Tomorrow.Sg post on NS and the due compensation
Untold truths of National Service
Is NS killing Singaporeans?
Mr Wang's take
The lone dissenting voice (from a SAF regular)
The above links all talk about the recent Taiwan mishap involving 4 Singaporean males, of which 2 were granted a merciful(?) reprieve when a Taiwanese F5 fighter plane crashed into a Singaporean camp in the country, and seriously injuring 2 other servicemen. I sincerely offer my condolences to the departed, and to the two who are still fighting the battle in the hospital, I pray for their well-being.
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The issue that the above bloggers tackle is that of compensation to NSFs (full-time National Servicemen) and NSmen (aka reservists) when something unfortunate happens to them. Mr Wang contends (and I concur) that blanket group insurance should be offered to ALL those serving NS, on NS training stints and such, on SAF's account. Yes Mr Army Regular argues that NS pay has been raised many times, and this can be construed as an equivalent to SAF giving out free insurance premiums to its servicemen, but I believe pay (or allowance, as SAF calls it - that's why it's so low!) and insurance benefits should be kept separate. For sacrificing our time and effort, and in unfortunate cases, an otherwise bright future, or even lives(!!), allowances should be made commensurate. To cover the servicemen with insurance should be a responsibility on the part of our dear SAF, because conscription means we never had a choice in whether to serve - it's just when is your turn. We guys just have to do it, "Serve And Fuck off", don't we all.
I belong to the generation where we gave up 2.5 years of our prime to serve the country (now it's 2 years, but still!) Without that 2.5 years delay, I could have graduated 2 years earlier with my female peers, gotten a cushy job and maybe earning my first million before 30 wouldn't be that difficult. Now, not only is that "million dollars before 30" a pipe-dream (yes I am still dreaming about it), I am also ensconced in the culture of swearing and vulgarities (hoho, no you don't get to choose whether to swear or not cos EVERYONE'S doing it), I am retardified because of two and a half years of "no need to think, just follow orders!" (what with "thinking army" man - the only thing we're all thinking about is bookout time), but fortunately, NS armed me with many horror stories to entertain girls (who are too bored of NS stories already cos they know nothing about it). Luckily I have been able to get my English back on track else I would have one more complaint. SAF really makes you stupid, no doubt about that.
That's why scholars have the option of disrupting, so they don't get too stupid before they matriculate in their brand name universities, so that they can start earning a decent salary right away after they graduate. I was told by my youngest bro that his commanding officer (a lieutenant colonel) is all of 28 years old. What? Don't believe? Then you dig some more. Oh because he is a President's Scholar. NO WONDER LAH! Now you get the drift, why the rich will never understand the poor, why politicians who are able to paint themselves as an Average Joe will more likely get the vote over someone who has all the "necessary credentials".
Yes, I know, it should be an honour to serve your country. But well, the way I see it, the honour goes both ways. The country should be privileged that I am serving it, and offer me (and other servicemen) adequate compensation commensurate to the risks we undertake when we serve in the armed forces. How do we know it's risky? Simply because most insurance firms do not cover the armed services, where live rounds are not like guided bombs - they do not have eyes - and a gun in the hands of a "blur fuck" can cause people to die, or get seriously injured. At least one of my friends can testify to cases of such happenings - when a recruit kept pulling his trigger when a bullet got stuck in his M16 barrel and at the same time yelling, "IA! IA!" while turning the rifle to point at him. That idiot got a kick to his head and deservingly so. Another told me about night live-firing conducted together with section movement. A bullet narrowly missed his head as it whooshed past the side of his eyes and he instinctively ducked. Who says you need to experience war to get killed. If you don't understand this, it's either because 1. you are a foreigner, 2. you are a female Singaporean, 3. you are a disabled Singaporean male, or at least handicapped in some way (sorry about that, but I am not in the business of being politically correct), 4. you have been completely retarded because of NS.
And then there are cases of servicemen plunging to their deaths from helicopters, from rappelling down high walls and the like. How many running-related deaths have we in the past year? And the dunking incident, surely people can remember, it blew up into a criminal case, and was maybe the first time SAF admitted its fault and charged some officers and warrant officers for not discharging their duties properly.
Yes, I know, the various government payouts have given NSmen additional bonuses in recognition of our service. I really appreciate that. But for the unfortunate few, a couple of hundreds is not going to make up for it. Lawrence Leow suffered from a heat stroke that left him paralysed, but our dear SAF is giving him a $500 monthly stipend and a CSC card (which gives him free medical help at polyclinics and hospitals). Again, the thing about money is how much is enough. I don't know, you don't know, no one knows, but what we DO know, is that $500 is NOT enough for a paraplegic that was once an active person, someone who was stripped of his future and indignified in a wheelchair for life and now can't even talk! Hey come on, our dear ministers who are paid handsome salaries must have been so used to just paying for anything and everything with their seemingly bottomless bank accounts such that they can't see for themselves that $500 a month is hardly enough for a normal person, let alone a handicapped person with extremely limited mobility. If a war veteran that gets permanently disabled in other countries can get a decent monthly allowance from his government, then there is no reason why someone who was serving the nation not of his own free will but being forced by conscription should not get at least the same, if not higher (because it wasn't out of his free will!)
They dare to tell us, you serve your country with honour, why talk about pay, when they themselves, the creme de la creme, pride of our country, leaders of our land, have to up their pay to "attract the right talent". Forgive my vulgarities, but BALLS TO YOU, understand! (Haha, courtesy of NS, don't blame me ok!)
As an aside, the Taiwanese pilots who were flying the F5 fighter plane got NT$15 million as compensation (article's in Mandarin). This amount is roughly equivalent to S$750,000.
Mr SAF Regular tries to hint that hiring a maid is not necessary in Lawrence's case. But as a fellow blogger has kindly pointed out, his parents cannot be there for him his whole life (assuming he lives as long as they do). He is going to need someone to care for him, and if he does not have the fortune to have a wife to love him and be by his side what come may, will he not need "a maid or two"?
And more pertinent to the hearts of Singaporean males, especially working ones, is that reservist commitments may prevent them from climbing higher up their career paths, and even lead to some being dismissed. Sure, the law is on our side, but seriously, you can't force someone to keep you employed. Yeah can, just keep you there and let you rot, see whether you wanna leave or not. Or all the people in the workplace give you the cold shoulder, then we'll see how long you can tolerate it. The boss (*gasp* a foreigner who understands shit about NS!) just needs to give you negative vibes every day to make your work environment a living hell, and he can hire mainland Chinese or India Indians to replace you for cheap, and without the NS commitments! So what's so great about your local university education that some foreign talent cannot replace?
In the midst of our attracting foreign talent here, and being another dreamland of expatriates all over the world, let us not forget the sacrifices that Singaporeans have made to ensure the security of the country and exercise our sovereignty as a nation. To attract Singaporeans to stay and not migrate for good (to any of the 33 other "better" cities, according to Mercer's survey) is to look at these seemingly petty issues, address them once and for all, and simply remember, that Singaporeans should, somehow, be made to feel more comfortable in their own country than foreigners.
I hope, in my heart of hearts, that is not too much to ask.
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P.S.: Readers should take note, that the author absolutely abhors officer males who flaunt their "officer status" as though the whole world should worship them just because they are, well, officers. Showing off your medals is hmmmm... where should I even find the words to say it. Oh puhhh-leeeees, who gives a damn about it. The whole thing just reeks of an INFERIOR COMPLEX. Like come on, is there no other facade of you besides being an officer!
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