NSmen to get more cash incentives

Another maneuver by the "gahmen" to make NS "attractive". [I've pasted only the relevant bits of the CNA article related to the "pay rise".]

SINGAPORE : Operationally Ready National Servicemen can look forward to more cash incentives in the future, if a proposal by the committee set up to recognise the contributions of NSmen gets the nod.

Manpower Minister and Second Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, who also chairs the committee, says this suggestion will be firmed up in January 2006.........

But transforming SAF into the third generation also means heavier demands on soldiers.Said Dr Ng, "You need leaders who can explain to the men and help them use the tech, so it requires change in leadership thinking and management style; more is expected from them. Each soldier will be asked to deliver more, so we will look into more financial incentives for this group."

Channelnewsasia.com

The NS has long been a silently contentious issue among Singaporeans, often relating to its hard treatment of soldiers and the disruption of education. ahdokboy's blog would articulate much about the unspoken frustrations of the specimen known as the past-18 Singaporean male. Would getting an additional $100 or so make NS seem more attractive? I am no man, but I doubt so.

Whether NS actually makes a difference or not, I simply can't tell. Whether it is good for the menfolk, who knows? I was involved in the youth branch of Red Cross for years, and got a taste of "military" life, if only in one fifth of the magnitude - even that was unbearable, and much of what was done seemed unnecessary and pretentious. [Note, I am not criticising Red Cross, the international organisation itself. Only the way some youth branches are run] Or maybe my generation is too soft, as many claim.

Maybe.

technorati tags: national service, singapore