RM110 Million Of Taxpayers Money Lost Due To Flawed National Service Contract

National Service shirkers and a very 'rigid' contract have caused the Government losses of up to RM110.1mil from 2004 to last year, the 2007 Auditor-General's report said.

Over the four years, the audit found that 63,417 people failed to attend the programme for various reasons, which led to the Government having to fork out the money to camp operators due to the way the contract was set out.

The contract spelt out that the Government would pay rent for the use of equipment and facilities for between 690 and 890 trainees for 2004 and between 300 and 400 trainees for 2005 and beyond.

The fee, per trainee, worked out to RM30 in the peninsula and RM41 in Sabah and Sarawak for 2004. In 2005, it cost RM25 in peninsula and RM34.30 in Sabah and Sarawak.

This meant that the Government had to pay for the stated number of trainees in the contract even if the number of trainees turning up was less or more than the figure stipulated in the agreement.

'Every year, between 16% and 23% of those called up to join the programme did not turn up. The ministry must review the contract conditions regarding how many trainees are allocated to each camp,' the report said.

It added that the ministry should also have a backup name list as there had to be a stop to the losses due to people not turning up for training.

'The NS Training Department also has to double-check its name list with the relevant authorities before putting out the roll call,' it said.

Among the reasons those called up did not attend were: a change in address, still studying, sole bread-winners, disabled, did not receive notices, died, overseas, in the army, health problems or have attended NS before.

In its reply, the ministry said it was in the midst of reviewing the contracts, adding that the department would be increasing the number of trainees next year to 140,000 to make up for any shortfall.

The audit also found that RM57mil in arrears had yet to be collected from camp operators for advances they had taken to construct the camps.

The audit also checked on certain camps from various angles such as the suitability of its location, cleanliness, food quality and quality of equipment supplied.

It found that the Beringin Beach camp in Langkawi was unsuitable because high tides often flooded dormitories and left a classroom unusable.

For the Wawasan camp in Sabah, camp operators told the audit team that it was difficult to obtain fresh fish to cook for the trainees but the audit team found it otherwise at the Kota Kinabalu market.

The audit also found that T-shirts, track pants, baseball caps and sports shoes supplied under contracts worth RM41.12mil were of low quality.

***** First the government has to release the names of the operators who have been given the jobs as well as those making a killing from transporting the students and then we will know how many of them are linked to umnoputeras. No one would be surprised if 100% of the contractors have Umno links.

Another National Service Trainee Dies. What Excuses Now?

A National Service trainee at the Cheneh Cemerlang camp in Kemaman died on the way to the Tengku Ampuan Afzan (HTAA) Hospital here Saturday night.

Mohd Rafi Ameer, 18, died at 10.30pm after having fever since last week, his sister, Zubaidah, said Sunday.

Jubaidah, 25, when met at the hospital, said her brother called her at their home in Bukit Rotan, Kuala Selangor, last Saturday, to inform her that he had fever and his leg was swollen for nearly week after he fell during training.

She claimed that she contacted the camp management to enquire about her brother's condition but was admonished and told that the management could look after Mohd Rafi.

Jubaidah said she called the camp again last night and was told that her brother had been sent to the Kemaman Hospital

She decided to go to the hospital at 8.30pm but when she called the hospital authorities while on her way there, they told her that Mohd Rafi had died on the way to HTAA.

She said Mohd Rafi was the fourth among six siblings and they are orphans living with their uncle in Kuala Selangor.

National Service (NS) Training Department Director-General Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil told reporters that Mohd Rafi was admitted to the Kemaman Hospital yesterday before being referred to HTAA. "We're waiting for the outcome of the post-mortem for the cause of death," he said.

He said a committee headed by the deputy Training Operations Sector director-general, Jamaluddin Masrin, would be set up to investigate the case including the complaint by Mohd Rafi's family and whether he had reported any sickness during training at the camp.

Mohd Rafi was one of 137 trainees at the Cheneh Cemerlang NS training camp under Group 3 of the fourth series and was scheduled to complete training on September 8. (Bernama)

***** Another young life snuffed out. If it is true that he had fallen down and injured himself a week prior to his death and nothing was done about it, then someone has to pay for this gross negligence. What has happened to the much vaunted guidelines and procedures which are supposed to be in place and practiced by the camp management?
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Shouldn't Someone Be Punished For This Callous Apathy?

The following report is from TheSun. It relates the lack of concern, heartlessness and unfeeling attitudes prevalent among the denizens of officialdom in Malaysia. Should our pegawai2 be termed and categorized as the 'living dead' for their impassive reactions to the needs of others and for being totally devoid of that essentially human quality, compassion? Read the report and comment.

