Our authorities never seem to learn from past errors. The cycle goes like this - the prime minister drops a 'novel' idea, the minister or committee appointed to look into the idea plunges immediately into the job and soon announces triumphantly that the idea is ready for implementation.

The PM is impressed, the minister gets the praise for efficiency. The programme however gets off to a disastrous start because of various implementation problems. The public becomes disillusioned and the programme soon suffers an indomitable death or stutters and splutters along in a semi-comatose state.

So many social programmes in the past have suffered such a fate, due to inadequate planning, preparation and haste in implementation. The same fate looks set to befall our national service.

Like a man running out of time, Defence Minister Najib Razak is in a hurry to get it off the ground by early next year. He was reported to say, "The thing is to get it going first." A bill is being pushed through parliament barely six months after the PM dropped the idea.

Surveys supposedly show that parents and youth widely accept the idea, but the surveys conducted on youth were at a stage when the idea was vague and the mechanism not known, and on parents attending the armed forces career day in Johor Baru - a select group hardly representative of all parents.

Sixteen venues have been chosen for the training. Certainly the facilities in these avenues need to be upgraded to cope with the large number of recruits, suitable trainers need to be identified and trained, and the training curriculum and modules need to be standardized?

Imagine the uproar that will happen if only one bigoted and over-enthusiastic trainer choose to impart his/her own flavour or interpretation to patriotism, racial harmony and discipline - remember the public furore caused by individual school heads wanting to implement their own dress codes and school regulations?

Initially, the public was made to understand that national service would be done only during the long school vacation after SPM. Now, it seems that there will be several intakes a year. Under such circumstances, how can our children's education not be affected?

Imagine a child studying in Lower Six next year having to leave the class mid-way in the year because they have been picked for national service. By the time they return three months later, their classmates will be way ahead in their studies and it will be nigh impossible to catch up in view of the intensity and difficulty of the STPM curriculum. Their education and future will be doomed. Similarly for those pursuing tertiary education.

Obviously there are many issues and problems that need to be looked into carefully before the start of national service, and it is inconceivable how the authorities can properly address and resolve them in the mere six months remaining before the beginning of next year.

Our authorities have never been known for such efficiency. Nothing can be more disastrous than a bad and confusing start to the national service. It looks like past errors are going to be repeated again in this massive exercise that will consume a large amount of public funds.