Military Life: Memoirs of a Conscript in the Lion City

Dear Liu DaDong The poorly implemented immigratio...

2011-08-14T22:47:04.030-07:00

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.

It's a sad fact but sg is no longer for locals...

2011-08-03T08:08:19.334-07:00

It's a sad fact but sg is no longer for locals only...

Hi Moses said so Thanks for reading my post. It w...

2011-06-15T17:51:23.973-07:00

Hi Moses said so

Thanks for reading my post. It was written in 2007. I've since reached Mindef Reserve status after completing 10 cycles of annual ICT/IPPT/recall manning etc.

Waiting for my official demobilisation letter since I'm a CPL (Local/3SG) and hit 40 years already :-)

Majulah Singapura.

I'm an unwilling NSF and I just happened to ch...

2011-06-15T02:49:52.309-07:00

I'm an unwilling NSF and I just happened to chance upon your post. Your tips really do brighten up gloomy book-in days or coming 'hell weeks'. Thanks for sharing :)

I'm an unwilling NSF and I happened to chance ...

2011-06-15T02:48:42.479-07:00

I'm an unwilling NSF and I happened to chance upon this post. Your tips really do help brighten up the dull book-in days or 'hell' week periods. Thanks for sharing :)

Whether intentionally dumbing down or not as a mat...

2011-04-26T01:04:09.248-07:00

Whether intentionally dumbing down or not as a matter of fact we are now leaving in a century whereby people expect elite able people to run the GE. So pls when you are up standing on the platform show respect to the audience and most importantly show justice to PAP whom you are campaigning for period.

What caught me was his opening line: "Since I...

2011-04-24T00:30:28.913-07:00

What caught me was his opening line: "Since I stand between you and the SecGen ..." How arrogant, we have to pass through him first, he says!
The rest is typical of people who are used to "pulling rank": He tries very hard to pass himself as one of you but betrays himself in doing so.

Just came across this piece - giving a different t...

2011-04-23T09:01:03.990-07:00

Just came across this piece - giving a different take on why LanFang republic fell. http://singaporeelection.blogspot.com/2011/04/wake-up-chan-chun-sing.html

I've heard him speak before to higher-up guys ...

2011-04-19T08:19:07.547-07:00

I've heard him speak before to higher-up guys in the military. His tone is similar but he definitely had his grammar right back then. I think he dumbed it down.

Sorry ha, we at the
Speak Good Singlish Movement humblely disagree with you. Please dun sabo our biggest chance in Parliament yet. We need this man to go in and help us spread the joy. HUAT AH!

Dear Muhammad Thanks for the correction. Majulah...

2011-04-18T23:02:49.699-07:00

Dear Muhammad

Thanks for the correction.

Majulah Singapura. :-)

I totally agree with your observations blogger. A...

2011-04-18T23:01:07.891-07:00

I totally agree with your observations blogger.

Aiyo, people please lah . Aren't you guys having too low expectations or standard of measure? Shouldn't one already speak decent English just having completed 'O' level?

It's Majulah with just one L. Majulah Singap...

2011-04-18T22:31:58.557-07:00

It's Majulah with just one L.

Majulah Singapura!

Maybe because when you are studying in US/UK, 99.9...

2011-04-18T22:11:22.870-07:00

Maybe because when you are studying in US/UK, 99.9% of the people you meet there speak English so you get to practice a lot?

Alternatively, if MG (Ret) Chan can't speak grammatical English after 3-4 years immersion overseas in an English speaking environment, then that perhaps reflects his spoken language ability (or lack thereof).

Majullah Singapura.

but one thing I am confused about ... why must peo...

2011-04-18T21:55:33.833-07:00

but one thing I am confused about ... why must people who studied overseas speak better English? Can that 3 to 4 years of studies in a foreign country overcome whatever "deficits" in a person, and last for a lifetime? I don't think so.

Hi talkingyouwhat I also caught his verb/noun con...

2011-04-18T19:48:01.664-07:00

Hi talkingyouwhat

I also caught his verb/noun confusion. He used vigilance as a verb when the verb form should be vigilant.

There are so many people who can enunciate much better. It's sad that our tax dollars funds President's Scholars who can't speak properly.

Majullah Singapura.

I do not think he is intentionally dumbing down to...

2011-04-18T08:35:06.107-07:00

I do not think he is intentionally dumbing down to connect for the following reasons:
a) his grammar is quite bad, unable to tell verbs from nouns;
b) his enunciation - OMG! Singaporean people are "peepers" and their child is "char".
He and the other Army boy (come on,they BEHAVE like boys!)are supposedly the cream of the crop. Neither of them have the kind of classiness that the departmental heads in my office have. And I am not even talking about "curry smell", their likely pronunciation for charisma.

Dear blueheeler There are also top female civil s...

2011-03-28T19:32:11.797-07:00

Dear blueheeler

There are also top female civil servants that were identified and cultivated as they rose through the ranks in the professional or admin service. So how does NS help these women?

