Malaysian Scouts Association targets 500,000 members by 2025

GEORGE TOWN - The Scouts Association of Malaysia (PPM) aims to increase its membership to 500,000 by 2025, said National Scout Council (MPN) member Tan Sri Johari Abdul.

He said that the PPM has drawn up a number of plans for next year in order to increase its membership, which currently stands at over 300,000 people.

"Our target is among primary and secondary school students as well as trainees of the revived National Service Training Programme (PLKN).

"...this (the revival of the PLKN) will spark the interest of young people to join the PPM,” he told reporters after opening the 18th Asean Scout Associations for Regional Cooperation meeting today.

Acting National Chief Scout Datuk Dr Mohd Zin Bidin, Asia Pacific Scout Region regional director Jose Rizal Pangilinan and ASARC chairman Dr Somboon Bunyasari also attended the meeting.

Mohd Zin, in his speech, said that the meeting was to strengthen ASARC's policies and direction in line with the aspirations enshrined in the Asean Charter to nurture and educate the young generation.

He said this could also strengthen connectivity and cooperative relations as well as regional arrangements to enhance and coordinate training and human resource development programmes among the Scouts in the Asean region.

"In the Asean region, there are 28,847,915 Scouts out of 55 million members registered with the World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM)," he said. - BERNAMA