Sometimes it's hard to be a proud Malaysian, particularly when your own politicians, (nay, Deputy Prime Minister) make comments that allow for the entire world to point fingers at my country and laugh out loud.

Take a moment to read Najib: NS needed because schools failed in integration from The Star, and then ask how an entire government can admit that their school systems have failed to integrate the young and teach them to mix without care of race, religion or background... and yet, they do nothing about the root of the problem.

Yes, we cannot change the system of having vernacular schools. But why implement NS when most young Malaysians have left school? If it is to be a 3 month 'OBS camp', why is it not implemented while we're still in school and can make the best out of it?

They don't try and change us when we're still in our formative years. When we're young and impressionable 13 or 14 year olds. Instead they try and change us when we're 17 or 18. When we're rebellious and no longer want to be labelled as children. When some of us are already working full time, married and worse still are already parents!

This isn't a problem of patriotism. This is a real social problem which exists in our society, whereby we don't tackle the root of the problem. Instead we try to fix what is broken, and at the same time allow the rest to continue breaking, so we can fix it.

Shame on you!