Sunday, April 26, 2009
Embrace Foreigners, and Screw the Locals(NSmen)
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All this talk about National Integration and integration of foreigners into Singapore misses the mark. We are talking about welcome others when we treat our own so poorly. What am I talking about?
I am talking about National Service. I am talking about mandatory 2 years (formerly 2.5 years) of conscription of Singaporean male citizens into the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
I am talking about the 10 years of reservist obligations comprising but not limited to:
* annual in-camp training lasting 2 to 21 days (in practice but legally up to 40 days under the law)
* annual individual physical proficiency tests (IPPT) for those medically fit NSmen (those who fail to clear their tests are subject to Remedial Training of twice/thrice a week)
* notifying Mindef Notification Centre for any overseas trips exceeding 24 hours
* need to apply for exit permit for trips of 6 months or longer
* annual operations manning or mobilisation exercises than can happen 2-3 times a year
To be male and Singaporean is to serve and f*** off
These obligations are not new. They have been imposed on NSmen since the whole NS system was developed just after Singapore gained independence and as the British withdrew their military forces out of Singapore not long after.
What is new is that the pace of immigration to Singapore has increased tremendously. It has created a truly global city, Singapore Inc, with the implications of a labour market that is competitive in every sense of the word.
I saw it during my days working in the IT industry. Singaporeans have virtually no real advantages and in fact, Singaporean males who are NSmen are DISADVANTAGED because to employers, they come attached with annual ICT obligations that leave the company WITHOUT the services of their employees even if Mindef does reimburse them for the wages they continue to pay for their staff. Ceteris paribus, if I were an employer, I would choose a permanent resident or Employment Pass holder over a male citizen as I don't suffer as many disruptions to my use of this factor of production.
Competition is not wrong. I welcome it. It makes you upgrade yourself, not to take the status quo for granted and not to think you are entitled to anything unless you are smart and work hard for it. But to compete on unequal terms is simply unfair.
Discrimination in your own country
How can it be fair to Singaporean male citizens who are:
1) discriminated against female citizens who do not have NS?
2) discriminated against as compared to 1st generation Permanent Residents and newly minted citizens who do not have to serve NS (for those older)?
Let me share with you specific examples of discrimination.
During my 7th ICT, one of my unit reservists died during the 2.4km run. He died for the country. He died because of some underlying heart condition that surfaced during the run. He died because he was a citizen and was born male in Singapore Inc.
I was running a big project in my department. A few months into the project, I received the SAF 100 for a 3 week reservist doing operational duty protecting key installations in Singapore. I duly informed my bosses about it.
Guess what happened?
Yes, I was allowed to go for my reservist duty... BUT, my boss took the project away from me and gave it to my female colleague who did not have any reservist obligation.
How do you think it would affect my year end appraisal to have a significant project taken away because I wouldn't be around for 3 weeks because of service to the COUNTRY?
So if I had been killed during the operational duty (and mind you we carry live rounds and execute rules of engagement that involve the real possiblity of stopping potential terrorists or be injured or a target of attacks) my female colleague would get a shot at a better portfolio of work for her annual appraisal while I would have enjoyed a military funeral at taxpayers expense.
So now we have a new "Integration Council" helmed by not one, not two but seven ministers.
Their objective is to,
"... promote and foster social integration among Singaporeans and with new citizens and permanent residents."
May I make a small suggestion?
Can we start by treating our reservists better? This will lessen the discrimination AGAINST our own male citizens. It's bad enough that I had 2.5 years of my youth wasted in the Singapore Armed Forces.
I entered the workforce 2.5 years later and have reservist liabilities that made me less competitive vis-a-vis my competitors in the workforce who are on employment pass or permanent residence tickets into Singapore Inc. I fought hard in the workplace, I have a recognised degree from NTU, with relevant work experience and I did my duty to my country only to have it spat back into my face.
Immigration has been so pervasive that the criteria seems to be very easy. I noted that even your friendly neighbourhood hawker assistant in food courts can get permanent residency status!
