The matter in summary Stavanger Arbeiderparti proposes that all young people should be required to do one year of community service, either in the military or in other community service. The proposal is supported by Education Minister Kari Nessa Nordtun and Unge Høyre. Pupils express skepticism about the proposal, and question whether it is part of a buildup for war. The proposal will be considered at the annual meeting of Rogaland Ap in March. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Stavanger Ap suggests that all young people should either have a year in the military or other community service. Dag Mossige is a leader in the city council group in Stavanger Ap and Øyvind Jacobsen is a political adviser in the Ministry of Education. They came up with the proposal and believe this will “strengthen and revitalize the general conscription, where more people are called up”. This means that young people can be obliged to do one year of military or community service after upper secondary school. Photo: Helene Sofie Thorkildsen / Forsvaret / Forsvaret It was Stavanger Aftenblad that wrote about this first. (External link). Mossige and Jacobsen also receive support from Minister of Education Kari Nessa Nordtun. She tells the newspaper that the proposal is very interesting. According to the Norwegian Armed Forces, close to 10,000 young people complete their initial service each year. There are approximately 60,000 young people in each cohort. – Are we gearing up for war? – Why do we need a compulsory compulsory year, asks Anne Grønås at Skeisvang upper secondary school in Haugesund. She believes the proposal may have a dark ulterior motive: – Are we preparing for war? After all, we are part of NATO, and we are combat-ready. There is something to think about, she says. Maria Haga Nesse and Anne Grønås at Skeisvang high school in Haugesund would prefer to avoid compulsory years. Photo: Thomas Halleland / news If young people do not want to enter first-time service, community service is an alternative. This involves, for example, a year in the Red Cross or Norwegian People’s Aid. Pointing to demanding times The answer to pupil Grønås’s question can be said to be a “yes”. Group leader Mossige in Stavanger Ap highlights the security policy worldview, the country’s resilience and will to defend itself. Group leader for Ap in Stavanger municipal council, Dag Mossige, believes society needs a new joint project. Photo: Øystein Otterdal / news – We are in challenging times. We have to take that to heart, and then we have to organize ourselves differently. The question becomes what can we do to make society more robust, increase the ability to defend – and the will? In that case, calling everyone in one batch for one year can help increase the general preparedness, says Mossige to news. In the first instance, it will be dealt with at the annual meeting of Rogaland Ap in March. Mossige says they will also bring it up at Ap’s national meeting. And as there are general elections next year, this could therefore become an election matter. Several agree Young Conservative leader Ola Svenneby agrees and wants what he himself calls a slightly more moderate arrangement. – We can very well get more people to have conscription now, but we can have several variants of how to carry it out, says Svenneby. Leader of Unge Høyre, Ola Svenneby. He supports the proposal from Stavanger Ap that more young people should enter service. Photo: Amanda Iversen Orlich / n649101 Former party leader in Rødt, Bjørnar Moxnes, is now defense policy spokesperson in the party. He says Rødt agrees with the proposal for Stavanger Ap. – More conscripts are needed to defend Norway, and those who cannot become soldiers should join the civil defense or civil service, says Moxnes. Dag Inge Ulstein is defense policy spokesperson in KrF. He shares the same opinion. – KrF wants to strengthen today’s conscription. I think this is an exciting proposal that we will look at in the program process going forward, he says. Spokesperson for defense policy in KrF, Dag Inge Ulstein. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen – Authoritarian But the deputy leader of the Liberal Party calls the proposal authoritarian. – What is also in the proposal from Labor is that the 10,000 young people who the defense says they do not need should instead be put to do unskilled, poorly paid work, says Sveinung Rotevatn. He says it is unreasonable and a bad use of money. – Military service is not suitable for everyone, he points out. Deputy leader of Liberal Party, Sveinung Rotevatn. He believes it is authoritarian to force young people to do something they don’t want to do. Photo: William Jobling / news Party leader Sylvi Listhaug in the Progress Party says the party supports the proposal if it is to strengthen the defense and increase preparedness. – But then it must also be accompanied by money to equip ourselves with material and weapons so that the defense capability is really strengthened and the soldiers get a meaningful service. But she has the impression that the proposal has other intentions. – Using general conscription or community service to solve problems resulting from a lack of investment from the government in, for example, schools and health services, we are very much against. Sylvi Listhaug questions the intentions behind the proposal. Photo: Simon Skjelvik Brandseth / news This is the proposal: The Stavanger Labor Party wants to strengthen and revitalize the general conscription, where more people are called up. They will introduce a mandatory year of community service, as an alternative to military service, aimed in principle at the health and social sector, the field of upbringing and humanitarian/volunteer organisations. They will strengthen the civil defense’s ability to meet the civilian population’s need for protection by increasing recruitment from conscripts in the defence, and considering an extension of compulsory service. Read the full proposal here (external link) I think the defense should rather prioritize those who want Grønås and her friend Marie Haga Nesse basically have their plans ready, and are not particularly interested in a mandatory year. – If I have to join the military, I will apply, but I don’t want to. I have a plan! I want to study in London after high school. But if you have to, you have to, says Nesse. School pupil Ivar Risanger Meland is clear in his speech: He doesn’t like war and wants to go to folk college. He believes that one year in the defense right after high school can be a bit much. Photo: Thomas Halleland / news – What if it was about community service? – I am very much in favor of everyone contributing to society, but my plan is to study to become a teacher. And teachers are important to society. Therefore, I feel that you can also contribute in that way, by studying, says Grønås. Nesse points out that people have free will, and adds that there are many who actually want to join the military, who do not join: – If the plan is for everyone to go, should we perhaps start by letting in those who actually want to? The Stavanger Labor Party will impose one year of community service on young people. Kari Nessa Nordtun is positive. Do you agree that youth should be required to serve? Reply below: Hello! Welcome to dialogue at news. Since you are logged in to other news services, you do not have to log in again here, but we need your consent to our terms of use for online dialogue
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Stavanger Labor Party will impose one year of community service on all young people – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
