The first official batch of PAP candidates to be unveiled included Dr. Janil Puthucheary which became a citizen in 2008. According to media reports, he settled in Singapore in 2001, presumably got his PR sometime between 2001 and 2008 before being sworn in as a newly minted Singapore citizen.
This is not new, the Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan is also a ex-Malaysian who became a Singapore citizen and is now in the cabinet.
It is interesting to note that in Singapore, it appears not to be a liability to standing for political office if you have not served your country in the Singapore Armed Forces, the Singapore Police Force or the Singapore Civil Defence Force as many of us born and bred Singaporean male citizens have.
In the US, previous President George W Bush was in the National Guard. President John F Kennedy served in a patrol boat in Vietnam and Senator McCain who was the Republican nominee for the US Presidential elections in 2008. US politicians who have served their countries military typically have in their campaign publicity materials trumpeting this fact as evidence of their record in serving the country.
We currently have many ex-SAF generals/admirals in the likes of Foreign Minster George Yeo, DPM Teo Chee Hean etc.
Only in Singapore do we have aspiring politicians who gun for public office not worrying too much that they have never served their country under its mandatory conscription policy. In US, many who volunteer to serve in the US military do so in order to obtain citizenship. Over here, you can aspire for political office under the auspices of the PAP even if your citizenship tenure is shorter than the average 10 years served in reservist plus 2 to 2.5 years in full-time national service by most Singaporean male citizens.
Majullah Singapura.
Monday, March 21, 2011
New Male Citizens Can Aspire to Political Office Without NS
Posted by PanzerGrenadier at 7:59 PM
Labels: conscript, conscript in the lion city, ns and politics, pap, stranger in a strange land
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3 comments:
Don’t look down on Jarnail.
I am sure that he will volunteer for National Service – hope to see him at the next medical officer cadet course.
Many of us who are older than he are still serving and we look forward to having another skilled anesthetist in the medical corps
Dear Siok
I am not so much looking down on Dr. Janil but pointing out that under the current system under the ruling party, the value of NS is really diminished because aspirations for political office suffers no ill effects if one is not subject to mandatory conscription.
Dr. Janil has a choice IF he wants to volunteer (and I'm not sure if SAF will put him through 3 months BMT + 9 mths medical officer cadet course + posting to ORNS unit) i.e. total of 2 years away from his full-time career in KK Hospital (plus if he gets elected his MP duties).
Most of us male Singaporeans born and raised here do not have the luxury of that choice.
We should seriously rethink mandatory conscription in its current form because it is discriminatory against the male citizenship population vis-a-vis the female population and it imposes economic costs on Singaporean male citizens without commensurate benefits. I.e. you start your university studies 2 years later than peers who are females or foreigners.
You risk injury through training accidents or other unfortunate incidents which the female population and foreigners are not subject to.
Your 2 years of opportunity cost lost from the labour force is compensated at an allowance that is lower than what a security guard can get at a full-time job all in the name of duty, honour and country.
Majullah Singapura.
Not fair to Singaporeans. PAP better wake up to this issue.
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