SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) could not find any valid grounds to grant Fulham footballer Ben Davis' application to defer National Service(NS), Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Monday (Aug 6) as he pointed out that the teenager and his family gave “no commitment to serve Singapore or our national interests”.

"To grant deferment to Mr Ben Davis to pursue his personal development and professional career would be unfair to the many others who have served their NS dutifully as required, and not at a time of their choosing," Dr Ng told Parliament, which reconvened on Monday.

He added: "To preserve equity for all national servicemen, Mindef will only defer individuals very selectively if their deferment serves Singapore’s interest first and foremost, never their own. This was the only basis to defer three sportsmen, swimmers Joseph Schooling and Quah Zheng Wen, and sailor Maximilian Soh, from NS so that they could train and compete in the Olympics."

Dr Ng was addressing questions tabled by Members of Parliament (MPs) over the 17-year-old’s deferment application. In total, six MPs filed questions related to the issue. They wanted to know if Mindef would review its criteria for NS deferment for sporting talent in light of more young Singaporeans making their mark at regional and international levels, and whether different criteria are used for athletes in individual and team sports.

Since making headlines last month, Ben’s case has triggered a spirited discussion among Singaporeans. As of Monday evening, an online petition to Mindef supporting his NS deferment has drawn more than 21,200 signatures.

In June, Ben inked a two-year professional contract with Fulham football club, which was recently promoted to the Premier League. The teenager, who was born in Thailand, received his Singaporean citizenship in 2009 and competed last year in the Asean Football Federation U-18 Championships and the Asian Football Confederation U-19 Championships. His father had told TODAY that the family is prepared to allow him to give up his Singaporean citizenship in order to fulfil his footballing dreams.

Explaining the broad principles behind Singapore's NS policy, Dr Ng stressed in Parliament that deferment could not be granted to advance the interests of an individual, no matter how talented, "even if it vicariously brings credit or fame to Singapore".

Quoting from a High Court written judgement last year spelling out the reasons for more stringent sentencing benchmarks for NS defaulters, Dr Ng said: "In practical terms, what the three fundamental principles of national security, universality and equity mean is that in order to ensure Singapore’s national security, every male Singaporean must serve NS and at the time he is required to under the [Enlistment] Act, without regard to his personal convenience and considerations.

"When a person refuses to serve NS at the time that he is required to and instead returns to serve at a time of his own choosing, or worse, at an age when he can no longer serve, his actions strike at the very core of the principles of national security, universality and equity.”

The minister cited three reasons why Ben Davis' application was rejected: 

* The teenager is playing for Fulham as an English national, not a Singapore citizen.

* Mr Harvey Davis, the footballer's father, has consistently refused to indicate when his son would return to serve NS, if deferred.

*  Mr Harvey Davis had indicated that his son would sign the contract with Fulham - and had done so - even if he was not granted deferment.

After the application was rejected, the minister noted that Mr Davis “went further" and considered letting his son renounce his Singapore citizenship in order to pursue his career.

Dr Ng added: "The application by Mr Harvey Davis for his son’s deferment is to further his son’s professional career first and to the longest extent possible… Singapore and her interests, including his son’s NS obligations, are secondary consideration, if at all.

"There has been no indication, commitment or plans as to how Mr Ben Davis would help football standards in Singapore, if deferred."

The minister noted that Mr Harvey Davis had said the successful deferment would be an inspiration for the students registered with his company Junior Soccer School and League Singapore (JSSL). But the JSSL is a youth football club and academy business run by Mr Davis and “advertises itself as having links to Fulham FC”, Dr Ng pointed out.

When contacted by TODAY, Mr Harvey Davis declined to comment on what Dr Ng told the House. 

Granting the deferment would also erode the basis on which the Singapore courts have upheld the Enlistment Act and punished those for not fulfilling their NS liabilities, said Dr Ng.

Last year, the High Court spelt out new sentencing benchmarks for NS dodgers. Since then, 13 NS defaulters had been prosecuted.

Each had their own reasons for dodging NS – from wanting to complete their university degree first to others who said they had to support their families. Regardless, the courts dismissed these personal reasons, convicted and gave these NS defaulters jail terms, said Dr Ng.

“Because harsh as it is, the Enlistment Act is blind to ‘personal convenience and considerations’, no matter how talented the individual, no matter how exceptional his circumstances. That is the core of the Enlistment Act, the critical national need for a strong defence puts aside personal pursuits and mandates that each liable male performs his NS when required,” he added.

On how Singapore can achieve sporting excellence, including for team sports if NS duties have to be fulfilled, Dr Ng said many talented sportsmen have managed to raise the level of their own skills and the teams they played with while serving NS as required.

Citing three footballers as examples – Saifullah Akbar, Ikhsan and Irfan Fandi – Dr Ng added: “This is a good sign for football in Singapore and talented footballers, Ben Davis included, can emulate the example of Irfan, Saifullah and Ikhsan to complete both their NS duties as required and also advance their professional football careers.”

In the recent South-east Asian Games in 2015 and last year, Mindef supported the athletes who were competing by adjusting enlistment dates and giving them time off to train, he said. The ministry has also offered the NSFs competing in these games the option to disrupt their NS, though few have taken up that option, he added.

“These many examples show that Mindef has exercised flexibility towards sportsmen competing in team sports… But we have done so without transgressing the fundamentals of NS and still maintaining equity for all national servicemen,” said Dr Ng.

Raising supplementary questions, Sembawang GRC MP Lim Wee Kiak and Aljunied GRC MP Pritam Singh asked whether Mindef would allow the application for a deferment in Ben’s case, and in general, if the applicant gives a date when he will return to fulfil his NS obligations. 

Dr Ng said he did not want to discuss hypothetical questions, but reiterated that Mindef has to consider whether national interest is served by granting the application, and it also has to ensure fairness for other men who put aside their own careers to serve NS dutifully. 

“We assess the individual as it is. It is hypothetical indeed, if you are not willing to come back to serve your NS when you are earning a few hundred pounds a week, how am I to believe, or how is Mindef to believe, that you would come back when you are earning many, many times more? So that has to come into consideration,” he added.

He added: “If you come back to serve your NS, it’s your duty… It can never be for personal pursuits, it must be for national interests, first and foremost.”

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