NS - Is it necessary?

Conscription or Conviction??

Article: Give up citizenship? Brothers must do NS first
From: http://newslink.asiaone.com/user/OrderArticleRequest.action?order=&_sourcePage=%2FWEB-INF%2Fjsp%2Fuser%2Fsearch_type_result.jsp&month=08&year=2008&date=25&docLanguage=en&documentId=nica_ST_2008_9793287

This article is about 3 brothers, born to a Norwegian father and a Singaporean mother, wanting to renounce their Singaporean citizenship. However the Ministry of Defence has rejected their application of exemption, because they have not served NS yet. The three brothers left Singapore when each turned 18, after their O Levels and just before they were called up for NS. They were sent enlistment letters by the Ministry but in turn, each brother ignored the call-up. They are seen as NS defaulters and are unable to return to Singapore to visit their parents because they would be arrested on arrival. As such, they are trying very hard to renounce their citizenship, which has not been successful.

The Ministry of Defence director of public affairs, Colonel Darius Lim said: "Only persons who have emigrated at a very young age together with their families, and who have not enjoyed the privileges of Singapore citizenship, will be allowed to renounce their Singapore citizenships without serving national service." The three brothers are Singapore citizens and are thus obligated to serve NS and they can give up their Singapore passport only after they have done so.

The issue of NS in Singapore has always been a very complicated one. There are many issues and controversies, like the one in the article. NS is the enlistment of male citizens at the age of 18 to serve in the army for 2 years and train into able-bodied soldiers. They are expected to answer re-service call-ups in the future.

Many people find NS a waste of time. The two years that they “lose” are very important to them as they want to develop their careers and educations overseas. However their chance to upgrade themselves has gone down the drain due to NS, which is compulsory for all male citizens. They find it very unfair when they compare it to their overseas counterparts, who do not need to serve in the army. As such these people can have a head start in their careers and our “soldiers-wannabe-graduates” find it hard to swallow.

Some think it as a hazard to their own lives. Many accidents have happened throughout the history of NS. Tales of trainees fainting under the hellish torments of the sadistic instructors have spread in the whole nation. Even a ten-year-old kid knows that NS equates to hell. Our young men fear NS, they dread their 18^th birthdays, because they know of the sheer pressure they are going to undergo.

As such, many have tried to escape this conscription, by moving overseas and renouncing their citizenships. Whether or not they “succeed” is not an issue. The issue lies in the attitude our Singaporeans have.

Referring to the article, although the three brothers claimed they did not deliberately want to escape NS, they should not have held dual citizenships in the first place. By doing so, they are just treating Singapore as a stepping stone to excellence. All Singaporean citizens are given the same privileges, the Norwegian brothers enjoyed top class education and services and held our very convenient red passport. All of our Singapore boys served NS, and the brothers should not be an exception.

This trend of escapism is on the rise. In my opinion, the best way to stamp it out would be through education. The government should educate the boys that NS is not a waste on time; it is in fact influential in our country’s growth. It is of utmost importance to emphasize that NS is the only way to defend our small country, because outsourcing is too risky and unreliable. NS should not be replaced by mercenary forces. Mercenaries are too expensive to hire. They are motivated by private monetary gains, and are not fighting for the people. Also, history has shown that they cannot stay firm on their ground in the frontlines when battles turned ugly and resources grew thin. Thus, Singapore cannot afford both the high cost and the risk involved. It is thus necessary to keep NS.

Another effective measure is to increase the fines and penalties awarded to NS defaults. This would teach the defaults an painfully unforgettable lesson and would serve as a strong public warning for future generations of enlistees. Any consideration of intentionally escaping NS would be dashed immediately.

Singapore is our country, we should defend it ourselves. Remember in 1942, during World War Two, we relied on British forces and did not have a proper military. We fell to the Japanese in the blink of an eye. We should not let history repeat itself; treat NS seriously.

Blogging about Democracy

Can democracy bring stability to a society?

Democracy is a term commonly used to describe an ideal which promises to bring peace, prosperity and happiness to the citizens of a society. A democracy is a system in which the government is somewhat run by the people. But can it really bring stability to a society?

In this commentary, stability largely refers to social and economic stability only as stability is a vast concept which cannot be grappled fully and discussed easily.

I agree that democracy can bring stability to a certain extent. I feel that the degree of stability democracy can bring to a society depends on how the people respond to a certain measure, how educated they are etc. Generally it depends on the type of society itself.

It is of utmost importance to first define the criterias of democracy-what exactly constitutes democracy. Democracy allows freedom of expression from the media, the government and more importantly the citizens. It involves equal distribution of political power to the people, allowing them to have equal rights to influence the government’s decision-makings. A democracy also has a law which is formed on the consensus of the citizens and the government.

