AUG 7 — Singapore came into being in 1965 amid a period of great uncertainty and against a backdrop of conflicts such as the Indonesian Confrontation and Communist insurgency. Despite its difficult beginning, Singapore has undergone major transformations.
Underpinning these 50 years of development is an institution that secured the space for Singapore’s phenomenal growth to take place. This institution is our National Service.
In 1967, then Defence Minister Goh Keng Swee justified the government’s decision to introduce compulsory conscription of male youths on the grounds of establishing a credible defence force and nation-building for Singapore. It would provide a strong deterrent to potential aggressors, defend Singapore’s sovereignty and protect our way of life.
Notwithstanding its success today, Singapore faces an increasingly uncertain future, fraught with challenges, both global and domestic. New threats are emerging — from Al Qaeda to Jemaah Islamiah to the Islamic State. At the same time, we are beginning to see a new generation of Singaporeans who have not lived through the early years of independence, for whom the meaning of NS no longer seems as relevant today.
National Service can no longer continue to be defined narrowly and simply as forced conscription into military service. We must re-examine its purpose and adapt to the new context that is emerging.
In recent years, our NS institution has come under the media spotlight because of changing demography and social landscape. Rising public expectations, higher educational levels and a mobile workforce in a global economy have all contributed to the pressure on our NSmen.
They put a strain on those who have to cope with the demands of work and family, and serving the nation at the same time.
Today, NS is at a point of inflexion. No longer is the same historical narrative compelling enough to move the hearts and minds of our people to make sacrifices. At the same time, however, a new trend is emerging. An increasing number of people, many recent immigrants, are stepping up to volunteer their service and to contribute to NS.
They are not so much informed by the past, but rather by what Singapore has made possible for them. Many were not born in Singapore. They have come in search of a better place for themselves and their families. Singapore gave them the opportunity to build a better life.
Not too long ago, I was asked if I could make time to be part of an interview panel for the SAF Volunteer Corps (SAFVC). I agreed but was not expecting the interviews to throw up any interesting insights. I was wrong.
The applicants showed me what I had never expected — their eagerness to make sacrifices for Singapore and to serve the country. Many of them felt it was their duty to do NS although they are legally not required to.
Let me give a few examples:
A senior executive from a multinational company based in Singapore recently applied to join the SAFVC. He wanted to “pay back” to Singapore for providing a better future for him and his family.
A 40-plus-year-old new citizen from Malaysia also applied to join the SAFVC. He owns and runs a local information technology company with a few employees. He was prepared to undergo weeks of military training and be deployed alongside 19- and 20-year-old full-time national servicemen.
A 31-year-old female volunteer who became a new citizen eight years ago came for the SAFVC interview. She was from Shanghai. She wanted an opportunity to serve and experience NS, which she had heard so much about.
Future of National Service
Singapore has arrived. By any measure, it has outperformed many economies in the past 50 years. However, its concept of National Service remains largely limited to military capabilities.
Ultimately, our young people hold the key to the future of this island-state. Because they are born in a different millennium, they are informed by different contexts. Their views of the world are shaped by technology and globalisation.
The NS of the future will be one where there is a strong focus on harnessing NSmen’s individual talents, skills and qualifications. These will be taken into consideration when they are being deployed.
With advancement in modern weapons and command-and-control systems, the nature of warfare will shift. Technologies will be used to free up NSmen from mundane tasks and enable them to perform roles with greater impact.
The size of NS units will be different in future — smaller in terms of personnel, but reinforced with state-of-the-art defence technologies.
With increasing uncertainty in the future, the style of leadership in our military institutions will evolve into a more enlightened model. We will balance the inherent top-down, “authority-centric” command and control style with one based on principles of servant leadership.
The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve and to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. Our servant-leaders can transform and nurture our NS institution to attract people to choose to serve.
More than ever, we need empathy in our society. Empathy is what will hold us together in spite of our differences. National Service is a strong institution for nation-building.
We must nurture this institution.
To do so, we must come together as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion. National Service can drive positive change in our society by being the socio-emotional glue that holds our different communities together.
A strong and united citizenry, imbued with the virtues of NS, is vital if Singapore were to keep prospering in the next 50 years.
A strong defence force is the only guarantee of sovereignty and self-government. No other sovereign state will take Singapore seriously if we are seen to be weak. And if we are weak, we as a nation would have lost our way and our ability to secure the future for our children. — TODAY
* Seah Chin Siong is the CEO of Singapore Pools. For his contribution to national service, he was awarded the SAF NSMan of the Year in 2008. He also received the Commendation Medal (Military) and Long Service Medal (Military) National Day Awards in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
This commentary is adapted from a longer piece in Beyond 50: Re-imagining Singapore, a book of essays by different authors on the country’s future challenges and opportunities. The publication, which is available both in print and online, is supported by the SG50 Celebration Fund.
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
