Guidance on courtesy and cultural values should be included into the National Service training programme, said Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Dr Rais Yatim today.

He said if the matter was not given attention, values of the Malaysian society would be tainted by foreign cultures, especially the western culture which was not unsuitable for the society here.

"If such guidance is not encouraged, the Malaysian society may follow the crude ways of the west, to our detriment," he was quoted as saying in a Bernama report.

Rais said his ministry would collaborate with the Information, Women, Family and Community Development and Education ministries regarding this.

The minister, who is also a member of the national service committee, said he would also suggest to the committee that the trainees be given continuous training after completing their NS stint.

"Another important matter that should be given attention is that all trainers and staff involved in the NS should be given ample training so that they can do their work well and effectively. At the moment, only the trainers are given training," he said.

National language

On NS trainees who are not fluent in the national language, he said the root cause must be studied and measures taken to ovecome the problem.

"This raises a question on our education system. While we are trying to improve the proper usage of the national language, there are still those who cannot speak or are not fluent in the language," he added.

The inaugural national service programme has been riddled with problems ranging from allegations of brawls to sexual crimes.

The programme has also claimed the lives of two trainees, both of whom drowned during a recreational outing.

Opposition parties and other quarters have called on the government to suspend the programme until the problems are fixed.

The labelled the programme - an idea mooted by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad - as 'poorly conceived' and 'hastily implemented'.

However, the government wants the programme to continue on the grounds of its long-term benefits such as fostering racial ties.

A total of 85,000 youths aged 18 were randomly picked to undergo the three-month training. The first batch has already completed the training.