The saga that is Ike

Resurrected my blog before I had eliminated all my past posts just for the letter below.

From The Straits Times

May 19, 2006
Consider NS deferment for those with exceptional family burdens

When I was serving my full-time national service a decade ago, I encountered many heart-wrenching personal accounts from lower-income Singaporeans about the serious disruptions that NS had caused to their families.

At the age of 17 or 18, many of them had to shoulder exceptional family responsibilities. Some had to care for aged or disabled parents while others were sole breadwinners.

Some of my friends were already young fathers at the time of enlistment.

Even though the Singapore Armed Forces was generally flexible in giving them nights-off or stay-out privileges to care for their families, the low pay of $250 a month and the time-consuming demands of training were nevertheless huge problems to these people.

If deferment is to be granted, it is these ordinary people with extraordinary burdens who should be considered instead of the potential careers of teenage prodigies like violinist Ike See.

To me, rather than an outstanding Singaporean on the world stage, it is the countless batches of NSmen at home who, in spite of the exceptional demands of their families, served their duties honourably that make Singapore a place worth fighting for.

Liew Kai Khiun, London

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So far all the letters to the Forum had been those pleading for flexibility to allow Ike See to complete his music education before returning to Singapore to serve his NS. I guess for one who was able to disrupt his NS for his studies, I don't have much of a moral ground to stand on but I do feel that the letter above provides a breath of fresh air. While I do not support the person's stand of asking for deferment because of family circumstances etc, it does bring out the fact that NS is a very big sacrifice and a lot of people have plenty of valid reasons to ask for deferment, disruption whatever. But yet those which see the print of media are always those at the top. Those who has this talent or that competition which is once in a lifetime blah blah and if they miss it they might never have a chance again. What about the guy who is his sick mum's sole caregiver? A mother who is gone will never come back too you know?

So exactly what is my point? I also don't know. I do see the point in allowing Ike See to finish his music education first. But yet sometimes a one size fits all approach is taken PRECISELY because there are too many unique circumstances and where do you draw the line between yes and no? It's a Pandora's Box. And are you being fair to those at the bottom of the social strata? The best and brightest are allowed to go and benefit themselves first but those at the bottom can't even defer to save their family? (Just don't tell me about me being a government scholar was able to disrupt blah blah. The government has its reasons for doing so which I shall not write down here lest I need to delete my old posts again...lol)