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NS50 gestures are nice, but making service meaningful requires more

Having read reports on how we are marking the 50th anniversary of National Service (NS) this year, I would say the S$100 NS50 vouchers are nice.

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TODAY file photo

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Having read reports on how we are marking the 50th anniversary of National Service (NS) this year, I would say the S$100 NS50 vouchers are nice.

A campaign for the public to salute national servicemen may seem respectful (“S’poreans urged to salute national servicemen as part of NS50”, June 19). And free bus and train rides for servicemen in their uniforms are well-appreciated — albeit somewhat contrived — gestures (“Free bus, train rides on June 30 for all NSmen in uniform”, June 20).

However, to meaningfully celebrate 50 years of NS, these one-off, short-term initiatives should be accompanied by broader policy discussions for the long term, and in particular, to improve the well-being and experiences of full-time national servicemen.

These improvements should be based on direct feedback, not views filtered through the chain of command. Otherwise, these nice and respectful gestures will do little to advance conscription or NS for the next 50 years.

The last time such feedback was sought was between 2013 and 2014, in tandem with the Our Singapore Conversation initiative, when the Committee to Strengthen NS (CSNS) was convened. Since then, the Government has accepted the 30 recommendations, and progressively updated the public on some of its developments.

What is the status of these recommendations? Have the policies achieved their intended impact? And overall, how many recommendations have been rolled out?

While it would appear that most Singaporeans still believe in the need for NS for defence and security, full-time national servicemen and their families shoulder much of the responsibilities of service.

And in this vein, regular check-ins — perhaps even making the consultative process of the CSNS a recurring feature — provide assurance that views are heard and acted upon by the relevant departments.

After all, anchored by the principles of defence and deterrence, NS as an institution is also premised upon the belief that nothing, including our security, should be taken for granted.

Likewise, the attitudes of those who serve at the frontline cannot be taken for granted, too.

Some may likely retort that efforts to enhance the well-being and experiences of soldiers today are not needed, given that they are too mollycoddled and too demanding, and that the conditions of today are already much improved.

Be that as it may, it can also be argued that the opportunity costs of service are comparatively higher vis-a-vis the past, and — more critically — the desire for progress should be celebrated, not shunned. So looking into them would also be a good way to celebrate 50 years of NS.

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