Written by Ng E-Jay
26 April 2014
On Thursday, during an SAF exercise, Dr Ng Eng Hen spoke to reporters and floated the idea of giving NSmen more benefits in the areas of education and housing, in order to reward them for their contribution.
PAP MP Alex Yam, who also sits on the Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Foreign Affairs, said in a later media interview that these benefits will not about fundamental access to basic social needs, but will be additional handouts meant to reward service and strengthen the institution of National Service.
Unfortunately, the government’s approach to compensating NSmen for their sacrifice by giving handouts and other goodies will only be a bandage that masks the underlying state of inequality, but fails to address the real issues and grievances faced by NSmen.
For a start, the government has done little to address the persistent problem of workplace discrimination, where some employers shun NSmen who have reservist liabilities, out of fear it would take time away from their jobs.
Compensation for injuries — some permanent — sustained during National Service is also woefully inadequate. If, as the government claims, NSmen are charged with the responsibility of defending Singapore with their lives, then surely the degree of compensation must be sufficiently high to allow both the injured and his family to live a dignified life thereafter.
The system is highly unequal to begin with. Male Singapore citizens are compelled by law to sacrifice two years of their life to National Service, losing out precious time in getting higher education and seeking employment. This loss of time is all the more handicapping to the young Singaporean man who not only has to enter the workforce at a later age, but also has to compete for jobs with foreigners who had a chance to enter the workforce two years earlier than him.
As such, it is imperative that we as a society — not just AWARE — question and criticize the current state of inequality, and seek ways to level the playing field for all. I am not proposing that NS be scrapped entirely, but that more help be given to aspiring male job entrants who have had to sacrifice two years of potential career time to NS.
I agree that men should not be given fundamental privileges that would permanently disadvantage women. Such a policy would not only fail to address the current state on inequality experienced by young Singaporean men entering the workforce, but would also intensify feelings of resentment throughout society, further fracturing society along its fault-lines.
Dr Ng Eng Hen’s suggestions however seem patronizing given the highly unequal playing field that currently exists. We should not be asking for handouts which gloss over fundamental issues of workplace discrimination and having to enter the workforce later which puts males at a disadvantage compared to foreigners.
We should instead be addressing the root of the problem, which is the relevancy of such a long conscription duration of two years in a globalized world where people are far more mobile, where national borders are starting to lose slowly their meaning, and where economic competition is at an extreme.
The government wants Singaporeans to have a global rather an insular perspective of the world, but yet it ties our young men down in a prolonged period of servitude that is rapidly losing its focus given what is happening in the world and in Singapore in particular, where demographic fluidity seems to be drowning out the very concept of state and nation. Surely now is the time to start a more mature dialogue on these matters and whether as a nation we are heading in the right direction.
- http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=8714
26 April 2014
On Thursday, during an SAF exercise, Dr Ng Eng Hen spoke to reporters and floated the idea of giving NSmen more benefits in the areas of education and housing, in order to reward them for their contribution.
PAP MP Alex Yam, who also sits on the Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Foreign Affairs, said in a later media interview that these benefits will not about fundamental access to basic social needs, but will be additional handouts meant to reward service and strengthen the institution of National Service.
Unfortunately, the government’s approach to compensating NSmen for their sacrifice by giving handouts and other goodies will only be a bandage that masks the underlying state of inequality, but fails to address the real issues and grievances faced by NSmen.
For a start, the government has done little to address the persistent problem of workplace discrimination, where some employers shun NSmen who have reservist liabilities, out of fear it would take time away from their jobs.
Compensation for injuries — some permanent — sustained during National Service is also woefully inadequate. If, as the government claims, NSmen are charged with the responsibility of defending Singapore with their lives, then surely the degree of compensation must be sufficiently high to allow both the injured and his family to live a dignified life thereafter.
The system is highly unequal to begin with. Male Singapore citizens are compelled by law to sacrifice two years of their life to National Service, losing out precious time in getting higher education and seeking employment. This loss of time is all the more handicapping to the young Singaporean man who not only has to enter the workforce at a later age, but also has to compete for jobs with foreigners who had a chance to enter the workforce two years earlier than him.
As such, it is imperative that we as a society — not just AWARE — question and criticize the current state of inequality, and seek ways to level the playing field for all. I am not proposing that NS be scrapped entirely, but that more help be given to aspiring male job entrants who have had to sacrifice two years of potential career time to NS.
I agree that men should not be given fundamental privileges that would permanently disadvantage women. Such a policy would not only fail to address the current state on inequality experienced by young Singaporean men entering the workforce, but would also intensify feelings of resentment throughout society, further fracturing society along its fault-lines.
Dr Ng Eng Hen’s suggestions however seem patronizing given the highly unequal playing field that currently exists. We should not be asking for handouts which gloss over fundamental issues of workplace discrimination and having to enter the workforce later which puts males at a disadvantage compared to foreigners.
We should instead be addressing the root of the problem, which is the relevancy of such a long conscription duration of two years in a globalized world where people are far more mobile, where national borders are starting to lose slowly their meaning, and where economic competition is at an extreme.
The government wants Singaporeans to have a global rather an insular perspective of the world, but yet it ties our young men down in a prolonged period of servitude that is rapidly losing its focus given what is happening in the world and in Singapore in particular, where demographic fluidity seems to be drowning out the very concept of state and nation. Surely now is the time to start a more mature dialogue on these matters and whether as a nation we are heading in the right direction.
- http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=8714
