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- Dec 30, 2010
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NS, BUllshit and Deferment
by Void Deck on Friday, October 21, 2011 at 1:55am.
In 2010, then NMP Jocelyn Yeo asked Chee Hean why, why, why local long jumper Matthew Goh was not allowed to defer 3 months to represent Spore in the Asian Junior Championships and World Junior Championships. Chee Hean said no, no, and no. Chee Hean did qualify that sometimes deferment is successful like sailor Justin Liu who was allowed deferment to train for the 2010 Asian Games.
From sportsman to student now, boys and gals. SIM student Samuel Tan could not sit for his first year exams in 2008 as he would turn 18 then. He made 5 appeals including one to defer his course for 3 months to complete his first year at the bloody least. We all know this is a No unless one is a PSC scholar. But WTF, wait at least till he finishes his first year I thought was reasonable. But when the hell is MINDEF reasonable? Heh.
From sportsman to student to musicians. Ike See, music prodigy, could not get a deferment to purse music in the Curtis Institute of Music in 2006. He wanted a 3-year degree course but MINDEF said no, no and no again. So he had to take a 2-year diploma, sponsored by Curtis as he was that good. But MINDEF in their wisdom thought he was chao keng. They were so very very terrified that Ike would be like pianist Melvyn Tan who left at 12 and almost never came back until he was 47 years old.
To MINDEF's credit, they are going to release details on who gets deferment from now on. Obviously this was a reaction to the infamous Patrick Tan case where the son of President Tony Tan, years ago, managed to get a deferment for 12 years. Not 3 months like Samuel or Matthew, not an extra one year like Ike, but 12 frakking years. Imagine Pri 1 to Sec 4 and then JC 1 and 2. Seriously, I doubt that Tony Tan was dumb enough to ask MINDEF to give Patrick some slack. Tony can't ask but he sure can at a meeting with some SAF general who is thinking about going into PAP politics, raise his eyebrows, clear his throat or stretch out his hands when pretending to yawn and point at his son's White Horse file with right hand and a deferment letter plus 12-year programme with the other hand. No words, all smiles and pointing. Voila. OK kidding maybe it didn't happen that way.
However, all of us did NS before and we know there are armies of ass-kissers waiting to rush and rushing to wait to brownnose anyone higher up in the MINDEF command chain. Majors would lick the boots of Colonels, who would be sycophants for Generals who would love to carry bags and polish the cars of Ministers. Some things get done even without asking.
We are mature enough to understand that getting deferment and downgrade is part of the game and kudos to those who managed if they did it fair and square, and not via a patricktan. This magic list of people who deferred should be transparent as much as possible, so that all can know what are the successful and unsuccessful reasons for getting a deferment. Wink wink.
by Void Deck on Friday, October 21, 2011 at 1:55am.
In 2010, then NMP Jocelyn Yeo asked Chee Hean why, why, why local long jumper Matthew Goh was not allowed to defer 3 months to represent Spore in the Asian Junior Championships and World Junior Championships. Chee Hean said no, no, and no. Chee Hean did qualify that sometimes deferment is successful like sailor Justin Liu who was allowed deferment to train for the 2010 Asian Games.
From sportsman to student now, boys and gals. SIM student Samuel Tan could not sit for his first year exams in 2008 as he would turn 18 then. He made 5 appeals including one to defer his course for 3 months to complete his first year at the bloody least. We all know this is a No unless one is a PSC scholar. But WTF, wait at least till he finishes his first year I thought was reasonable. But when the hell is MINDEF reasonable? Heh.
From sportsman to student to musicians. Ike See, music prodigy, could not get a deferment to purse music in the Curtis Institute of Music in 2006. He wanted a 3-year degree course but MINDEF said no, no and no again. So he had to take a 2-year diploma, sponsored by Curtis as he was that good. But MINDEF in their wisdom thought he was chao keng. They were so very very terrified that Ike would be like pianist Melvyn Tan who left at 12 and almost never came back until he was 47 years old.
To MINDEF's credit, they are going to release details on who gets deferment from now on. Obviously this was a reaction to the infamous Patrick Tan case where the son of President Tony Tan, years ago, managed to get a deferment for 12 years. Not 3 months like Samuel or Matthew, not an extra one year like Ike, but 12 frakking years. Imagine Pri 1 to Sec 4 and then JC 1 and 2. Seriously, I doubt that Tony Tan was dumb enough to ask MINDEF to give Patrick some slack. Tony can't ask but he sure can at a meeting with some SAF general who is thinking about going into PAP politics, raise his eyebrows, clear his throat or stretch out his hands when pretending to yawn and point at his son's White Horse file with right hand and a deferment letter plus 12-year programme with the other hand. No words, all smiles and pointing. Voila. OK kidding maybe it didn't happen that way.
However, all of us did NS before and we know there are armies of ass-kissers waiting to rush and rushing to wait to brownnose anyone higher up in the MINDEF command chain. Majors would lick the boots of Colonels, who would be sycophants for Generals who would love to carry bags and polish the cars of Ministers. Some things get done even without asking.
We are mature enough to understand that getting deferment and downgrade is part of the game and kudos to those who managed if they did it fair and square, and not via a patricktan. This magic list of people who deferred should be transparent as much as possible, so that all can know what are the successful and unsuccessful reasons for getting a deferment. Wink wink.
