DAP today called on the cabinet to suspend the problem-ridden national service programme until it is incident free or the authorities are prepared to be fully transparent and accountable.

Its chairperson Lim Kit Siang said MPs and state assembly representatives should be allowed free access to the training centres in order to allay the fears of the parents.

"The spate of fights, sexual harassment and breakdown of discipline in national service camps is an increasing cause of concern, sleepless nights and loss of appetite for parents," he added in a statement.

He said it was also not acceptable for Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is also defence minister, to dismiss the incidents as 'teething problems' that should not be blown out of proportion.

The opposition leader claimed that the problems clearly showed that the programme had been rushed without adequate planning and preparation.

"DAP calls on the new cabinet to take the bold decision on Wednesday (the cabinet's weekly meeting) to suspend the entire national service training programme," he said.

He added that DAP parliamentarians, including himself, and state assembly representatives will visit the various camps beginning next week.

Lim called on Najib to ensure that the authorities cooperate with them in order to restore public confidence.

Poor planning

Meanwhile, the DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy) publicity bureau expressed disappointment with the incidents reported.

"If the national service committee had a detailed plan then such problems could have been avoided," it said in a statement.

The bureau added that although the programme had noble intentions, it must be suspended due to the poor planing and unprofessional conduct.

"With this, the committee can reevaluate the implementation of the programme. If not, the public will lose its confidence in the programme," it said.