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Indian FTrash Wants More Options For Son to Select When Performing NS. Acceptable?
An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:
Dr Parag: When the time comes, my son will do NS April 29th, 2014 | Author: Editorial Dr Parag Khanna (Photo: www.paragkhanna.com) Dr Parag Khanna, Senior Fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs and Adjunct Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, became an instant “celebrity” on social media when he famously told the audience at a forum organized by the Straits Times (ST) last year that Singapore can fit 8 million people or more by the year 2030. In a follow-up media interview, he criticised the Singapore government for responding to public unhappiness with the 6.9 million figure published in the Population White Paper: That was their (Govt’s) mistake. I have no sympathy for that. I do not believe that it’s the job of a government to perpetually react to whatever sentiments and whims that are emerging and then be handicapped in making strategy by those whims. Governments which do that (will) fail. On his own website (www.paragkhanna.com), Dr Parag describes himself as a leading global strategist, world traveler and best-selling author. Born in India, he grew up in the UAE, New York, and Germany. He has travelled to more than 100 countries on all continents, climbed numerous 20,000-foot plus peaks and trekked in the Alps, Himalayas, and Tien Shan mountain ranges. He speaks Hindi, German, French, Spanish, and basic Arabic. On Saturday (26 Apr), he said in an ST article (‘National service for the 21st century’) that his son would serve “Singaporean national service”. However, in the article, he argued that NS must evolve with the times to encompass other non-security functions: The state has substantial and diverse priorities. These include national defence and internal security, social services, and a desire to stimulate creativity and promote economic growth. Singapore’s NS should therefore be broadened to encompass these functions in a way that does not compromise fundamental security needs. The SAF is a crucial foundation of this strength – but it is not the only one. Nor is it the only one that requires able-bodied citizens to commit time and effort. Indeed, it is rather odd for a country whose civil service is perhaps the world’s most competent and effective to limit formal service requirements to defence alone. He wants to see NS become a menu of options across military, civil, commercial and social entities. He suggests providing a wide range of NS positions across corporate, civil, social and military functions, with dynamic quotas based on positions available and needed each year. Students will indicate their preferences across “hard” and “soft” placements, but with the SAF, SCDF and police having priority to ensure they meet their force adequacy requirements. “Fairness should be built in by requiring each NS-hosting entity to take in a representative cross-section of youth from all backgrounds and education levels to avoid giving unfair career advantages to those in corporate or civil roles rather than military,” he said. If choices are unevenly distributed – for example, if too many young people choose the engineering option and not enough choose the educational one – a ballot may be held and some people may be routed to their second or even third choices, he suggested. As an example, he said that during World War II, the US exempted from the draft men working in crucial sectors such as automobile and tank assembly. “Shouldn’t some NS men become structural engineers, building next-generation infrastructure at home while developing skills for a lucrative industry Singapore can export?” Dr Parag asked. He also explained that the French system includes rigorous training in public administration as well as work in commercial entities. He suggested that Singaporeans should similarly become “commercial cadets” within the many government-linked companies, learning management skills essential for both climbing the corporate ladder and running entrepreneurial start-ups. “They could even do service projects in neighbouring Asean countries in a Singapore-style peace corps,” he said. Other areas where Singaporeans can serve their NS are education and healthcare, he suggested. “Many of those who begin with teaching apprenticeships during NS may later choose education as a profession,” he proposed. “Healthcare, particularly for the elderly, also needs a manpower boost.” Dr Parag concluded by saying: When the time comes, my son will do Singaporean national service whatever form it takes. So the question is not whether to serve, but what service is needed? If Singapore continues to focus on security needs (i.e. SAF, Police, SCDF) and ignores his non-security NS proposal, would Dr Parag still let his son serve “Singaporean NS”? What do you think? Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com. |
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