Male Singaporeans are required to serve full time National Service (NS) for 2 years. This is followed by another 10 “work years” up to the age of 40/50 depending on one’s rank. In today’s harsh economic environment, NS obligations work against the personal interests of male Singaporeans. These have already been discussed on social media.
However, the repeated calls for change in NS obligations appear to have fallen on deaf ears of our government.
The government had abandoned reason during the 20th century and always used fear mongering tactics to justify its policies. It is now unable to reason with an educated youth of the 21st century.
Scrapping NS makes sense or at least the duration of conscription should be reduced to, perhaps, half a year with reservist obligation up to age 30. The cost of maintaining an NSF through his reservist obligation includes the provision of food, uniform, weapons, training, medical care, administration, private sector pay during reservist, etc which runs into billions of dollars every year. Assuming a very conservative figure of $2 billion, this cost saving could be channeled to employ a professional army.
An army with 10,000 career soldiers with an annual starting pay package of say $60,000 will cost the government only $600 million. Throw in a good career path where experience counts more than classroom achievement, there will be queues forming outside the CMPB awaiting registration. An incentivised professional soldier could easily replace a number of conscripts. The attitude of many conscripts leaves much to be desired but can anyone fault them for the disproportionate sacrifice?
With a professional fighting force, MC kings would also cease to exist.
Original photo @ ClipartHeaven.com
If the objective of maintaining a costly army is to deter aggression, then one has to ask who the potential threat is. From its original 5 member states in 1967, ASEAN has increased its membership to 10. Trade and travel within ASEAN countries have been increasing every year. The number of citizens marrying foreigners within Asean countries has also been increasing. We are now inextricably connected and every neighbouring country has a vested interest in regional peace.
Where/what is the threat to justify conscription?
ASEAN countries.
Source: http://www.asean.org/asean/asean-member-states
Technology is also supposed to have improved productivity but our reliance on manpower has remained unchanged! This is a similar situation in the private sector which the government has belatedly acknowledged. Do we really need to keep half a million reservists link on their toes, disregarding their family commitments, health and work discrimination concerns?
“The NS (Amendment) act was passed on 14 March 1967, as the Singapore government felt that it was necessary to build a substantial military force”. Apparently, this substantial military force has been built to an oversupply and now shares its excess manpower with the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). Does the government intend to abuse conscripts for other non military purposes?
The SPF and SCDF should only hire career professionals instead of using NSFs. There may be some cost savings but a lowered standard is to be expected with NS conscripts.
It’s becoming more apparent that the whole idea of conscription has now become a form of cheap labour. Let’s take a look at the economic value of a 19 year old starting work in the private sector. Assuming the average wage of a diploma graduate to be $1,900 and an NSF’s allowance of $600, the opportunity cost amounts to more about $24,000 if he has to serve only 6 months. More if conscription is scrapped. This cost does not even include the pre enlistment loafing time, time wasted before entering the university and intangible social costs.
The sacrifice is just too huge to be justified by the peanuts government grants given for NS obligations.
Likely reasons for NS status quo to remain are:
- Resistant to change in the civil service. A change of this magnitude would require the revamp of entire IT departments and presents a logistical nightmare. Politicians and parachuted civil servants are well known to be seat warmers. Planning is no longer their forte, as evidenced by tonnes of infrastructural issues from housing to health care.
- A reduction in the duration of NSFs and NSmen obligations will lead to thousands of regulars being retrenched. Besides becoming a taxi driver or real estate agent, there are extremely few job vacancies for ex military personnel in the private sector.
- The PAP is also a party which will try not to lose face at all costs. It does not want to be seen bowing to pressure. (A recent example would be the issue of minimum wage which PAP MPs publicly rejected but privately embraced. Subsequently, NTUC’s minimum wage model was implemented under another name and only in selected industries to differentiate its ‘superior’ model from the rest of the world.http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/basic-wage-levels-to-be/946604.html)
A male Singaporean with NS obligation to discharge competes on an unlevel playing field at work with foreigners. With a minimum 2 year delay in setting up a family, he is also expected to discharge another national duty ie increase the TFR. The government cannot have the cake and eat it. Throwing money at solutions has already failed.
The government is not unaware of the unhappiness of NSFs, NSmen and parents. It defies logic to maintain the NS status quo.
Phillip Ang
*The writer blogs at http://likedatosocanmeh.wordpress.com/