I am quite disturbed and disappointed with some of the hilarious remarks made by some of our fellow Malaysians in criticising the management and implementation of the National Service programme.

Up to now, there have been numerous negative comments in the media about the flaws of the NS programme, some of which are irrelevant, just like the one expressed by William D.

William is petty and childish to compare the fundamental issues that plague the NS programme to that of President Bush and his new playing field in Iraq to test American's weapons. How relevant indeed is our NS programme to the Bush administration's autocratic management of Iraq?

It's also nonsensical to think that the NS programme has some kind of undesirable agenda inserted by our government and all those concerned in the process of implementation.

I think William's comments are out of context in relating to our efforts at nation building. We are Malaysians and we should be proud of our national achievements and the many successes since our independence from the British 47 years ago.

As Malaysians we should be grateful to our leaders and political masters who have managed the country so well in the name of Malaysian democracy. Sad to say though, some of our Malaysians are not that grateful for what they are today and are impatient, full of vengeance and hatred for the mistakes committed by our present political leaders.

My dear fellow Malaysians, please also remember that managing a democratically elected government is not that easy, a task without complications and complexities. It's not like we are managing another organisation or looking after our own self-interests.

So be fair and realistic in your criticisms of our government's projects and policies which are based on our own Malaysian experience and expertise. As citizens and laymen, we are welcome to criticise the government's policies and initiatives, but let's be reasonable and constructive.

I understand that the National Service programme was not Dr Mahathir Mohamad's decision to just suit his own political agenda at the expense of our nation. It was a cabinet decision and had gone through corporate strategic management consultancy after it was conceived early last year.

It was not an overnight decision.

Malaysia, like any other affluent nation, has its fair share of undesirable human and social behaviour, due to the open policies of our entertainment programmes, the free world's Internet and other factors which are beyond legislation and censorship.

The future of our youth is at stake and parents should be extremely worried about what's happening to our children and the society that we are living in today. The government is responsible for eradicating or containing these undesirable developments, and one way is to mould a new generation of responsible and caring citizens from among the younger generation.

Given these acute social obligations, the National Service (not militarised conscription) programme was conceived by the Barisan Nasional government. The government has been serious in its implementation and has placed its trust under the high profile management of our Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is also defence minister.

I am sure many Malaysians out there who are realistic will agree that the NS programme is a positive long- term human resource development programme for our children, despite the teething problems that have occurred.

We should openly support the government's efforts and initiative for the betterment of Malaysian society. It is a new Malaysian experience all together and we must ensure the NS programme succeeds.

The elected Barisan Nasional government under the present leadership of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is a caring and responsible government and will not retract its efforts to build a strong and resilient Malaysian society (despite the recent shortcomings of the NS programme which will be rectified in the coming weeks).

I also believe that all the criminal acts reported at the NS camps were caused for specific reasons and the police are now investigating. The guilty ones will be punished in due course. Let's be patient and let the National Service Training Council do their job to improve and further enhance the viability of the programme.

I would like to propose that ex-military commandos be taken in as NS camp commandants and trainers. Malaysia has a good commando force so why waste special military talents, even if these people are now retired.

Lastly, let us ponder upon the welfare and well-being of our children and let's not easily despair and give up on the NS due to some particular pressure being highlighted by the media. The media has certainly overplayed the NS issues for certain reasons and this is not good for our public and society at large.

I honestly feel that our Malaysian mentality is not ready for a first world infrastructure or a free democracy like some in the western world. It's easy to blame Mahathir, Pak Lah or Najib for the NS programme's problems, but as parents we have to wake up to the reality of our complex society and do our part in nation building for a better Malaysia.