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National service is as much about the risks and the building of trust

I refer to the commentary piece by Mr Ho Shu Huang, “When it comes to defence, short-term thinking could be fatal” (March 18)

I refer to the commentary piece by Mr Ho Shu Huang, “When it comes to defence, short-term thinking could be fatal” (March 18)

As he points out, Singapore’s National Service (NS) policy has been occasionally criticised as exerting a cost to the individual, in terms of impeding individual aspirations, hindering careers and impacting business bottomlines because of the time and energy it takes away from these pursuits.

What are perhaps the missing ingredients from the opinion piece are two items.

First, the mention of the nation-building component of NS, and second, that it is time to recognise more the tremendous risks that every serviceman (and his family) undertake in serving NS.

The role of NS in nation-building is crucial. In the now-immortalised words of the late Dr Goh Keng Swee, said during his parliamentary speech on the National Service (Amendment) Act in March 1967: “There is another aspect to our defence effort. This is a contribution it can make to nation-building… Nothing creates loyalty and national consciousness more speedily and more thoroughly than participation in defence and membership of the armed forces.”

In October 2013, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said in a speech at a Home Team awards ceremony that NS plays a pivotal role in nation-building and provides the foundation for economic growth and a strong, cohesive society.

It is unlikely that the term “security” is understood differently now from when it was first referred to at the inception of the NS policy.

Security is not simply a matter of having high walls and effective weapons to keep invaders out. It is also much to do with trust, in particular, trusting the fellow servicemen who stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you.

When a serviceman serves NS, he takes on the risk of losing life and limb, whether he is in the Singapore Civil Defence Force, the Singapore Armed Forces or the Singapore Police Force. His family risks losing him from one unfortunate incident, be it in operations or in training.

The reward for taking the risks of NS is the recognition that you have made a commitment to serve the country.

Those who are not required to serve NS for medical reasons, but decide to serve anyway, are also recognised. They have decided that they want to be included in defending Singapore and they have been entrusted with the duty.

In defending not just the country’s NS policy but Singapore today, the key is to keep NS as a rite of passage that binds Singaporeans and builds the nation. This is crucial to the country’s survival.

Ultimately, what gives the greatest security is not simply that I have a rifle to aim at the enemy but that, as I raise that rifle, I know I am not alone in raising it.

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