From Mr. Brown...
Like many Singaporeans, NSP is shocked to learn that the PAP is only giving due recognition to present NSmen while ignoring those past NSmen who have contributed to the safety and stability of this country.
It is easy for the ruling party to say that it is not just about the money. However, the exclusion of those NSmen in Mindef Reserve from such rewarding system has hurt their feelings more than the mere $9000 in question.
When the Prime Minister mentioned about this hand out of $9000 to NSmen, many Singaporeans are happy and glad that the PAP has not forgotten of the sacrifices and contributions that Singaporeans have made towards this country. Even though some of us may not get the full amount eventually, but at least it is a token of appreciation by the government that matters.
However, we do not expect the PAP to miss out a whole two or three generations of older male Singaporeans who have completed their full cycle of National Service. This leaves a bitter taste in them and it seems to indicate that once they have passed their “useful” time to the Nation, the PAP will just abandon them aside. Such move betrays the cold, clinical pragmatism of PAP rule. It also makes us wonder whether PAP will abandon all of us when we become old and incapable to contribute to the country in time to come!
Leave no man behind. This is what NSP believes in as what the Officer Cadet Course would teach all leaders of SAF. This is also the mantra of PAP but it just doesn’t really practise what it preaches.
Goh Meng Seng
Secretary General
National Solidarity Party
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
8 comments:
R u sure ? U r saying pple who hv served in the 60s, 70s, 80s wont be getting a single cent, where u get this info frm?
hi mr goh,
i'm sure past NSmen will get something for finishing their 10/13-year old. they would qualify for the 3rd payment, no? help clarify this please.
as for the timing of the payment, it will obviously play on the minds of the next generation of voters, particularly the "dragon babies" (born 1988).
it is my hypothesis that the ruling party has systematically created and changed policies to eventually gain support of the 1988 and post-1988 folks. look at changes in education infrastructure (expansions of schools and single sessions, more university and poly places), but that could be a coincidence when teo chee hean took over lee yock suan.
now with the national service related incentives, it will make operationally ready NSmen in their very early 20s, as well as those currently serving full-time, feel a lot more "grateful".
it still constitutes a vote-buying process, albeit one that does not consider the sacrifices of older NSmen. because i speculate in the next elections, the "dragon babies" will prove to be the larger batch of swing votes, apart from the malay community.
sam
oops. by "i'm sure past NSmen will get something for finishing their 10/13-year old", i'm referring to "10/13-year cycle".
apologies
It is all about demographics my friends. LHL and company have got the data from the registry of birth and from there narrowed their 'targets' to those that would have the biggest impact! Don't forget LHL was from the SAF artillery.
The 'higher' mission of this exercise in 'recognition' of NSmen is of course the coming GE. I would not insult the govt by suggesting that it has not even thought of such an objective and 'payoff'.
Anonymous @ 9:10 AM,
I served National Service from 1984 for two and a half years and went on to serve my 'reservist' liabilities up to my ROD (or ORD as they now call it).
And yes, I do not get a single cent from the recent announcement. Period. But this is not an issue for me, the money announced by LHL as a matter of fact is an insult to our loyalty to my country, totally meaningless.
I used to serve "for my country and my people". The "my people" has a totally different meaning now. It is no longer my fellow Singaporeans anymore.
We risk our lives digging defence foxholes and staying in them for days and nearly got buried alive due to daily heavy rain in the training area with some of the softer grounds giving way to the heavy downpour. And we had incidents of soldiers buried alive during defence exercises.
We have bullets flying over our heads in live firing exercises when we charged up hills during "attack". And there were actually incidents of soldiers killed by live bullets in peace time training.
We marched for 60 kilometers with full battle order to form up for a subsequent attacks, many of whom suffered heat stroke and dehydration along the way. And there were soldiers who died as a result of these injuries.
We have to undergo tough obstacle courses as part of our training and many soldiers were injured as a result of these tough training. And we had incidents where soldier sustained injuries which which they are today still living with these injuries.
There are many training incidents that many of us do not know, from the Army to the Navy to the Air Force. Many soldiers sacrificed their lives as a result of this once 'necessary' tough training. All because we hold dear to our heart a belief that we are doing it to protect our beloved country. Many of these incidents/accidents can be found in the legendary TSR or the Training Safety Regulation. the TSR is written with soldiers blood and sweat, and most importantly, with many soldiers' lost lives.
And now Mr LHL is telling us some of these is valued at $9,000??!!
Poooooi!
Who are we truly protecting now?
The Officer Cadet School used to have a slogan "To Lead We Dare, To Excel We Will, All the Way..." Is this still applicable for the current scenario?
From
A soldier of the 80's
@Sam Ho,
No, once you have completed your cycle before 29 Aug 2010, you are not entitled to anything.
They might change it later though. But at this moment, no, you will get nothing.
Goh Meng Seng
U mean to say LHL has nt calculated this cost politically, doesnt he knw hw mnay spore men he going to anger and thus losing many voyes in the process.
Lau Peng forgotten. But Lau Peng won't forget. Not this one. Not this time.
Goh Meng Seng - you said it right and well. Leave no man behind.
Post a Comment