The govt can spend money through other ministries other than SAF/Mindef. $1b savings from Mindef's $13-15b budget can go a long way to help build more infrastructure for disabled, fund social programmes for needy, increase subsidies for healthcare etc. Those would also churn the GDP.

NS as a mandatory conscription is outdated. Germany has ended mandatory conscription. Taiwan plans to do that. I am not asking for an abolishment of NS but a critical re-examination of NS in its current form of discriminatory conscription of male citizens.

Majullah Singapura.

The armed forces spend a lot of money, but they al...

2011-03-27T23:30:03.135-07:00

The armed forces spend a lot of money, but they also generate a lot of income for food suppliers, uniform makers etc. Also, we can't do away with NS, as it is through NS that many of Singapore's Ministers and top civil servants were first identified and then cultivated as they rose through the ranks.

Not fair to Singaporeans. PAP better wake up to th...

2011-03-22T19:57:03.780-07:00

Not fair to Singaporeans. PAP better wake up to this issue.

Dear Siok I am not so much looking down on Dr. Ja...

2011-03-22T17:11:39.011-07:00

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.

Don’t look down on Jarnail. I am sure that he wil...

2011-03-22T07:28:44.546-07:00

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

Someone once joked that Temasek Holdings and GIC a...

2011-01-28T03:05:39.642-08:00

Someone once joked that Temasek Holdings and GIC are the true first-line defences of Singapore.

It turns out that it isn't a joke.

I'm not belittling the role of the Army. They are still critical in deterring whatever malicious thoughts our neighbours still bear.

But we youths are thinking that we are serving for nothing.

Your words, raynorgan, will not convince us. We sacrifice for others' benefits, not ours, because we don't really recognise Singapore as our home.

Rayorgan Thanks for your long comment. Your comm...

2011-01-27T23:20:37.850-08:00

Rayorgan

Thanks for your long comment.

Your comment makes a case of the need for a strong SAF. I have no issues with SAF and the need for a strong defence force.

But I have an issue with the way the policy of conscription is being implemented resulting in male citizens being disadvantaged in their own country while trying to compete for jobs, resources and homes with PRs and immigrants to Singapore.

Disagreeing with the way conscription is being implemented doesn't mean I am asking for SAF to be abolished.

I pour disdain on how our current Government enforces a policy that systematically disadvantages me as a male citizen in economic competition.

It is not about the public good nature of defence. It is about how the burden of this public good is being distributed amongst male citizens, female citizens and first generation PRs. That is the issue -- the unfair distribution that lays mostly on the shoulders of male citizens.

If defence is for the economy and not Singaporeans. Will you serve your NS as a conscript when Singapore has 70% PRs and 30% citizens?

After all, you make the point that defence = for economy and not to fight for your fellow citizen.

Majullah Singapura.

Hello, I'm an avid follower of your blog becau...

2011-01-27T22:59:54.221-08:00

Hello, I'm an avid follower of your blog because like youself, I've a keen interest in the National Service (NS) issues here in Singapore. I understand the woes and sentiments that your entries reflect. In a nutshell, they suggest that the time and effort spent and put were not appropriately compensated and the government's policies seemed to be placing Singaporeans in a disadvantageous position.

Like you, I used to have the same thoughts that our jobs are siphoned up by foreigners who parachute in from no where. To make things worse, first generation PRs are exempted from NS.

However, there were some areas of contention which I find it debatable. The impetus of NS came up because as we all know it, Singapore's fragile economy is very much dependable on the performance of major Multi-National Companies (MNCs). Big petrolum companies, the PSA are some of the key pillars that help support our economy.

Without a strong economy, our people suffer; no one gets any jobs. In order to attract foreign investments to Singapore, we need to assure them that Singapore is adequately safe enough for them to invest in us. In so doing, they bring jobs which many of our young job seekers will want to apply for.

And in order to give them that level of security assurance, the SAF is the only solution. That's why Jurong island, one of the key installations, is guarded by the SAF.

That's why when you express disdain that these people 'enjoy the umbrella of our security', I disagree. The security, in a huge sense, is not for Singaporeans, but for the economy. Protecting the economy will ensure that businesses go on as usual and Singaporeans can still keep their jobs.

Without a capable navy, our sea lanes will be compromised by pirates who lurk around the area. Without a competent air force, our air space will pose a danger to airlines who wish to bring tourists to Singapore. Without the army, key installations in Singapore will cripple.

In order to get better MNCs invest in Singapore, we have to open our doors to foreign talent.

If you were an entrepeneur hoping to go into the China market, you will want to place someone you know in key positions, e.g., CEO, COO, CFO. If China makes it difficult for MNCs to plant businesses, they will avoid the place. Economy will suffer and in turn your people.

The demise of LCP Wee is one that can be prevented and it is inappropriate to link it to the foreign talent policies because it diminishes the motivation and spirit of those who want to contribute to Singapore through NS.

There will always be imbalance in the rights and responsibilities of citizens and PRs. We know that there will be people who lose out because of a policy.

There is so much to be lost when all hell breaks loose. Singapore will change progressively through the years. We need to stay together to make sure things improve if not staying status quo, but definitely not divided.