Daily Lessons from Life 29 April 2012 - He volunteered to serve NS

"He volunteered to serve NS - TODAY 29 April 2012

SINGAPORE: He was then a Permanent Resident, but Mr Han Dong voluntarily signed up for National Service (NS), simply because he felt that it was the "natural thing to do".

"It wasn't because I wanted to get citizenship," the 23-year-old National University of Singapore student, who emigrated here with his parents from Hebei, China when he was six, told TODAY.

"We chose to remain as PRs during that period of time. I just didn't see myself as an immigrant because I came here a long time ago."

He obtained citizenship in 2009, while he was serving NS.

And when he was still in junior college, Mr Han got involved in grassroots work.

"It started when I was just trying to fulfil my Community Involvement Programme hours but I found the work very meaningful, and I haven't looked back since."

He added: "Personally, being involved in grassroots work also helped me relate to the Singapore identity more because I could play an active role in shaping how the community is."

Of the People's Association's 31,800 grassroots leaders, 20 per cent are new citizens and permanent residents like him.

The PA's new Integration Council, which was launched on Saturday at the Integration Carnival 2012 at the Singapore Zoo, will coordinate grassroots efforts to get new immigrants integrated with the local community."

Still on the National Integration Council and efforts to quickly help new citizens embrace Singapore values!

It is wonderful to learn of Mr Han's personal experience. We should MAKE him and his journey the National Standard!!

If you want to be in Singapore to make money and earn a good living, BECOME a Citizen as Singapore is the BEST in the world and the reason you are HERE. :-)

Lessons for me are:

1. encourage the volunteering foreigners to become citizens of Singapore since they really feel for the country, the culture, and the values, etc....;

2. for people who serve in the Grassroot Movement, it may even be IMPERATIVE to have them become Singapore Citizens in the SHORTEST qualifying time since they have demonstrated passion and commitment to serve Singapore and Singaporeans! If they do not want to, it is CRITICAL to understand WHY they do not want do since they are so obviously enthusiastic about Singapore!! This will be a RICH source of research data that I mentioned in yesterday blog, I think!;

3. the citizens of Singapore would love to have transparent information of such SUCCESS STORY like Mr Han and many others. So, do publish the informaiton on a regular basis and monitor it. The MOST convincing evidence to persuade ANY DOUBTERS are REAL LIFE 'conversion' cases. Much like in the religious arena where new converts' testimonial and stories are powerful motivational push and pull to get MORE new converts!!

Hail to Mr Han and many more like him.... However, IF there were some adject failures, let's be honest and talk about them too and find out the top 3-5 ROOT CAUSES of such failures!!

Majulah Singapura!!