This response was written in reply to an angry note penned by a Singapore NS clerk bemoaning how detached the government is from the plight of Singapore’s conscripted men who sometimes prefer to go AWOL to moonlight and risk time in the detention barracks.
This writer has chosen to remain anonymous:
“Firstly, the lowest pay of a recruit now is $480, not counting in the risk pay of combatants.
Secondly, NS is about serving the nation, not a job. If you expect the gahmen to pay each NSF 1.8k a month, this country will go bankrupt soon. Furthermore, food is already provided for free in camps and if you don’t smoke, this $480 can solely go to your transportation fee (for the weekends) and your family. Take in mind that you will still be promoted which will lead to increase in pay as well as the bonus pay for being a 1-year soldier, not adding in the combat pay. Also, the gahmen will also grant you money if you do well in IPPT and ATP every year.
Thirdly, the case you mentioned about the clerk not seeing eye to eye with men is just case to case basis. I was a clerk in a branch and I did my best to get the welfare the men deserved (includes complaining to my superiors to pester S1 branch to speed up on their process). Most of the men who needed financial assistance were granted it. So please do not generalize the situation to all the clerks and men.
Fourthly, the time you must serve currently in NS is maximum 2 years (unless you were thrown in DB), and 1 year 10 months for those who passed their NAPFA before enlisting. Most of the men I’ve met sought to quickly serve finish and get back to their lives of earning money again. If you are smart enough, you’ll do the same rather than wasting your time in DB and getting no pay at all.
So please stop complaining and just serve then fuck off and return to your normal lives.”
What do you think, NSMen?