That really cheapens the entire Singapore Citizenship. Don't forget, male citizenship is earned using tears, sweat and blood. Can my female citizens claim to serve their country up to the point of risking DEATH and INJURY? Who sees the pain when I was running standard obstacle course? Who empathised with me when I was insulted by regulars in the army with epithets such as "gu-niang", "cheese-bye" or having an Captain say that he will "crucify" the next recruit who said something stupid? Who shared my fear when seeing my fellow reservist COLLAPSE and DIE during his 2.4km run.
Integrating immigrants - has the Government looked at how and why it is screwing its NSmen?
The National Integration Council doesn't have to look far to uncover the seething resentment among many NSmen and NSF.
Singapore Inc runs 1st and foremost by economic considerations. I accept that. But why is the Government screwing us NSmen by imposing obligations in a way that is both disruptive and detrimental to our economic competitiveness.
They expect us NSmen to grin and bear it when we know we are competing on an unequal playing field? How can you expect us to embrace immigrants who are fighting for the very same rice-bowls and who do not need to make similar sacrifices to preserve it? I have risked my life every time I report for my annual in-camp training to protect and defend our way of life only to find that sacrifice entails having me risk my livelihood?!
This country is losing its identity and social cohesiveness even as this post is written. We are a country that now worships money. The economic imperative is the be-all and the end-all. Thus, we embrace immmigrants because they contribute to the economic fabric of the nation. They help keep the wheels of commerce and industry churning with the accessible foreign labour. Integrating them helps Singapore Inc. purr smoothly even as individual citizens get squashed in the MRT and bus during peak hours.
Embrace them even as the SAF/SPF and SCDF embraced our NSmen, sometimes to the point of losing their lives for duty, honour and country.
And that is why I am so glad that my daughter was born into Singapore Inc. She doesn't have to serve and gets to COMPETE on more equal terms to permanent residents, foreigners and the rest of her competitors in future for a piece of the pie in Singapore Inc.
Majullah Singapura.
Embrace Foreigners, and Screw the Locals(NSmen)
Listen to this article. Powered by Odiogo.com
All this talk about National Integration and integration of foreigners into Singapore misses the mark. We are talking about welcome others when we treat our own so poorly. What am I talking about?
I am talking about National Service. I am talking about mandatory 2 years (formerly 2.5 years) of conscription of Singaporean male citizens into the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
I am talking about the 10 years of reservist obligations comprising but not limited to:
* annual in-camp training lasting 2 to 21 days (in practice but legally up to 40 days under the law)
* annual individual physical proficiency tests (IPPT) for those medically fit NSmen (those who fail to clear their tests are subject to Remedial Training of twice/thrice a week)
* notifying Mindef Notification Centre for any overseas trips exceeding 24 hours
* need to apply for exit permit for trips of 6 months or longer
* annual operations manning or mobilisation exercises than can happen 2-3 times a year
To be male and Singaporean is to serve and f*** off
These obligations are not new. They have been imposed on NSmen since the whole NS system was developed just after Singapore gained independence and as the British withdrew their military forces out of Singapore not long after.
What is new is that the pace of immigration to Singapore has increased tremendously. It has created a truly global city, Singapore Inc, with the implications of a labour market that is competitive in every sense of the word.
I saw it during my days working in the IT industry. Singaporeans have virtually no real advantages and in fact, Singaporean males who are NSmen are DISADVANTAGED because to employers, they come attached with annual ICT obligations that leave the company WITHOUT the services of their employees even if Mindef does reimburse them for the wages they continue to pay for their staff. Ceteris paribus, if I were an employer, I would choose a permanent resident or Employment Pass holder over a male citizen as I don't suffer as many disruptions to my use of this factor of production.
Competition is not wrong. I welcome it. It makes you upgrade yourself, not to take the status quo for granted and not to think you are entitled to anything unless you are smart and work hard for it. But to compete on unequal terms is simply unfair.
