When the idea of lowering voting age from 21 to 18 was mooted some time ago, I thought nothing of it since it only meant that opposition as well as the ruling coalition party Barisan Nasional will just have to work harder to get their votes from an enlarged electorate.

However, when the national service proposal was announced a few weeks ago, I began to smell a rat, especially when Defence Minister Najib Abdul Razak said the national service is not just about military training.

Is Barisan Nasional not satisfied with just flagrantly flaunting the delineation exercise to ensure its victory? Is the portrayal of Kelantan and (possibly also) Terengganu as a gerhana (literally, eclipse; figuratively, poor state) not enough to win votes?

Malaysians must be wary of the real motive behind the compulsory national service. If it has nothing whatsoever to do with the country's safety or the eroding 'patriotism' thus claimed, we should not allow our children to be indoctrinated.

As a parent, I am totally disgusted with the brazenness of it all that the call for national service is simply about election votes...nothing more, nothing less.