Speech by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Total Defence Awards Gala Dinner

Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs Dr Mohamad Maliki bin Osman,  
Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Mr Desmond Lee,
Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs Mr Amrin Amin,
Permanent Secretaries, Chief of Defence Force, 
Commissioner of Singapore Police Force,  
Co-Chairmen of ACCORD Council Mr Tony Chew and Ms Claire Chiang, 
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, 

I think all of you would be aware that this afternoon we had the State Funeral Service for our former President, Mr SR Nathan.  Mr Nathan was a much loved President, he swore me in when I was a young Minister of State, when I first entered politics. I never had the pleasure or privilege of knowing him in person until then. But as things are, you pick up new friends along the way. My wife and I accompanied Mr Nathan on his official trip to South Africa, with his lovely wife. And it dawned on us that actually we clicked, we could talk about things, disparage the same things we did not like, and liked certain things that we shared an interest in. And we struck up a friendship. So over the years it grew, and I miss a friend. He was a great man, because when duty called, Mr Nathan was willing to put his own life in jeopardy as he did in the Laju Hijack incident in 1974. Because he was Director Security and Intelligence Division then, and together with other Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel and government officials, all 13, Mr Nathan exchanged himself to the terrorist hijackers for the release of the crew members, and flew to Kuwait with them, because basically the terrorists insisted that for assurance that they wanted these officials with them. Thankfully, Mr Nathan and his entire team returned safely, but it could have gone terribly wrong.

Mr Nathan’s deep sense of duty above self and sacrifice for the country I thought was a story worth telling, especially tonight, because it exemplifies the true spirit of the Total Defence Awards we give out today to the 126 individuals, businesses and organisations. We mourn Mr Nathan’s loss but his life and his work will serve as a role model for the spirit of Total Defence.

If you think about it, Total Defence was launched 32 years ago. Total Defence or TD has proven itself not only relevant across many decades as our society evolved, but with the present threat of terrorism and other external challenges. Total Defence remains crucially important for our survival, and I will tell you why. Because at the heart of the message of Total Defence, it is a simple one – that the unity of Singaporeans is our key strength. Unity in what? Unity in mind and purpose of all Singaporeans to defend Singapore. So the message here is that whether you are a business towkay, a boss or employee, whether you are a housewife and a family member, whether you are a public servant or in private sector, regardless of race and religion – all of us have a part in Total Defence. We will be strong if united and as weak as our weakest link. 

Understanding our External Environement

I believe that these messages of Total Defence have stood the test of time as Singapore faced different challenges – they were relevant then even though Total Defence had not been launched when the Laju incident occurred in 1974. I think they were relevant when the first wave of terrorism inspired by Al-Qaeda occurred in the early 2000s, it was relevant in SARS, some of you would remember it in 2003, it was relevant when the haze occurred in 2013. The terrorist threat today underscores the importance of these messages of Total Defence. The recent arrest of a terror cell in Batam that planned to launch a rocket towards Marina Bay was not a surprise to our security agencies. Since early 2015, we have been alerting Singaporeans to the rising threat due to the increase in foreign fighters going to fight with ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) in Iraq and Syria. If you check your records, Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong said it, Minister of Home Affairs Mr K Shanmugan said it, Deputy Prime Minister Mr Teo Chee Hean said it, I said it, but we could not tell you why. So in a way I was quite happy that the Internal Security Department (ISD) and Ministry of Home Affairs, that the Indonesian authorities arrested that (terror) cell (in Batam). And with the arrest of our own activists here, I think Singaporeans understood the gravity of the situation. Because the foreign fighters that are in Iraq and Syria from our region, and their sympathisers and operatives have pledged to form an Islamic Caliphate in this part of the world. You have to understand what their motivation is; you have to understand the seriousness of the threat. They want to change our part of the world; they want to form an Islamic Caliphate. They have been able to radicalise others with distorted claims and used religion to further their means. All of us know that what they preach has nothing to do with true Islam – clerics here, in Malaysia and Indonesia have denounced the messages of extremists. What they preach amounts to apostasy. Unfortunately, there are some that have been misled and the reach of extremists is global – multiple cities across the world have suffered attacks – Brussels, Nice, Baghdad, Dhaka, Istanbul, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur. No country is immune and Singapore is a target and can be attacked by extremists.

Total Defence in Action 

The Home Team and the SAF will do their utmost to protect Singapore and Singaporeans with military and civil defence. Tonight I gathered leaders of both the SAF and Home Team. They know that their duty-bound and their primary responsibility is to defend Singapore and Singaporeans. They take it with utmost seriousness. They know it is their primary responsibility to respond to this. But all of us know that it is not possible to protect everyone, all the time and everywhere. Every day, hundreds of thousands travel through our MRTs and buses to places of work. Millions pass through our airports, land and sea checkpoints. Thousands more gather at shopping malls, schools, learning institutes, hospitals, libraries. Our security forces will have to protect against all attempts all the time while terrorists need only succeed once. How do you respond to this threat? Intelligence is key. Better to disrupt terror cells before they have made plans and acquired explosives and rockets. Better to deny extremists’ entry or stop them from radicalising others through the Internet, as we did when we apprehended Indonesian activists who were on their way to Syria as the Internal Security Department apprehended Zulfikar bin Mohamad Shariff. The security forces will do their utmost, whether it is intelligence (gathering), preparation or responding to circumstances. But the truth is this. As you look around the world, it is impossible to protect everyone, everywhere (and) all the time.  So what happens, I ask you tonight, if an attack occurs, despite our best efforts? 

