The cabinet has decided that the problem-plagued national service programme should continue and its weaknesses be rectified following a study on the first phase, revealed Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today.

He said the programme would continue despite the problems because the training would have a big impact on the formation of future generations.

He added that the government would also accept feedback from parents of the trainees in efforts to strengthen the programme.

"It (the programme) will continue but we will do the needful to rectify the weaknesses," he was quoted as saying in a Bernama report.

Najib, who is also defence minister, was asked to comment on the outcome of yesterday's cabinet meeting which discussed, among others, the status of the programme.

Special camps

The deputy premier hoped that action to improve the programme could be carried out positively in future because of the great amount of good that the programme could do.

So far, action had been taken to place the problem trainees in two special camps that had been identified, he said.

Najib also directed that discipline be tightened in all the camps to improve the situation.

The programme, which involves 85,000, youths, has been riddled with allegations of unruly behaviour, drug abuse, theft and sexual impropriety.

Yesterday, it was reported that a trainee in Pahang received seven stitches to his forehead after he was allegedly attacked by 12 others, including two trainers.

Prior to that, a trainee in Terengganu claimed that she was raped by a trainer in his car.

Critics have taken the government to task over the problems and called for the immediate supension of the programme, which was mooted by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.