National Service (Part 1) : Introduction

Loathe it or love it, National Service is here to stay. It seems that most Singaporeans accept NS as a necessary rite of passage. When NS was first introduced in 1967 its primary purpose was the defence of the country.  But today, there has been a significant shift in perceptions with many people no longer seeing NS primarily as a pillar of national defence.  Grabbing the headlines, these revelations were part of a recent survey commissioned by the government to find out what NS really means to Singaporeans.
So what is NS? How necessary is it for the defence of the country or is it now a rite of passage that is really just a glorified boot camp? The survey revealed that while defence remains important, many Singaporeans also now recognize the peripheral roles of NS. The Institute of Policy Studies quizzed 1,251 people on what NS means to them and concluded that the results show that NS has become a ‘social edifice’. This has led critics to argue that NS is therefore little more than an expensive  two-year enrichment, character development course that costs 20 per cent of the national budget . It is no secret that Singapore has the biggest defence budget in SEA. After Israel,  Singapore  spends more money per capital on defence than any other country in the world.
The survey also asked about conscripting women into the NS  – a subject which has been hotly debated over the years.  Women are exempt and are only admitted on a voluntary basis. But is this fair in today’s society when 36% of women surveyed said they   would be happy to do NS in a professional role such as nurses/doctors? Those in favour of women doing  NS argue that women are no less patriotic than men and it’s important they understand what the men go through. Israel conscripts women, why not Singapore?
The survey also raised concerns about employment issues. Two in five NSmen worried that employers would rather hire workers free from NS obligations and believe NSmen are disadvantaged.  But while many companies were very supportive of NS there are some who feel it is a drain on their resources and some even try to avoid hiring NSmen altogether.
National Service remains controversial today and no less so when young NS lose their lives due to training accidents. This frequently provokes outcries that NS is unsafe and should be scrapped.
Host: Kenneth Liang
Speakers : Elango Subramaniam, Eugene Heng, Gabriel Tan, Chan Yien Qing, Bryan Kwa, Dr. Tan Een Ser, Leonard Lin, Javier Lim, Shun Li
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