Speech by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, at the MINDEF Volunteers' Dinner

Minister of State, Mr Lawrence Wong,
Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Mr Maliki,
Permanent Secretaries,
Chief of Defence Force,
Service Chiefs,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good evening.

I always enjoy Volunteers' Dinner because you get to see a cross-section of society, predominantly male, I'm not saying that's a good thing but it is an interesting night and the conversations are usually lively. There is a lot of camaraderie so it has always been fun and so it is my pleasure to welcome you to tonight's dinner.

As I was telling the guests at my table, this is very simple and is a token for us to say thank you because we know that you have helped us tremendously. It's also a time to reflect on our development and defence capability year to year. Some of you may be even eye witnesses to those events that took place in our founding and one of the critical decisions we had to make upon independence was how we would defend Singapore. While we were under the British, as a Straits Settlement from 1826 and a colony from 1867, we basically left it to troops from other countries. There were Indian troops, Australian and New Zealand to defend their strategic interests in Singapore. When we were joined with Malaysia, we had only two battalions, the First Singapore Infantry Regiment and the Second Singapore Infantry Regiment (1 SIR and 2 SIR) and they were placed under the Malaysian command.

With independence the responsibility to defend this nation fell squarely on our shoulders. The same challenges exist then as they do now because it does not take a seasoned or great military strategist to recognise that to defend Singapore is difficult from the word "Go". You are starting from two inherent weaknesses - a lack of strategic depth - there is no where to run back to, and a small population. Two constraints, space and people, two vital assets you want to defend. I think we need to give credit to the founding generation who was not daunted by these seemingly insurmountable difficulties. It was not a given that the leadership of that day would say "Yes we will defend ourselves" because as history has shown us, there are examples that right-thinking men who would weigh their options and say that this is not defensible and we ought to be a suzerainty or protectorate and let somebody defend us or we make peace with everybody and assume nobody would defend us. But the founding generation's response was characterised by boldness, resourcefulness and commitment to the course. They dared to consider difficult options; we sought know-how and learnt from other armies salient lessons and were relentless in building up the capabilities of the SAF. Today, if you look at our messages, a line that we use often - we have a credible defence capability that deters any potential aggressor - and it is widely accepted by international observers and people around us. That we can make such an assertion today is a significant achievement. We must never lose that determination or resolve in our Singapore spirit.

In all our endeavours, the central tenet was that NS men form the backbone of our defence force. Ordinary citizens were asked to commit to this cause, that no one else could or would do, to protect our way of life. These two tenets - the central responsibility of NS and total defence continue to be of utmost relevance today.

In that citizen-soldier eco-system, volunteers like yourself in MINDEF and the SAF, play a crucial role. As I was going around thanking you, asking how long you have been helping us and what you do, I know that each of you have made significant contributions in terms of your time, effort and expertise in various capacities, whether you serve as Board members, advisors, or in community liaison roles. But beyond your individual contributions, the message you send out and example you set collectively - that it is the duty and honour of every citizen to do his part to defend Singapore - is just as important. Tonight is a small gesture by MINDEF and SAF to thank you for your efforts and examples.

Many of you here tonight come from the medical, legal and financial fields, as well as music and engineering, and provide MINDEF and the SAF valuable expertise and networks. Your inputs help us to develop better policies and run initiatives of a 355,000 strong force to meet operational and social goals.

Institutions such as ACCORD, the Advisory Council for Community Relations in Defence, purposefully include members from a wide spectrum of society - NSmen, educators, employers, media, the unions, parliamentarians, and the grassroots - to shape MINDEF's awareness of public concerns and shape our policy making and implementation.

Some of you are members of advisory boards that deal with deferment, disruption, exemption and compensation for full-time and operationally ready NSmen. I and other senior personnel of MINDEF recognise that in an increasingly competitive workplace where Singaporeans travel and there are opportunities lost and sacrifices made, all of us recognise that NS requires sacrifice from everyone but that implementation also must be equitable to all. We get letters very frequently stating why they feel they should be disrupted or deferred and I must tell you that it is often very difficult because we understand the needs but it is sometimes very difficult to distinguish one need from another. For the purpose of equity and the need to be operationally ready for our units, sometimes we have to say no. Your recommendations and decisions provide us some flexibility for deserving cases but more importantly help us hold the line so that commitment to NS is not eroded when we cannot accede to specific requests.

The social mission of MINDEF and the SAF is no less important than the operational aspect. NS men are motivated when they know that we care for their well-being and appreciate their efforts. Your roles in supervisory or management boards in the Music and Drama Company, SAFRA clubs, and SAF medical and research facilities help us maintain high professional standards and meet the needs of NS men. We have many positive examples but time allows me to name only a few tonight.

Associate Professor Ho Hwee Long, a music lecturer at the National Institute of Education, is a member of the SAF Music Board. As a Board member, he has enriched the SAF Band's repertoire of performances with his vast experience in music psychology and pedagogy. He was also involved in scoping the role of Military Musicians under the new Military Domain Expertise Scheme. Then we also have Associate Professor Tan Huay Cheem who is a Cardiology Specialist who is on our Advisory Board and has been a visiting Medical Consultant to SAF since 2007, sharing with us his expertise in managing complicated cardiology cases. He has also assisted in the formulation of the latest SAF Medical Classification Guidelines of 2010.

Each of you make individual and valuable contributions that help us maintain the resolve and the ability to run the NS system. So to maintain equity and give meaning to what NSmen do is an ongoing task and I know each of you serve as valuable ambassadors for MINDEF and the SAF. As volunteers, you are well acquainted with the workings of MINDEF and the SAF, I know that many of you have served many years, you visit detainees, you are involved in civil compensation boards and civil requisition boards, you sit on various boards and you are privy to some of the sensitive considerations behind our policies. You are also able to see first-hand the work of our servicemen and women, their dedication and the individual contributions. This makes you well placed to provide fair and objective views to the public on defence issues, as you do from time to time. With social media, there are many sites for opinion makers and opinions, and there is no single source. I want to thank you for helping us when you explain the importance of defence to Singaporeans, as we have to do for every generation. In today's environment, social media allows you to extend your reach and actively engage through Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. I would encourage you to do so, to positively shape opinions and attitudes especially for our younger generation. We have to engage our younger generation and converse with them on their own terms, not mere preaching or expecting them to accept our point-of-view just because we say so. We have to keep a conversation going and I think that is a learning process that both generations will benefit from.

It was against great difficulties that our pioneering generation built up the SAF to what it is today - a full spectrum, modern, capable, effective and decisive force. Let it never be said that this generation could not maintain or improve that capability through neglect, complacency or lack of resolve.

I thank each of you for your contributions that help us defend Singapore our home, our families and friends and our way of life. Enjoy your dinner and Thank you.

More Resources

MINDEF Recognises and Thanks Volunteers