NS must be taken seriously

Be serious or abandon NS

I read with interest your front page report “NS dept under fire”(theSun, Jan 3).

It is really disturbing that after three years into the NS project and after so much controversies,criticism and debate, the NS Department is still not capable of organizing even the basic amenity of transport for the trainees.This inefficiency on the part of the National Service Training Department has created a lot of uneasiness and doubt in the minds of parents, especially those who were skeptical of the program.

The outbursts by the NS Training Council Chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye was indeed justified and should act as an eye opener that all is not well with the program as reassured otherwise.We agree with him that there is an urgent need for a shake-up of the whole department.How are we to entrust our children to these officers when they are unable to organize even some basic arrangements for them? It is ridiculous that even such simple jobs need to be personally attended to and supervised by the deputy prime minister.

We welcome Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s statement that the Government viewed the matter seriously and would take appropriate action. As parents, who are really concerned for the welfare and safety of our children, we do hope that he would seriously look into the New Year day fiasco and reprimand those responsible for their lackadaisical attitude.

A lot of money and efforts from all quarters - government,parents and the trainees themselves,have been put into the NS program to fulfill a very noble aim of instilling racial tolerance and goodwill among younger generation.

Considering the attitude of the authorities running the NS program,there is no doubt in the minds of the people that we will never achieve the desired goals of the scheme.

Sending our young children for the NS training is very serious and major decision for parents.For many of us it has many emotional repercussions as is the first time they are separated from the family.Furthermore we are forced to submit them to a certain degree of risks while in training.

The NS Department has a lot of exlaining to do and it must do it immediately.Silence on their part will only create suspicion and doubts in the minds of the people as to the real motives of the NS program.

The authorities and the officers involved in the program must be more serious in carrying out their tasks with dedication and zeal.Unless they have total and passionate committment to make the NS a success, it would be a mere waste of taxpayers' money and we may be better off to just abandon the program altogether and focus our attention on building racial integration in schools.

Dr.Chris Anthony