

Micspen2@hotmail.com

PO Box 630, Liguanea,

Kingston 6