http://military-life.blogspot.com/2009/04/embrace-foreigners-and-screw.html
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Embrace Foreigners, and Screw the Locals(NSmen)
All this talk about National Integration and integration of foreigners into Singapore misses the mark. We are talking about welcome others when we treat our own so poorly. What am I talking about?
I am talking about National Service. I am talking about mandatory 2
years (formerly 2.5 years) of conscription of Singaporean male citizens
into the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the Singapore Police Force (SPF)
and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
I am talking about the 10 years of reservist obligations comprising but not limited to:
* annual in-camp training lasting 2 to 21 days (in practice but legally up to 40 days under the law)
* annual individual physical proficiency tests (IPPT) for those
medically fit NSmen (those who fail to clear their tests are subject to
Remedial Training of twice/thrice a week)
* notifying Mindef Notification Centre for any overseas trips exceeding 24 hours
* need to apply for exit permit for trips of 6 months or longer
* annual operations manning or mobilisation exercises than can happen 2-3 times a year
To be male and Singaporean is to serve and f*** off
These obligations are not new. They have been imposed on NSmen since
the whole NS system was developed just after Singapore gained
independence and as the British withdrew their military forces out of
Singapore not long after.
What is new is that the pace of immigration to Singapore has increased
tremendously. It has created a truly global city, Singapore Inc, with
the implications of a labour market that is competitive in every sense
of the word.
I saw it during my days working in the IT industry. Singaporeans have virtually no real advantages and in fact, Singaporean
males who are NSmen are DISADVANTAGED because to employers, they come
attached with annual ICT obligations that leave the company WITHOUT the
services of their employees even if Mindef does reimburse them for the
wages they continue to pay for their staff. Ceteris paribus, if I were
an employer, I would choose a permanent resident or Employment Pass
holder over a male citizen as I don't suffer as many disruptions to my
use of this factor of production.
Competition is not wrong. I welcome it. It makes you upgrade yourself,
not to take the status quo for granted and not to think you are
entitled to anything unless you are smart and work hard for it. But to compete on unequal terms is simply unfair.
Discrimination in your own country
How can it be fair to Singaporean male citizens who are:
1) discriminated against female citizens who do not have NS?
2) discriminated against as compared to 1st generation Permanent
Residents and newly minted citizens who do not have to serve NS (for
those older)?
Let me share with you specific examples of discrimination.
During my 7th ICT, one of my unit reservists died during the 2.4km run.
He died for the country. He died because of some underlying heart
condition that surfaced during the run. He died because he was a
citizen and was born male in Singapore Inc.
I was running a big project in my department. A few months into the
project, I received the SAF 100 for a 3 week reservist doing
operational duty protecting key installations in Singapore. I duly
informed my bosses about it.
Guess what happened?
Yes, I was allowed to go for my reservist duty... BUT, my boss took the
project away from me and gave it to my female colleague who did not
have any reservist obligation.
How do you think it would affect my year end appraisal to have a
significant project taken away because I wouldn't be around for 3 weeks
because of service to the COUNTRY?
So if I had been killed during the operational duty (and mind you we
carry live rounds and execute rules of engagement that involve the real
possiblity of stopping potential terrorists or be injured or a target
of attacks) my female colleague would get a shot at a better portfolio
of work for her annual appraisal while I would have enjoyed a military
funeral at taxpayers expense.
So now we have a new "Integration Council" helmed by not one, not two but seven ministers.
Their objective is to,
"... promote and foster social integration among Singaporeans and with new citizens and permanent residents."
May I make a small suggestion?
Can we start by treating our reservists better? This will lessen the
discrimination AGAINST our own male citizens. It's bad enough that I
had 2.5 years of my youth wasted in the Singapore Armed Forces.
I entered the workforce 2.5 years later and have reservist liabilities
that made me less competitive vis-a-vis my competitors in the workforce
who are on employment pass or permanent residence tickets into
Singapore Inc. I fought hard in the workplace, I have a recognised
degree from NTU, with relevant work experience and I did my duty to my
country only to have it spat back into my face.
Immigration has been so
pervasive that the criteria seems to be very easy. I noted that even
your friendly neighbourhood hawker assistant in food courts can get
permanent residency status!
That really cheapens the entire Singapore Citizenship. Don't forget, male citizenship is earned using tears, sweat and blood.
Can my female citizens claim to serve their country up to the point of
risking DEATH and INJURY? Who sees the pain when I was running standard
obstacle course? Who empathised with me when I was insulted by regulars
in the army with epithets such as "gu-niang", "cheese-bye" or having an
Captain say that he will "crucify" the next recruit who said something
stupid? Who shared my fear when seeing my fellow reservist COLLAPSE and
DIE during his 2.4km run.
Integrating immigrants - has the Government looked at how and why it is screwing its NSmen?
The National Integration Council doesn't have to look far to uncover the seething resentment among many NSmen and NSF.
Singapore Inc runs 1st and foremost by economic considerations. I accept that. But
why is the Government screwing us NSmen by imposing obligations in a
way that is both disruptive and detrimental to our economic
competitiveness.
They expect us NSmen to grin
and bear it when we know we are competing on an unequal playing field?
How can you expect us to embrace immigrants who are fighting for the
very same rice-bowls and who do not need to make similar sacrifices to
preserve it? I have risked my life every time I
report for my annual in-camp training to protect and defend our way of
life only to find that sacrifice entails having me risk my livelihood?!
This country is losing its identity and social
cohesiveness even as this post is written. We are a country that now
worships money. The economic imperative is the be-all and the end-all.
