SINGAPORE: If accepted, recommendations put forward by the Committee to Strengthen National Service (CSNS) will cost the Government about S$4.5 billion over the next decade.
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, who is also chairman of the committee, revealed this in Parliament on Thursday (May 29) during the debate on the President's Address charting out the Government's agenda for the second half of its term.
Some of the proposals that have been submitted to the Government include:
Dr Ng said the proposals "strike the right balance in responding to the needs of national servicemen and allowing them to contribute more as national servicemen and volunteers"."
- Shortening the wait time for pre-enlistees before enlistment
- Allowing women, first-generation PRs and new citizens to serve in a volunteer corps
- More financial incentives for NSmen
- Giving NSmen more time to prepare for the IPPT
- Enhancing housing as well as medical benefits for NS-Men
- Accreditation of the skills learnt during Full-time NS"
S$4.5B over the next 10-year! Wow!! HOW do we ever come to this stage of having to GIVE $$$$ to 'incentivise' our NSmen?
Lessons for me are:
1. HOW do we come up with the $4.5B? Do we have a breakdown of the top 20% of the suggestions that make up 80% of the S$4.5B?;
2. WHY do we have to 'incentivise' the NSmen? Isn't protecting their families and homes from being invaded and taken over by 'enemies', whoever they may be, ENOUGH for them to be in NS? OR these are NECESSARY because they FOUND OUT that the FOREIGN MALEs of similar age, especially the Reservists, are GETTING A LOT MORE from them?
IF SO, it ONLY make sense to 'incentivise' our NSmen IF the FOREIGN MALEs are brining in MORE than that cost of these 'incentives'! Yes?;
3. I can IMMEDIATELY see a FEW pluses and minuses from the suggestions:
a) +: shorter waiting time for enlistment means PRECIOUS TIME save from the YOUNG recruits! Did we include this SAVING? Notes: I am NOT sure what took MINDEF and the 'sweating commanders' so long to see this benefit?;
b) -: longer time to pass IPPT, especially for the Reservists. Reason: if they are fit while in active NS, they should be encouraged to continue to keep fit (now with the activeSG initiative and all the focus on keeping a healthy lifestyle, etc in Singapore, they have a better chance of staying fit) instead of letting them 'extra time' to pass IPPT. If it is worth doing, it is worth doing RIGHT and QUICKLY!
4. Volunteer Corp
I like to KNOW how much of the S$4.5B will be spent on this item. I am sure many other Singaporeans want to know too.
5. Housing and medical benefits
For housing, since a person with a S$1000/mth pay can afford to live in a 1- or 2-room HBD flat with his family. It puzzled me WHY housing benefits need to be given to the NSmen. Maybe they DON'T get paid too much to start with in their jobs?
For medical benefits, if the medical healthcare insurance is adequate, it SHOULD NOT be a concern for the State. Unless, again, our medical insurance is inadequate or the premium are so expensive that the NSmen cannot afford it?
It is worrying that the government is opening up its cheque book so generously in recent years, especially since GE2011 when it used to be very tightfisted. What is going on? Or are we facing high inflation that everything we do or try to do cost multi-million? e.g. S$50m for the Taxi Terminal or Stand or Ramp at T1? Now this S$4.5B for recruit of 20,000/year?
This is especially so when to defend one's homes and families should need no incentivising. No? Or maybe it is NO LONGER worth fighting unless Singaporean NSmen are paid 'adequately'????
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