Another of our brethen has fallen in serving his duty to his country. Condolences to the family of the late SCT Ee Chun Sheng. All of us who serve and have served in the SAF, SCDF and SPF for our country as conscripts grieve for another brother lost for the defence of our nation.
The price of blood is the true price we conscripts of the Lion City pay. I wonder how it feels for people who have served in a non-combat vocation such as 'Defence Medical Scientist' in air-conditioned comfort day-to-day while others need to go for navigation (or topographical) exercises carrying SBO, helmet and rifle go walking around with map and compass in SAF training areas.
I have said it once and I'll continue to say it again. The price of conscription at times can be DEATH OR INJURY. If you talk to any of your brothers, spouses, fathers, cousins who have served especially in combat vocations in the SAF as conscripts in the Lion City, you would at times hear of fatalities they have encountered or heard about whilst doing their 2-2.5 years of full-time national service and 10-13 years of reservist training.
We who are liable to pay the ULTIMATE price for the defence of the Lion City are marginalised in our own country by the current administration's opaque policies that allow foreigners to flood our country and compete against citizens in public-funded educational institutions of higher learning, in jobs, in scholarships.
I am not against competition. I welcome it. But it has to be FAIR competition. What country creates a marketplace where its own male citizens are handicapped by the two years of NS? Increasingly, even Taiwan is looking to reduce its NS term and Germany (as part of NATO) has ended conscription.
We take up university studies 2 years later than foreigners and female citizens. We enter the workforce 2 years later. We start families 2 years (or more) later.
The 2 years of NS in combat vocations see NSFs being paid marginally better than foreign domestic workers but we risk life and limb to protect the country. We bear the social costs of the defence of the Lion city but get precious little (especially for those of us who MR or completed NS prior to the $9,000 award announcement) in terms of tangible benefits. The positive externalities generated from the defence umbrella held by us is enjoyed by all and sundry who do not serve a single day of NS.
The laughable tax relief (and not even tax rebate!) of a few thousand dollars annually is the price the country puts on our sacrifice to our nation. Of course, old reservists like myself who completed our reservist obligations get nothing from the additional $9,000 award from Mindef as we missed the boat for serving our country earlier. Even if you look at $9,000, it's not much if you are dead at age 21 since your potential lifetime earning for 30-40 years of economically productive life should be in the range of a couple of million SGD.
At the end of the day, such cases of fatalities only serve to reinforce the bitter pill that NSFs and NSmen continue to swallow, in that we are 2nd class citizens in our own country. We male citizens and 2nd generation PRs who have to serve NS undertake MORE responsibilities and liabilities without commensurate benefits.
It seems strange in the Lion City that in the highest echelon of "public" (political) office you can be paid world class salaries as a minister under the lightning banner. But a male citizen risking his life for the country is paid marginally more than your foreign domestic worker.
Go figure as National Day approaches.
Majulah Singapura.
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Source: Mindef Website
Death of Singapore Armed Forces Full-Time National Serviceman
Posted: 03 Aug 2011, 0001 hours (Time is GMT +8 hours)
A Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) full-time National Serviceman (NSF), Specialist Cadet (SCT) Ee Chun Sheng, 21, was found to be unconscious at about 5.11 pm on 2 Aug 2011 while participating in a navigation exercise at Ama Keng Training Area at Lim Chu Kang
An SAF medic went on site and tried to resuscitate SCT Ee at about 5.15pm. The serviceman was evacuated via a safety vehicle to the Tengah Air Base Medical Centre and arrived at about 5.39pm where an SAF doctor attended to him. SCT Ee was then sent via an ambulance to the National University Hospital (NUH) at 6.05pm and arrived at 6.32pm. The SAF doctor and medic continued to resuscitate him enroute to the hospital. SCT Ee was pronounced dead at 9.03pm at NUH.
The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the SAF extend their deepest condolences to the family of the late SCT Ee. The SAF is assisting the family in their time of grief and is investigating the incident.
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2 comments:
It's a sad fact but sg is no longer for locals only...
Dear Liu DaDong
The poorly implemented immigration policy has resulted in SG that is less than 2/3s locally born Singaporeans. Eventually, born and bred local Singaporeans would become fewer and fewer at current rates of immigration.
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