Discrimination in your own country
How can it be fair to Singaporean male citizens who are:
1) discriminated against female citizens who do not have NS?
2) discriminated against as compared to 1st generation Permanent Residents and newly minted citizens who do not have to serve NS (for those older)?
Let me share with you specific examples of discrimination.
During my 7th ICT, one of my unit reservists died during the 2.4km run. He died for the country. He died because of some underlying heart condition that surfaced during the run. He died because he was a citizen and was born male in Singapore Inc.
I was running a big project in my department. A few months into the project, I received the SAF 100 for a 3 week reservist doing operational duty protecting key installations in Singapore. I duly informed my bosses about it.
Guess what happened?
Yes, I was allowed to go for my reservist duty... BUT, my boss took the project away from me and gave it to my female colleague who did not have any reservist obligation.
How do you think it would affect my year end appraisal to have a significant project taken away because I wouldn't be around for 3 weeks because of service to the COUNTRY?
So if I had been killed during the operational duty (and mind you we carry live rounds and execute rules of engagement that involve the real possiblity of stopping potential terrorists or be injured or a target of attacks) my female colleague would get a shot at a better portfolio of work for her annual appraisal while I would have enjoyed a military funeral at taxpayers expense.
So now we have a new "Integration Council" helmed by not one, not two but seven ministers.
Their objective is to,
"... promote and foster social integration among Singaporeans and with new citizens and permanent residents."
May I make a small suggestion?
Can we start by treating our reservists better? This will lessen the discrimination AGAINST our own male citizens. It's bad enough that I had 2.5 years of my youth wasted in the Singapore Armed Forces.
I entered the workforce 2.5 years later and have reservist liabilities that made me less competitive vis-a-vis my competitors in the workforce who are on employment pass or permanent residence tickets into Singapore Inc. I fought hard in the workplace, I have a recognised degree from NTU, with relevant work experience and I did my duty to my country only to have it spat back into my face.
Immigration has been so pervasive that the criteria seems to be very easy. I noted that even your friendly neighbourhood hawker assistant in food courts can get permanent residency status!
That really cheapens the entire Singapore Citizenship. Don't forget, male citizenship is earned using tears, sweat and blood. Can my female citizens claim to serve their country up to the point of risking DEATH and INJURY? Who sees the pain when I was running standard obstacle course? Who empathised with me when I was insulted by regulars in the army with epithets such as "gu-niang", "cheese-bye" or having an Captain say that he will "crucify" the next recruit who said something stupid? Who shared my fear when seeing my fellow reservist COLLAPSE and DIE during his 2.4km run.
Integrating immigrants - has the Government looked at how and why it is screwing its NSmen?
The National Integration Council doesn't have to look far to uncover the seething resentment among many NSmen and NSF.
Singapore Inc runs 1st and foremost by economic considerations. I accept that. But why is the Government screwing us NSmen by imposing obligations in a way that is both disruptive and detrimental to our economic competitiveness.
They expect us NSmen to grin and bear it when we know we are competing on an unequal playing field? How can you expect us to embrace immigrants who are fighting for the very same rice-bowls and who do not need to make similar sacrifices to preserve it? I have risked my life every time I report for my annual in-camp training to protect and defend our way of life only to find that sacrifice entails having me risk my livelihood?!
This country is losing its identity and social cohesiveness even as this post is written. We are a country that now worships money. The economic imperative is the be-all and the end-all. Thus, we embrace immmigrants because they contribute to the economic fabric of the nation. They help keep the wheels of commerce and industry churning with the accessible foreign labour. Integrating them helps Singapore Inc. purr smoothly even as individual citizens get squashed in the MRT and bus during peak hours.
Embrace them even as the SAF/SPF and SCDF embraced our NSmen, sometimes to the point of losing their lives for duty, honour and country.
And that is why I am so glad that my daughter was born into Singapore Inc. She doesn't have to serve and gets to COMPETE on more equal terms to permanent residents, foreigners and the rest of her competitors in future for a piece of the pie in Singapore Inc.
Majullah Singapura.