NS administrators refused leave for trainee whose sick dad died
A housewife today took to task National Service camp administrators at Kem Kisana Beach Resort in Bali, Pasir Puteh for not allowing her daughter to take leave from training when her father was sick and for the funeral when he died two days later.

Semah Mat Ali, 52, claimed that her daughter Norliza Yusuf, 17, who is undergoing training at the camp, was allowed to visit her father, Yusuf Awang, 58, only for several hours last Saturday (April 21) when he was dying from stroke in Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital (HUSM) in Kubang Kerian and breathed his last on Monday (April 23).

This, she said, was despite the family producing a letter from the doctor to verify Yusuf's condition, which they (camp administrators) said to be incomplete.

"When her father died, Norliza was also allowed to leave the camp for only a few hours and told to return after that for several reasons, although the distance between our house and the camp is only about 30 minute's drive," she told Bernama when met in her Kampung Gong Chenggal house, here today.

She said one of the reasons given was their (camp administrators') fear that something untoward might happen to Norliza during the duration of her NS training at the camp.

Semah said Norliza, who is the fifth of six siblings, was very close to her father and was the one to bathe and feed him since she (Semah) had to go out to work in a tobacco farm in Tok Bali for income to support the family.

Norliza's sister, Norihan, 29, also regretted the treatment by the camp administrators. "Imagine how devastated she felt being the only one in the family who was not at our father's bedside when he breathed his last," she said.

She said the NS camp administrators should exercise compassion in such a situation. "What saddened us more was when the camp administrators turned down my appeal for my sister to be given a few days leave even when I submitted our father's death certificate," she added.

***** Such acts of official cruelty should not go unpunished. Who are these faceless 'administrators' who succeeded in devastating a young girl, preventing her from being with her dying father and refusing permission to grieve with her family after his death? Shame on these adults who have no remorse for their actions which has affected one of such a young age. These officials are mean people for whom indifference to the plight of others is an entrenched practice and how their actions traumatize the victim is of absolutely no consequence and not a matter to lose any sleep over. For their sin of omission should these National Service 'administrators' be punished? I would think yes.
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Ten National Service Trainees Down With Food Poisoning.

Continuing the spate of unfortunate incidents at our National Service camps, ten trainees fell ill due to suspected food poisoning at Rembau, Negeri Sembilan.

The good news is that none of them were seriously affected and were discharged after an overnight stay. But true to form there was an attempt to pass the buck to the family of the trainees as being responsible for the source of the food poisoning. Apparently only when hundreds are affected will the NS authorities own up that their caterers could be the culprits. But when ten are down, won't they take responsibility?

As usual the NS pegawai gave the standard assurance, "parents should not be unduly worried as the well-being and health of NS trainees were being given priority." Semuanya OK till the next mishap.

Details in this Bernama report HERE.
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More 'third world' mentality behaviour at NS camps: 'Too lazy to treat sick kids'

How Many Times Have We Heard This Assurance?

National Service Department director-general Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil has assured parents whose children will join the next batch of NS trainees that the department had taken necessary steps to ensure that the trainees would not face any problem while participating in the three-month programme.

The next batch of more than 30,000 trainees is scheduled to register at the NS camps on March 17.

Hadi said the most important thing that the parents could do was to ensure that their children make a sincere health declaration so that those with certain illnesses could be referred to the doctors.

"In general, I'm confident (there will be no problems) as we have done our best to overcome all the problems," he said after closing the NS programme at the Cahaya Gemilang camp in Cherating today. Among the problems that have been tackled are health, safety and transportation. (NST)

***** Any takers for this assurance from the DG? As far as I can see the conditions have marginally improved from the very first session. In typical government department fashion, changes have been implemented at snail's pace. However since the public is directly involved in this 'venture,' all the bungling and blundering have come out in the open. Otherwise it would have been cleverly covered-up and buried. If given half-a-chance these softheads would claim that the entire project has been an unprecedented success and even deny that trainees had died. Alas, people are more aware now and not so trusting of the pegawai kerajaan's words of comfort.

Apart from "health, safety and transportation," the other outstanding complaint is of the poor quality of food served. Obviously some crony caterer is making a helluva lot of money at the trainees' expense by serving sub-standard meals. Also is the worry that not enough programmes to promote racial interaction and integration among trainees is being organised.

The National Service Department should either shape up big time or ship out the entire NS programme.
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Earlier related post: Is This National Service Efficiency?

Adding Insult To Injury. The Travail Of A Departed NS Trainee's Family.

From the NST.

Muniswari Sinnan silently stroked her daughter’s forehead, her mind full of 18 years of memories. Prema Elenchelian had come home. Not with a happy smile and hug for her mother, but in a coffin.