Thus, we embrace immmigrants because they contribute to the economic
fabric of the nation. They help keep the wheels of commerce and
industry churning with the accessible foreign labour. Integrating them
helps Singapore Inc. purr smoothly even as individual citizens get
squashed in the MRT and bus during peak hours.
Embrace them even as the SAF/SPF and SCDF embraced our NSmen, sometimes
to the point of losing their lives for duty, honour and country.
And that is why I am so glad that my daughter was born into Singapore
Inc. She doesn't have to serve and gets to COMPETE on more equal terms
to permanent residents, foreigners and the rest of her competitors in
future for a piece of the pie in Singapore Inc.
-------------------------
Latest updates at Singapore News Alternative:
1. G20 Decisions May Help Singapore Economy
2. Singapore sets up National Integration Council
3. Asia moves to ward off new flu virus
4. WHO declares US, Mexico swine flu a public health emergency
5. S'pore to pump-prime the economy with $20 billion spending on infrastructure this year
6. Questions the new AWARE exco must tackle before the EOGM and lessons we can learn
New videos added:
1. WHO calls Mexico flu "health emergency" - 2 parts
2. Dr Chee Soon Juan's message at CALD Conference - 28 Mar 09 - 1 part
3. AWARE Old Guards press conference - 5 parts
.
1. Do not put our womenfolks down in order to stand tall. Women in our society has an equal obligation, and that is giving birth. Without women, there may be no Singapore at all.
They too, faced equal hazards that our men faced in every way, from birth itself to careers. Just because a few women remained single does not mean ALL women do not give birth.
2. Our Army is never a democratic institution. It is an authoritarian organisation and must rightfully be, for wars are cruel and brutal business. It's methods are repulsive, but no more repulsive than what enemies would be more than brutal do to us, thus the need to be prepared rigously for it and truimph against it.
No one is suppose to love the army. One only loves the camaraderie, respect its purpose and need, but never to love the organisation and the way it MUST function.
Fortunately our service is only 2 years active and a few more on reserve lists to stay current with latest developements an techniques. The army serves to protect democracy, not practice it, and does not interfere in the civilian policies of the State, which unfortunately, in some countries, they do while still in uniform.
3. Foreign workers are never citizens and have absolutely no rights of citizens. But they serve a purpose, and even at times more than what our citizens can offer - they either provide cheap labour or provide high capital to our shores and give our citizens jobs, to grow and prosper.
But they are of no more importance to us when decisions from our community are to be made, and only exists on the sufferance of our people. If they are needed, they will be offered agreeable terms to stay, if not, we would kick them out. We don't do this to our own fellow citizens, let alone even whiners and unproductive ones.
4. Moan all you want, we as individuals revolve around our society and drive its revolution, not society bowing down to us and we as individuals centre of society.
5. Dear Yxxne, you dont need to copy/paste other views promote their blogsites, if you don't have the guts to express yourself in writing here
to xtreiyer:
cheap labour???define cheap labour???all the cheap labour was redesigned into machinery......all the jobs high end to low end are taken or monopolised by job agencies n foreigners !
CAN U PLEASE OPEN YOUR EYES BIGGER AND TAKE YER HEAD OUT FROM YER BEHIND!
OUR SINGAPOREAN SOCIETY IS TECHNOLOGICAL DRIVEN.IT IS NEVER IN THE HANDS OF PEOPLE WHO DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HIGH TECH AND APPLICATIONS IN THE PRODUCTION LINES OF TOMORROW.
THE ONLY WORK AREA THATS NOT PRODUCTIVE AND NOT VERY HIGH IN ADVANCE TECHNOLOGY IS GTHE GOVERNMENT OF SINGAPORE.
SO WHAT U SEE IN THE GOVERNMENT LIKE ST KINETICS AND AEROSPACE AND U THINK IS ADVANCED TYECHNOLOGY AND FUTURISTIC IS ACTUALLY PEANUT TECHNOLOGY AS COMPARED TO THE ULTRA HIGH TECH INDUSTRIES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR......ALL THE CHEAP LABOUR HAVE BEEN REDESIGNED,,,,,,NOW ONLY MACHINES RUN THE PLACE.....THE MACHINES DO EVERYTHING FROM PRODUCTION,RAPID QUALITY CONTROL TO SUPERVISORY LEVEL JOBS WHUCH MAY SOUND LIKE A SPACE ALIEN MOVIE TO THOSE NOT IN HIGH TECH INDUSTRIES.
WE NEED SINGAPOREANS TO BE IN THERE TO TROUBLESHHOOOT N MAKE SURE ALLSYSTEMS DONT BREAK DOWN,,,,,N THE COMPLEX SYSTEMS WHEN DISASSEMBLED IS AS BIG AND VAST AS THREE B747 AIRCRAFTS.
HOW DO ANYONE EXPECT TO MAINTAIN A 100% SYSTEM EFFICIENCY WHEN SINGAPOREANS ARE FORCED TO DO RESERVIST .IF U STOP THE PRODUCTION LINE EVEN IF A SMALL PART IS FAULTY.....THE LOSES ARE US$100,000 AN HOUR!!!IN SOME INDUSTRIES US 400,000/HR.EOUGH TO PAY FOR A HOUSE AND FUEL AND PARKING FOR ANY AIRCRAFT....
WE NEED POSITIVE SUPPORT FROM THE GOVERNMENT WHO USE THE ARMY TO DESTROY MOST OF SINGAPOREANS CAREERS!