Naturally and understandably NS men who had already completed their training cycle would be disappointed that they won’t be eligible for the National Service Recognition Award (NSRA) announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the National Day Rally.
The NSRA is a monetary award of between $9,000 and $10,500 for each Singaporean NSman, with commanders getting more. And it’s only for full time and operationally-ready NSmen in service from August 29, the day it was announced by Prime Minister Lee. It won’t be retroactive.
“We are also part of the Singaporean nation… We must be treated equally. We have contributed in the past,” said one Singaporean, according to a clip I saw on Channel News Asia last night.
And naturally and understandably too, the Government would defend its decision not to make the award retroactive.
Prohibitive costs apart (imagine how many $9,000 would have to be given out to all the cohorts that have completed their obligations since 1965!), Minister of State for Defence, Associate Professor Koo Tsai Kee, pointed out:
“Government policy has never been retroactive… many generations who have served NS, like many of us… recognise that we have already benefited from previous policies and this policy is for NSmen going forward.”
D’accord!
Yet I wonder why the recognition can’t be extended to those NS men who died while in training or on peace keeping missions? There can’t have been too many in number?
Sure, for each death, the NS deceased would have enjoyed a funeral with full military honours.
But how nice for their still grieving parents or other immediate family members, if after all these years, the Government should give them a little something more than symbolic to help ease their permanent loss and pain!
FOOD fuels me to talk... 
As far as the PAP govt is concerned, a dead man has no economic value and can’t cast any vote. It’s never in their consideration knowing how petty and calculative they are.
Yamasam, u r dead wrong and no pun intended. Haven’t u seen top Cabinet ministers coming out to praise the dead, in recent months?
Where dead NSmen r concerned, they would all have loved ones still in this world. So there’s both political and economic mileage to harness their goodwill.
Anyway, even if I have gotten a part of that $9000, I will just say thank you and receive the money on one hand while I vote opposition with the other. Without a cent of it, I will simply be more resolute in voting for whoever I have already decided to vote for, provided that the West Coast GRC is contested.
That said, I hope S Iswaran moves to a SMC. I would feel a lot less uncomfortable voting for the opposition without him in the incumbent team.
Whomever one votes for is the voter’s prerogative and shouldn’t be broadcast to thumb your nose at the party in government. Still thanks for dropping by.
If Prof Koo can give clear examples of how past NSmen have “..benefited from previous policies..” it will help a lot. As far I remember – SAFRA clubhouses (which by the way is not free and now is open to the general public though at higher prices), tax breaks (every NS men gets including those who will be getting the 9K). I, for one, struggle to think of how I have benefitted from past policies.
In terms of money, come on, the govt can afford it. Our ministers alone costs tens of millions a year and they are not paid in 3 tranches over 13 years.
The way I look at it, the govt is just insincere in this whole thing. They never had the intention to pay out anything but since there were so much rumblings on the ground, well just make some cosmetic move and be done with it!
Include those who died..? .Oh sorry , govt policy is never retroactive….
Hi Philng: eh, yr math alrite or not? Hav u calculated how much it wld cost tax payers (assuming u do pay tax?) to backdate the $9K for all the cohorts who served the full cycle of NS obligations since 1965? U sure the state can afford it? Or is it another cheap/expensive shot at Ministers’ pay? Why must everything turn on ministers’ pay? My goodness, why can’t we move on? Have a good Sunday1
I strongly ageed with philng.
Prof Koh pls give me examples or proof that previous NS man has benefited from past.
Comparing NS now and last time, which group suffer more ?
2.5 yrs or 2yrs ? The food ? The NS pay last time ? The way so many NS man can seek redress now ?
OF course we are asking the government to $9K one shot auntielucia, don’t think our government will be so stupid to do so too.
But i am sure the can come up with ways like topping our CPF account, utlities rebate or even lower medical fees for Ex-NS man.. surely with the amount of salary they get monthly they can come up with something.
I am glad to hear our SM Goh saying that Mindef should come up with something to rewards past NSman..also agree with his PR views(although it upset many PR)..
PR working and living here so long but still not interested to be citizens should not have their PR renew. They simply have no intention to stay and fight for Singapore so whats the point of letting this group benefit fromour growth?
They are only here to earn as much as they can and leave. Is this going to benifit Singapore in the future ?
Aiyoh, aiyoh, Transitlim, like that no end of retrospective accounting! What abt those pple who got their 3-rm HDB flats in Clementi at $10K fm the Govt n now can sell for $360K? Shall we who didn’t get demand that we get a share of the sales proceeds, for after all, we are Singaporeans, paid taxes but just weren’t eligible at THAT time… and how abt paying all those ministers who retired on $3Kpm or less salary (n no bonus some more) what they didn’t get last time, according to current ministerial pay rates? Oooo la la! U won’t like dat wld u? 😀
Firstly, the 9k which everyone is talking about is 3k in student learning fees and 6k in cpf. It is money credited to you which you cannot touch. If gahmen were to give this incentive to out fathers and uncles, most likely they will be able to draw out the money now or soon, which backfires against the plan to not let us touch the money given to us.
2ndly, 9k lets not jusdge them by the reservist years cos some of us chaogeng then nvr go back, some go back treat as holiday or break from work, the fact is we are paid back our salaries. I won’t go into opportunity costs about lost precious time cos all diff. 9k for 2years(even though i served 2.5years), comes to around less than 400 a month, plus basic nsf pay, u get around 600 a month. Consider nsf no cpf and also maids have foreign levies, wow we are cheaper than our housemaids siah.
3rdly, nothing from the gahmen is free. Give u 9k? Easy to recover, road tax and cpf increase, gst raise to 10%, more erp and sell more carparks to WIlson, sell more land to condo makers, make parking even more expensive, match hdb flat sales with hyper-inflated resale market, inflat gahmen salaries even more. I won’t be surprised if soon my friend living at marine parade gets a erp right outside his carpark and obama wants to president singapore soon. Like u said last time people benefit get flats at $10k, now their children have to pay 50times that to pay back the gahmen.
Orailly, thanks for dropping by n giving yr 9K worth. I’ve removed the last portion of yr comment: because enuff of anti gahmen rant alredi in the portions I’ve let thru. I know where u r coming from. If u wanna rant some mo, pse start yr own blog, geddit?