National Service in Singapore
National service has always been a touchy subject in Singapore. Many say that it causes a lot of unnecessary stress, with people being at 18 (a delicate age with many people deciding what they want to do with their lives, which university to go to and so forth...) and not being mature enough to realise what the defence of a country really means. Singaporeans are not exactly patriotic, and are not known to be the most selfless people in the world. However when the time comes to it, I know that we will rise to the challenge. Thus it is easy to find someone who would say that they couldn't care about learning how to fight for their country and wouldn't take their military training seriously, for they would not go if the time calls for it. However it's hard to say no when your friends and family will be fighting in your stead, similar to the same situation in World War 1 when many enlisted, underaged or unpatriotic, just to fight in the war.
Singapore is living in a period of peace. We have not suffered a major terrorist attack and we try to not get on any country's 'blacklist'. However, as the famous saying goes; "governments have to be successful every time in stop a terrorist attack, terrorists only need to be lucky once". Thus even in such times there is a need to maintain a military strength and it is logical, for a small country surrounded by muslim countries with significant lower GDPs per capita and desired for its geographical location along maritime trading routes, to have its population military trained if anything for the purpose of deterrence. Singapore now has one of the biggest military powers in South East Asia, and guards its trade routes quite strictly, at the expense of 2 years of every male Singaporeans and Permanent Resident's lives.
However there are many things different about National Service that I do not like. Not necessarily the training itself (which I have already complained to a sufficient extent), but the view of it by the civilian society. If your father has served as well, it is not uncommon to see your father complaining about how 'easy' your army life is compared to the time he had before. He would tell you of all the hardships he had to go through, as if the extent of hardship you go through in the army is in direct correlation to your worth as a person. This not only makes the enlistee feel horrible about the job that he does in the military by undermining what he is doing, but it also fails to encourage a sense of pride in his vocation, something that you should at least have by the time that you finish your two years.
Another thing I dislike is the interpretation of military rank in the army compared to the interpretation of military rank in civilian life. Civilians, strangely enough, care more about your rank in the army than army personnel. Rank in the army determines your job scope; what your job is in the army compared to higher and lower ranked personnels and, of course, your pay. Either than that, it is not uncommon to find regulars talking together and enjoying meals together regardless of rank; after all it is a job, and you do not want people to discriminate based on rank when it comes to social matters. However in the civilian world, it is not uncommon to find parents and other older individuals 'obsessing' about their son being of high rank. Meet enough people, and you would find many mothers talking about how their son or cousin is an Officer rather than a Corporal.
Lastly, one thing that all NSFs dislike is when other people tell you that 'two years would pass by very fast'. For them, two years is forever. Think about what you did two years ago, and you would realise that indeed, regardless of how old you are and your perception of time, two years is significantly long. For someone who is forced to go through something that you do not enjoy, it is even longer. However as the time approaches for you to finish your time in the army you will say 'indeed, those days passed by very fast', because it is easy to forget the army; for it is a lot of exercise and disciplinary exercises rather than something mentally stimulating. You probably could remember the time you tried your favourite video game, but do you remember the sensations of the run you did yesterday? Or the time that your mother scolded you for doing something wrong? You probably will try and forget the latter. And that is why people find National Service to be 'short', but only after you have finished it.
For all those out there in the fields right now carrying out operation or trainings:
Thank you for serving your country.
Cheers,
Matthew Tan
Singapore is living in a period of peace. We have not suffered a major terrorist attack and we try to not get on any country's 'blacklist'. However, as the famous saying goes; "governments have to be successful every time in stop a terrorist attack, terrorists only need to be lucky once". Thus even in such times there is a need to maintain a military strength and it is logical, for a small country surrounded by muslim countries with significant lower GDPs per capita and desired for its geographical location along maritime trading routes, to have its population military trained if anything for the purpose of deterrence. Singapore now has one of the biggest military powers in South East Asia, and guards its trade routes quite strictly, at the expense of 2 years of every male Singaporeans and Permanent Resident's lives.
However there are many things different about National Service that I do not like. Not necessarily the training itself (which I have already complained to a sufficient extent), but the view of it by the civilian society. If your father has served as well, it is not uncommon to see your father complaining about how 'easy' your army life is compared to the time he had before. He would tell you of all the hardships he had to go through, as if the extent of hardship you go through in the army is in direct correlation to your worth as a person. This not only makes the enlistee feel horrible about the job that he does in the military by undermining what he is doing, but it also fails to encourage a sense of pride in his vocation, something that you should at least have by the time that you finish your two years.
Another thing I dislike is the interpretation of military rank in the army compared to the interpretation of military rank in civilian life. Civilians, strangely enough, care more about your rank in the army than army personnel. Rank in the army determines your job scope; what your job is in the army compared to higher and lower ranked personnels and, of course, your pay. Either than that, it is not uncommon to find regulars talking together and enjoying meals together regardless of rank; after all it is a job, and you do not want people to discriminate based on rank when it comes to social matters. However in the civilian world, it is not uncommon to find parents and other older individuals 'obsessing' about their son being of high rank. Meet enough people, and you would find many mothers talking about how their son or cousin is an Officer rather than a Corporal.
Lastly, one thing that all NSFs dislike is when other people tell you that 'two years would pass by very fast'. For them, two years is forever. Think about what you did two years ago, and you would realise that indeed, regardless of how old you are and your perception of time, two years is significantly long. For someone who is forced to go through something that you do not enjoy, it is even longer. However as the time approaches for you to finish your time in the army you will say 'indeed, those days passed by very fast', because it is easy to forget the army; for it is a lot of exercise and disciplinary exercises rather than something mentally stimulating. You probably could remember the time you tried your favourite video game, but do you remember the sensations of the run you did yesterday? Or the time that your mother scolded you for doing something wrong? You probably will try and forget the latter. And that is why people find National Service to be 'short', but only after you have finished it.
For all those out there in the fields right now carrying out operation or trainings:
Thank you for serving your country.
Cheers,
Matthew Tan
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