Changing nature of NS would hurt security
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Dec 8, 2005
Changing nature of NS would hurt security
IN THE article, 'Rethink scope of national service' (ST, Dec 6), Ms Ong Soh Chin called for a broader definition of national service, in particular, the inclusion of 'civilian service', so that Singapore would not lose 'another Singaporean like Melvyn Tan'.
While I agree that it is sad that we should lose a talent like Mr Tan or other 'would-be prodigal Singaporeans' like him, I do not think we can afford to compromise national security by changing the nature of our national service to accommodate the aspirations of individuals.
And, yes, it does make a mockery of the 'many young Singaporean males who have properly served their country'.
If national service were designed to cater to the 'special aptitude' of a person by allowing him to be channelled to an 'appropriate industry', wouldn't this relegate national service to a mere ritual of convenience and encourage people to become self-serving in the name of serving the country?
Besides, though it is not for every man, our national servicemen do have the opportunity to experience the non-combat aspects of national service. There are already clerical duties, medical duties and, as the writer acknowledges, overseas missions to 'Aceh or other tsunami-hit countries to help out in the rehabilitation process'.
Ms Ong says not every man is a warrior, so not all should carry arms. But national service does not just turn national servicemen into fighting machines with the ability to 'shoot to kill'.
In the army, soldiers are equipped with combat know-how, understanding of sophisticated weaponry, principles of total defence, survival and various life skills, among others, so that they know how to and are able to defend their country and guide their fellow countrymen in doing so when the call comes.
More importantly, the army instils discipline and prepares recruits for life's realities in a way 'soft' attachments like 'coaching young musicians' cannot.
If we rethink the scope of national service and give people a choice to choose either 'military' or 'civilian' service, guess which one most people would choose.
The strength of an army lies in its numbers, besides modern technology. Considering Singapore's population of about 3.5 million people of whom about 1.79 million are females, 937,000 are 19 years old and below and 620,500 are 55 years old and above, and the unique vulnerabilities that every country faces, to remain sufficiently combat-ready we cannot afford to reduce our army size at all.
Hence, not serving national service is not simply an issue of having one's loyalty (and manhood) questioned; it is a question of life and death.
Lena Soh Kwee Kim (Ms)
What does a woman like her know abt NS? pui. Oh i can safely tell you i am one person who would choose civilian service. And since you are so pro- NS, why not go serve before you think you even deserve to talk abt NS? what a bitch. Obviously she think females do not need to serve NS yet demand equality. 'Soft attachments'? what do you know abt the ARTS? oh forget being a bitch. You are just one lame fucking bitch that only knows how to shoot her mouth first -
Maybe we should have a "self defense force" instead of an army.
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the author is giving all sorts of suggestions about sending our people for overseas stints.
we are already running short on manpower. it is totally not feasible. maybe it is time to conscript the ladies to show that we are serious about equality.
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Our govt will never take conscription of females seriously. Not until some earth shattering incident forces them to extend their dependency from males to females.
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This is how the author looks like!
http://www.nyc.gov.sg/user/award_oyea_winners2004.htm
lets not forget chng zhen zhi as well, who called NS men 'whiny'
Someone should conscript them for commando training to teach them a harsh lesson! -
Although each of us Singaporean males would wish to serve National Service in other capacities than as a combatant, I do not think that such a wish is possible to fulfil in the real world. If it is so, we might as well not have an army. Anyway, I believe that serving NS is good character-building, far better than the easy lives which some young men in the more developed countries lead.
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have u been thru ns?Originally posted by dakkon_blackblade:Although each of us Singaporean males would wish to serve National Service in other capacities than as a combatant, I do not think that such a wish is possible to fulfil in the real world. If it is so, we might as well not have an army. Anyway, I believe that serving NS is good character-building, far better than the easy lives which some young men in the more developed countries lead.
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i wonder why i defend such cowardly ugly hoes like this.Originally posted by depressed:
This is how the author looks like!
http://www.nyc.gov.sg/user/award_oyea_winners2004.htm
lets not forget chng zhen zhi as well, who called NS men 'whiny'
Someone should conscript them for commando training to teach them a harsh lesson! ugly and fat girls should serve ns. -
yeah absolutely..... it's a good learning cycle but feel rather stupid at times.Originally posted by dakkon_blackblade:Although each of us Singaporean males would wish to serve National Service in other capacities than as a combatant, I do not think that such a wish is possible to fulfil in the real world. If it is so, we might as well not have an army. Anyway, I believe that serving NS is good character-building, far better than the easy lives which some young men in the more developed countries lead.
lets get the girls to do national service and see what they choose combat or service... if it really happens, at least both male and female will get a fair level of headstart when we got to work. loosing two years is a lot plus a fresh mind is a lot.. not fair -
ns is good for us. it helps build up our body and we can defend singapore if got other country want to attack. not like when japan attack singapore many many years ago.listen to what government say because they know what is best for us
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troll.and one on a tape recorder too.we don't need to be told the obvious so butt out please.Originally posted by Marcus_Aurelius:ns is good for us. it helps build up our body and we can defend singapore if got other country want to attack. not like when japan attack singapore many many years ago.listen to what government say because they know what is best for us -
actually i would agree with much of what she said.
NS is really kinda needed and guys LL have to serve it.
But that does not means she should be the one who should be commenting on it since when she is not affected by it,she has no rights to talk on this subject.Her thinking is other people go suffer to do protection,as long as it does not involves me,let them do all the suffering,who cares about them,the country need protection.Me? I just enjoy the fruits of such protection and get rich.....yay woman power
Lets see how objective such females will be if one day,the country conscript them for 2 1/2 years. -
extracted from ST forum.
How appeals for disruption are decided
I REFER to Mrs Lim-Sin Chey Cheng's letter, 'Two months' early disruption saves full-time NSmen a year' (ST, Dec
, asking for disruption so that her son can proceed for overseas studies earlier.
The length of full-time national service is determined by the size of the standing armed forces required to meet our security needs, as well as the time taken to ensure that our servicemen are properly and adequately trained. Disruptions can only be very sparingly given and for a very short period. In considering disruption applications, Mindef tries to be fair to all. We work on the principle that males from the same school cohort enter university in the same calendar year. Those proceeding for overseas studies in universities where the academic year starts in September or October, such as Mrs Lim-Sin's son, therefore have no need for any disruption as they will enter university in the same year as the rest of their cohort.
Colonel Benedict Lim
Director, Public Affairs
Ministry of Defence -
PA of mindef very busy recently.
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He's gotta work for his salary.Originally posted by dragg:PA of mindef very busy recently.