"I never expected her to come home in this," said Muniswari, as her daughter was carried into the house.

The 18-year-old was doing her National Service in Pasir Putih, Kelantan, and was found dead in a toilet on Wednesday morning.

Friends and relatives gathered in the family’s Cheras Perdana apartment to bid her farewell. Some of the older women refused to believe she was gone, and gently shook her body telling her to wake up. Garlanding Prema’s body, her grandmother S. Mariayie cried that Prema was too young to die. "It should be my body that is being garlanded, not yours."

"She was like a sister to me. She was a sweet and humble person. I can’t believe she’s no longer with us," mourned R. Rajeswary, a former schoolmate.

Prema’s father R. Elenchelian and other relatives went to Tok Bali, Pasir Putih, on Wednesday, after receiving the news of her death. They arrived home around 2.30am yesterday. Exhausted, emotionally and physically, Elenchelian was not happy with the treatment he received in Kelantan.

"When I got there, I saw her body wrapped only in a white cloth. The officers said they couldn’t provide a coffin as they didn’t have any. So we bought one and brought her home."

Before leaving the camp, Elenchelian said he asked if he could see the toilet where his daughter’s body was found. He was told that it was too late. The guard had locked it and gone back home. "I couldn’t even see the place where my daughter died," the bereft father said.

Prema’s uncle S. Muthamil was more vocal in his criticism.

"Imagine having to drive eight hours to claim your daughter’s body, and another eight hours to bring her back home. It was both emotionally and physically exhausting. The least they could have done was to fly her body home."

Another uncle, who declined to give his name, said that it would have been better if she was dressed in her National Service uniform for her funeral. "It would have been a great honour if the department had done that. Instead, she was wrapped in plain cloth."

Prema’s remains were cremated at the Cheras Crematorium yesterday.

***** It's sad. A young life taken away so swiftly. However why couldn't the NS Department arrange the body to be transported to Kl? Perhaps a poor, dead Indian girl's family doesn't deserve any sympathy or respect from the authorities. Will Lee Lam Thye like to clarify this please?

Autopsy Reveals NS Trainee Dies Of Drowning.

The autopsy on the body of National Service (NS) trainee Prema Elenchelian shows that her death is due to drowning, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek says.

He said Prema was believed to have been attacked with fits before she drowned in a public toilet at the Kisna Beach Resort Camp in Pasir Puteh, Kelantan.

"Because of the fits and the water was running, she died in the toilet. She was unconscious and her death was due to drowning following the fits," told reporters after attending an open house hosted by MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting who is member of Parliament for Tanjung Piai, here today.

Dr Chua who is Johor MCA chairman, said that since the NS training programme began in 2004, 240,000 trainees had participated in it and eight had died while attending the programme.

He said the ministry was always concerned with the trainees' health and expressed sympathy over such tragedy. "When a death occurs, we understand the family is in grief and sometimes they believe there is a cover-up by the Health Ministry in this matter. "I would like to stress that there is no attempt to hide anything over what has happened," Dr Chua said.

He said a weakness that had been identified was that the NS trainees often took lightly when filling up questionnaires about their health. A health examination could only detect visible diseases, so the trainees must be frank about their health problems, he said.

Dr Chua said he would lead a Health Ministry delegation in a meeting with the National Service Board next Monday to discuss on how to enhance the trainees' health quality.

Among the main topics to be discussed was whether the questionnaire that must be filled by the trainees had to include new items or whether there were ways to detect diseases that were hard to be traced, he said. (Bernama)
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Yet Another National Service Trainee Dies. What's Going On?

A National Service (NS) trainee at the training camp at the Kisana Beach Resort died at a hospital here this morning.

Camp Commander Mej Zulkarnain Abdullah said P.Prema was rushed to the Tengku Anis Hospital after she was found unconscious in a toilet at Jeram Linang here about 2.30am.

He said Prema, from Kajang, Selangor, was confirmed dead at the hospital.

She was among the 400 NS trainees from the camp undergoing training at Jeram Linang near here yesterday.

Prema was said to have gone to the toilet with a few other trainees at the training area. Her friends later came looking for Prema, who had not come out of the toilet, and found her unconscious.

National Service Training Department Director General Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil is scheduled to hold a press conference on the incident at noon today. (Bernama)

***** With chilling regularity at least one or more trainees seem to die every new session. Then we get the NS department big boys giving excuses and later our usual politicians led by the DPM Najib come out with the same reassurances. Why oh why must a young kid, someone's precious child, die at a national service camp? Beats me.
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Update: Najib Extends Condolences To NS Trainee's Family