Think this through with me. Just imagine an attack does occur, what happens to the rest of society after that? Will Singapore crumble? Will we be able to keep the economy going? Because if we do not, jobs will be lost, livelihoods and families affected. So in the pillars of Total Defence, we will need economic defence. And after an attack, you as employers will have to keep your businesses profitable, still look for opportunities to expand. Because if you give up, scale down, Singaporeans will lose their livelihoods.

We as consumers can display strong psychological defence – to keep going to public places in libraries, parks, restaurants, shopping, cinemas, malls. Just imagine an explosion occurs in midtown, Orchard Road, or any place that you think is crowded. Would you dare go out again? This is what the French did. When the terrorists attacked, they came up in droves, to protest against the terrorist to say, “We will carry on with our lives.” If frightened Singaporeans stay at home, tourists and foreign companies will stop coming. These are not theoretical scenarios. This was exactly what happened during SARS, for those of you who remember. During SARS, some people died, including my good friends in Singapore General Hospital, who were attending to patients. But the greatest problem during SARS was not only just the fatalities from the disease. It also paralysed the system.  Unemployment went up over five percent. Thousands of jobs were lost. I remember because I was the Minister of Manpower then and a member of the SARS combat team, if you remember. We had to visit hospitals and other institutions to give support. The loss of confidence will have a worse impact than the attack itself. For terrorism, this is exactly what happened after the Brussels attack – immediately after the attack, hotel occupancy at some hotels in Brussels plunged to 25 percent, down from 82 percent the night before. That was what happened to us in the aftermath and during SARS. I remember the Government was among the few agencies that was still holding meetings. I met many of you – employers – to try and encourage you to continue to hold on to your staff and to keep things going. That was why we had one of those functions that we organised to meet the employers. I remember going to a hotel and the General Manager was very kind to escort me. I asked, “How are things?” He said, “Good, not bad.” I asked, “What was your occupancy (rate)?” He said, “10 percent.” I said, “Why are you happy?” He said, “Because last week, it was four percent.”

These are not trivial or theoretical scenarios. A terrorist attack can happen in Singapore. I say that again: A terrorist attack can happen in Singapore. We are a target, we are not immune. It could happen, if not tomorrow, any time later. Why? The battle against extremist terrorism is a long term challenge and unlikely to go away. How long have we been battling this? Some of you said the larger attack was similar, yes, but in earnest, I think it started in 2001 – when Al-Qaeda was inspired. 2001, 15 years ago. This current wave, another wave inspired by ISIS, will last just as long if not longer. And this is the reason why the SAF is deployed against ISIS. 

But this fight against extremism cannot be fought by the SAF or the Home Team alone. We will need Total Defence to survive and keep Singapore safe, prosperous and harmonious. 

Employers, Organisations and Individuals’ Support for Defence and NS  

All of you as award recipients are role models of Total Defence. You make a big difference. Like members of the Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence, or ACCORD – the Main Council, the Employer and Business Council, the Family and Community Council and the Educational Institutions Council. ACCORD helps the SAF connect stronger with various important functional groups of society – businesses, families, learning institutions. They make special efforts to use their own networks, their members to spread this crucial message of Total Defence.     

Apart from ACCORD, businesses, organisations and individuals make a difference too. This is the reason why we have the NS Advocate Award. When you support your Operationally Ready National Servicemen (NSmen) in your company or provide civil resources during mobilisation, you are directly contributing to Singapore’s security. Some of you go the extra mile. Companies like Lim Siang Huat Private Limited provide transport on their own to make sure that their employees attend the Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) Preparatory Training sessions. We have examples of individuals, family members like Ms Huang Jin Ling. Ms Huang is married to an NSman, Corporal (CPL) Chen Changhua, who is a medic. Ms Huang found out that their wedding date clashed with her husband to be’s In-Camp Training. She had a perfect solution – bring forward the wedding. Which they did. There are many more examples worth telling of our NS Advocate award recipients here tonight.

Launch of NS Mark

ACCORD had recommended that MINDEF launch the NS Mark and we have agreed to do so today. The NS Mark is a national scheme to recognise businesses and employers who have pledged their commitment and support for NS. The NS Mark Gold will be awarded to top companies that demonstrate exemplary support for NS. Finally, NS Mark Gold recipients will also be eligible for the NS Advocate Award, the national pinnacle award.

Conclusion

Let me sum up. Last year was Golden Jubilee year, SG50. Mr Lee (Kuan Yew) passed away. This year, Mr Nathan passed away. We held State Funeral Service for him today. There have been enough occasions to allow us to reflect on what Singapore has gone through in the last 50 years and what we are likely to face going forward. I am sure each of us will have our own epiphany. Here’s mine: I believe that every generation will have to face challenges for its survival and well-being. That you will never reach a state where a nation can say that the next 50 years is going to be hunky-dory, things will go fine. We do not need defence, we do not need social cohesion. It will be okay. Why this pessimism? Because as humans are imperfect, nations are imperfect too. And as long as humans continue to be imperfect, we will have problems sooner or later. Our founding generation fought against communism, Konfrontasi and racial riots. Our generation today now faces the threat of terrorism. Whether this generation can overcome this current challenge and future ones, depends on Total Defence and people like you who strengthen our defences.

Thank you very much.

More Resources

More Pro-NS Companies to be Recognised with New NS Mark

Fact Sheet: NS Mark Accreditation & The Total Defence Awards