NS for Singaporeans, Jobs for Foreigners

NS rumblings on the rise
By: SEAH CHIANG NEE

SINGAPORE will become a very changed nation in 20 years, its leaders say, but one thing that is likely to stay is its compulsory national service.

After 40 years, however, this strategy of a trained citizens’ army to defend itself is facing pressures from several fronts, the biggest being its sharply declining population.

Year after year, lower birth rates have reduced the number of 18-year-old men who can be called up for the two-year military service and, subsequently, 10 years of reservist duty.

And with the prospering economy another dilemma has arisen: the shrinking land area that can be put to military use and for training.

The government still regards the well-crafted national service (NS) as crucial for Singapore’s survival; after all it raised a 300,000-strong reservist army. The small population does not allow Singapore to have a large standing army beyond its present size of 20,000-strong.

When it was launched in 1967, the country was a pale shadow of its current self. Nevertheless, its birth rate was 55,500, which promised a credible supply of servicemen, compared with only 35,000 today.

The depletion is aggravated by hundreds of service-age youths migrating, something that hardly happened before.

Besides, Singapore’s economy – unlike the past – has become harshly competitive and global, with employers demanding work commitment from their workers.

The numbers game is ironical. When national service began in 1967, the population was only 1.98mil (2006: 4.5mil), but the increase mainly came from foreigners, who don’t have to serve.

So far, the majority of Singaporeans have grudgingly accepted national service as a necessary evil.

A minority is, however, voicing discontent about losing out to foreign workers in cases where employers are unwilling to put up with their “disruptive” annual reservist duty.

In the broader picture, some Singaporeans also charge that Singapore’s S$10.6bil (RM24.3bil) defence budget – or 5% of GDP – is excessive when the economic gap is widening and the poor needs a lot more help.

This has prompted Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, flanked by four ministers, to meet 400 community leaders recently in an attempt to dispel public disquiet over military spending.

Defence minister Teo Chee Hean said that S$1 out of every S$3 of government expenditure goes to defence, but given Singapore’s huge economy and assets, it is worth spending.

National service remains a sensitive subject and the government doesn’t look kindly at people who undermine it, but unlike the past, the new generation is becoming more vocal against “unfair” implementation.

For example, a grassroots leader wanted to know why the small army should have more than 20 generals, saying that “having fewer generals around” would be a start to reducing spending.

Military service works this way: At 18 all youths have to report for a two-year stint, followed by 10 years of reservist duty, potentially frontline troops in the event of war.

The reservists are recalled for annual in-camp training or military exercises which last one or two weeks.

The government has done much to recognise the sacrifice of NS men, giving perks that range from tax incentives to higher savings top-ups and fee discounts.

The civil service also offers a slightly higher salary scale for employees who have completed their service.

With Singaporeans facing growing competition from foreign workers, however, national service has become a strain when bosses pass them over in favour of permanent residents (PRs) because of their “cumbersome” reservist duties.

Singaporean employers who have gone through it are generally more ready to employ reservists, but foreign companies often feel no such responsibility.

They often turn away locals who are still doing reservist duty, preferring to hire foreigners or PRs, who are free of the obligation.

An average of 30,000 foreigners (2006: 57,000) and PRs are accepted every year, and they are not required to serve military service.

This anomaly is causing rumblings among NS men who feel – quite rightly – that the system reduces their ability to compete in the workplace.

Recently, a fresh Singaporean 26-year-old graduate related his interview at a foreign-owned fabrication plant here.

The first question the Taiwanese manager asked him was: “I see you are a Singaporean. Do you need to go back to serve NS every year?”

When he replied that he had to report back for in-camp training every year, the manager reacted negatively, observing that reservists who failed fitness tests would need to train until they passed.

He also mentioned frequent absence of employees who had to attend occasional military meetings, which disrupted workflow.

“If every Singaporean needs to do all this, then I’d rather not hire you all then. Every year you all have to take long periods of absence for NS and no work is done,” he added.

The Singaporean didn’t get the job.

“Singaporean males are going to suffer from this influx of foreign talents. We don’t have an even ground to compete on!” he complained.

The government appealed to employers not to discriminate against reservists, but it in many cases, it has fallen on deaf ears.

The logic of appeals borders on the absurd, remarked a blogger.

“Why should a business entity which has to earn a profit for shareholders support an obligation imposed on Singaporean males?”

The answer is obvious: “Security guarantees its own stable existence,” but it’s not always evident in their business annals.

Related links:
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST NS SERVING SINGAPOREANS! - Seah Chiang Nee was referring to this incident reported first on Hardwarezone forum.