Freedom of expression in a democracy allows the preservation of everyone’s human rights. Preservation of human rights is very essential of a society nowadays, as seen from the recent outrage in Tibet where China stamped out its connection to the outside world and oppressed all expression of views from the people. This goes to show that if a society does not give everyone their deserved human rights, there would be no peace and harmony. On the other hand, democracy ensures these rights for the people, thus resulting in social stability. Also, with the citizens free to express their opinions, the government can gather valuable feedback and thus improve on the conditions of the society, bringing on great overall stability to it.

However, freedom of expression does not necessarily bring on stability. It may even destabilize the society. Owing to human nature, when many differing opinions clash together, it would result in sparks flying, and verbal fights would break out nationwide. A good example would be young and democratic Singapore in the 1960s. Free speech was allowed, resulting in many disagreements which fatally led on to riots. This would result in social instability, with everybody physically fighting and dead or injured bodies lying around in the streets. The internal conflicts would scare away potential overseas investors and thus economic would come to a standstill.

Equal distribution of political involvement for the citizens via voting, referendum etc, can stabilize the society. This is because the people can influence the government. The society will be run based on what the people want. Also, the government officials are well aware of the possibility of being voted out of office, thus they try to improve themselves to serve the population body better. This can bring on great stability to the society.

On the flip side, equal distribution of political involvement may result in a majority against minority scenario. This will result in tyranny. The minority will always lose out in terms of number of votes, thus will not be represented in the government. This will result in an outcry and unstable social stability. Also, we assume that human nature is “good”, and that they would not vote for absolutely absurd choices, like promoting racism etc. The citizens may not vote for the “correct” choice and the society would land in chaos.

Every democracy has a law which all must abide by. This will largely result in a socially stable condition.

In conclusion, democracy can bring stability to a society only if the various factors come together – well informed, educated and good natured citizens. If not, democracy would do little to aid in a society’s growth, and may even destabilize it for the worse.

Teens Social Misbehaviours Scars our Society

Teens' Wild Nights Out

Article taken from http://newslink.asiaone.com/user/OrderArticleRequest.action?order=&_sourcePage=%2FWEB-INF%2Fjsp%2Fuser%2Fsearch_type_result.jsp&month=12&year=2007&date=16&docLanguage=en&documentId=nica_ST_2007_7695697

This article is reporting on the trends of teens nowadays, how they while away the nights aimlessly and wastefully with their friends at parties. It is reported that the teens smoke, use drugs and get into messy affairs.

This article is dated a few months back, and it is still prevalent among teenagers. I feel that this topic is very relevant to all of us, the children, and the parents. I myself have friends who go partying almost once every three days. I witnessed his deterioration in behaviour after going to this late night parties.

It is necessary to examine closely why Singapore teens choose to betray their parents’ trust and are attracted to such “clandestine operations” which are bad for their heart and soul, because they are our future. I personally feel that teenagers chose this path because of many factors.

Firstly, academic stress. Education nowadays has taken the front seat in our society. The teenagers are piled up with so much homework that they do not have any leisure activities. In order to relieve oneself, they choose to party wildly at night.

There is also the factor of peer pressure. The bad eggs of the student population would have started the parties, and would have taunted the others to join them “in the fun” too. As time goes by, almost all would have been polluted by the wrong mindset.

Lastly, personal satisfaction. Teens have big egos. They simply like the thrill of telling their parents a lie and then sneak out of their radar. They simply enjoy being untied out of their mother’s apron strings. They simply love the risk of getting caught. These “success” bring them satisfaction, and spur them on.

Some of the teens say that they should be allowed to party wild because they know how to control themselves. I beg to differ. Although I myself am a teenager, I feel that we still cannot control our emotions and actions properly. If we lose control, there will be serious consequences.

From the article, Mr Gn said that a teenager cannot be stopped from being a teenager, stating that it is a defiant phase. His view point is that no matter what, teens cannot be controlled, and will always stray toward the bad path. I beg to differ. I feel that the defiant phase can be greatly minimized. Parents play an integral part in a teenager’s puberty stages, where the “defiance” starts kicking in. They can be more open towards their child and help them relieve their stress just by being their confidante. Also, giving the child freedom to a controllable extent and encouraging them to take up a healthy hobby can divert them away from the “school camps” or “friend’s gathering”.

Although this trend has rocketed to a high rate among teenagers, I do not believe that this situation is hopeless. For example, secondary schools have arranged seminar talks with parents, educating them how to communicate effectively with their children. Whatever it is, Singapore must stop this society-scarring trend as soon as possible. Less innocent souls will wander off to the path of evil. That is, if action is taken now.

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