Dear The Real Singapore,
I am 38 year old civil engineering graduate, working as an project engineer for a construction company. Recently, SAF sent me a letter to tell me that they will be charging me for default IPPT.
This is not my first time, but fourth time actually. So my kahkis told me that I should at least try and go for RT otherwise I may go to detention barracks for a day and there will be a record.
The thing about the IPPT is that it is pointless for me since I am not able to pass the standing board jump. But, I am able to pass all my other stations. A lot of NSmen are like that, but MINDEF refused to do anything despite claiming they are listening and changing.
This is very much a waste of time and resources since man NSmen have to sacrifice career and personal time when the station has no use whatsoever.
Anyway, my birthday is on Nov 26 and I have a call ICT call-up in Dec for 2 weeks. However my charge sheet came only in late Sep, so I only had 2 months to attend 20 RT sessions.
I tried my best to balance between work and RT, going on every weekend but my Malaysian boss was not understanding at all. He started to find fault with me saying I am not setting a good example for the workers by absent for so long.
When I went for my RT, I found it to be very wayang but with great cost to the attendees. While we sacrifice our time to come, the PTIs couldn't bother whether people were doing stretches correctly or bothered to run when they just walk around the track.
The worse came during my ICT, as I was not able to attend to a construction project. Although there was no screw up, of course I look like a fool. So my boss backstab me and tell the bigger boss that I am useless and always absent.
Then, after he manage to psycho my big boss that I am useless, he invite his own construction supervisor from Pahang to apply and I was just fired like that with a 1.5 month salary in lieu of notice. My performance is not excellent, but it is also not bad.
I always felt that foreign workers were necessary as I work in construction. But after being replaced by one because of NS, I am so angry. NS has such a big price for Singaporeans but foreigners have none!
It has been 2 weeks only but I already feel the anxiety because I my kids are in P5 and Sec 1. So of course she cannot spend time worry about me.
My wife wasn't too please even though she earns okay pay as an assistant finance manager at a bank. But at least our family can get by, but I feel super useless and I have no one to turn to.
Even though construction is supposed to be doing well now, the point is that they are not recruiting people at my age and level. I can only pray and hope for the best.
Thank you for giving me a chance to express my sadness.
Best Regards,
Wei Cheng