SINGAPORE — Performing National Service (NS) duties and pursuing national aspirations for sports excellence do not have to be mutually exclusive, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen in Parliament on Monday (Aug 6).

He was responding to questions tabled by Members of Parliament (MPs) over 17-year-old Ben Davis’ application for NS deferment. The teenager is the first Singaporean to sign a deal with English Premier League club Fulham FC in June this year.

Dr Ng said there have been other footballers who have completed their NS as required, and who were talent-spotted for trials in professional leagues overseas.

For example, he cited Saifullah Akbar, and brothers Irfan and Ikhsan Fandi.

Saifullah and Ikhsan, both 19, had asked to be enlisted early, presumably so that they could complete their NS early to pursue their professional careers, said the minister.

Saifullah will be leaving for his trials with Spanish second division club Tenerife and Ikhsan will be heading to Sporting Braga.

Meanwhile, Irfan Fandi, 20, will be returning to Portugese club Sporting Braga for another trial. 

Dr Ng noted that Saifullah, who just completed his NS on Monday, was reportedly spotted by an Australian club when he was 16 but went ahead to enlist for NS.

Saifullah was also quoted in a recent Straits Times article on how he kept fit during his NS, to which he said it had not been easy because of his vocation as an infantry rifleman. But he told himself that serving in the army was good for his football training as it helped with his strength-building.

Dr Ng said: “For him, it was never a choice that he had to make to not fulfil his NS obligations... He said, I had to train harder but he remained (and) kept a positive attitude. That’s the kind of example we want our young Singaporeans to emulate.”

As for Irfan and Ikhsan, both sons of national football coach Fandi Ahmad, Dr Ng said both of them played for the Under-22 national team during last year’s South-east Asian (SEA) Games and were supported by the Singapore Armed Forces and Home Team. Both of them are now playing for the Young Lions in the Singapore Premier League and are representing Singapore in regional football competitions.

Likewise, at the SEA Games in 2015 and last year, Mindef had supported athletes in both team and individual sports by adjusting their enlistment dates so that they can participate in the games first. Those who were already enlisted were given time off to train as well, said Dr Ng.

Mindef has also offered disruptions to full-time national servicemen competing in the regional games but very few have chosen to disrupt, noted Dr Ng, adding that it was “perhaps because they are able to train adequately in the Singapore Armed Forces”.

Also speaking in Parliament, Minister of Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu said as male athletes progress, the ministry will have to consider the timing of their NS. This includes how the two-year commitment will affect the athlete, the individual’s potential and motivation, the training and development plan and how the athlete is being developed progressively to achieve personal bests and breakthrough performances.

“The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) is prepared to support NS deferment applications by sporting talents, who have consistently demonstrated the potential to succeed at the highest levels of competition, to serve Singapore’s interests, and have provided a definitive commitment to return to serve NS,” said Ms Fu.

In Olympic swimmer Joseph Schooling’s case, he was originally granted deferment from 2013 to 2016 to train for the Rio Olympic Games in 2016. After winning a gold medal and meeting the agreed milestone target, Mindef extended his deferment to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on the recommendation of MCCY, she said.

As Mindef also accommodates the national athletes’ training requirement, she added that “NS deferment is not the only avenue for supporting the development of our young male athletes”.

Ms Fu also clarified that her ministry shares Singaporeans’ aspirations for excellence in sports, and does not favour individual sports over team sports.

“For team sports, we have to adopt a whole-team development strategy…  For example, we look at the robustness of the National Sports Association’s development plans for the team, whether there is a clear target of a Major Games competition in sight and the plans to achieve this, as well as the individual athlete’s role and potential contribution to the national team,” she said.

“If there are sporting talents who are part of this squad, and who demonstrate commitment to represent Singapore and serve NS, MCCY is prepared to work with Mindef to evaluate NS deferment applications, or training privileges during NS so that the enlisted athletes can train together with the rest of the squad,” she added.

Responding to a supplementary question by MP Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio GRC) on whether deferment can be considered for other areas, such as the performing arts, Dr Ng said that Mindef has granted deferments to musicians and others for academic reasons.

“It’s not a science… the key considerations (are) how we maintain equity for all NS men and for national security,” he added.