How much difference does NS make to Singaporean society?

Hi everyone. Many Singaporeans who have talked about how great the national service (NS) experience is especially when it comes to shaping young men, that it is a great rite of passage from boyhood to manhood. But have you ever wondered what it is like to live in a country where men do not need to serve NS then - what different would that make? Putting aside the obvious need to defend one's country, is Singaporean society better because Singaporean men have to serve NS? Well, allow me to do a compare and contrast in today's piece as I have spent half my life in the UK - a country which has done away with national service in 1963. In this piece, I will deal with some of the praises sung by Singaporeans who are in favour of NS and I will see how British society compares in the absence of NS. I will try as far as possible to capture the spirit and tone of the various people who had voiced these opinions and stories to me.

Shall we talk about our NS experiences?

1. "It is all about discipline."

"In my unit, I dealt with some guys who were troublemakers when they enlisted in NS. Some had minor run-ins with the law prior to enlistment and they had no respect for any kind of authority. Making them do NS gave them a sense of discipline and redefined their relationship with authority: they were taught that Singapore wasn't a consequence free environment, that they had to earn their place in society. NS was a bitter pill for them to swallow. The strict regime they had to adhere to taught them the discipline they never had at home or at school - if it had not been for NS, they would have spiraled out of control and became thugs and criminals, outlaws on the periphery of society. NS gave them the discipline and skills to successfully reintegrate them into society and they emerged from NS much better for the experience. Thus NS has reduced the crime rate in Singapore and there is a direct correlation between NS and Singapore's low crime rate. Even for those who are given to criminal tendencies, the discipline they learn in NS is going to be a useful lesson for them to take away for the working world that awaits them. It is good for the men, it is good for Singaporean society - it is a win-win situation."

I partially agree with this statement for I had encountered such people during my time in NS - strict punishments are there for those who have the audacity to deliberately break the rules (or even try to push the boundaries), but the ultimate litmus test is what these men would do the moment they complete NS and reintegrate into civilian society. Would they become productive members of society or would they simply go back to their old ways and give in to criminality? If NS was really that effective in fundamentally changing the mindset of these young men, then as the theory goes, anyone who served NS would be highly unlikely to break the law ever again in Singapore. But if you were to look at the prison population of Singapore, whilst it is undeniably low (reflecting the low levels of crime in Singapore), the vast majority of the inmates are still male Singaporeans who have served NS - they still make up just over 77% of the current prison population (with the rest being females, juveniles and foreigners). Thus that shows that serving NS is not such an effective deterrent to criminal behaviour: female Singaporeans do not need to serve NS, yet males vastly outnumbers females by a ratio of 8.77 Singaporean males to every 1 Singaporean female in our prisons.

Did you learn discipline in NS?

This does suggest a rather stereotypical view of what a Singaporean criminal is - is he a poorly educated 'Chao Ah Beng' who speaks Hokkien, drinks, gambles, beats up his wife and gives in to petty crime because he has no respect for the rule of law? Or can he be a sophisticated, eloquent, highly educated professional who speaks English flawlessly, lives in an expensive condominium and appears respectable to the wider society with his happy family, yet commits crimes which are anything but petty? Yes I am indeed talking about criminals like Kong Hee. NS does provide a kind of environment where you have to get up at a certain time, follow a set of instructions and orders and do as you are told - but the fact is the soldiers do this because of a 'fear of consequences' rather than a belief that what they are doing is fundamentally right and important. Allow me to give you an example to illustrate the difference.

My friend (let's call him NK) was part of a unit where they had to do area cleaning early every morning before they had breakfast. It was only after they had passed the inspection that they were allowed to go have breakfast - their commanding officer was very particular about area cleaning and had very high standards. Those who didn't do it properly or didn't pull their weight were dealt with and punished. So it was not a matter of choice, the only way NK could have avoided this morning area cleaning routine was if he was unwell. After NK ORDed and left the army, he told me he enjoyed waking up when he opened his eyes, not when the dreaded alarm clock woke him up. He had no desire to do any cleaning before breakfast the way he had to when serving NS. The "fear of consequences" made him behave a certain way during NS but the moment you removed those consequences in the civilian world, guess what? NK slipped back to his old ways. NK's room at home was always in a mess because his parents never enforced the same kind of consequences as his commanding officer did in NS. Thus NK's character didn't change at all, even if he did follow the rules during NS. The 'fear of consequences' only affected his behaviour during NS, but not beyond.

NK's room at home looked a bit like this...

The only way for this military discipline to rein in all the criminal male elements in society is to make NS a lot longer and integrate it into all aspects of civilian life - pretty much like what they do in North Korea, where the government micromanages every aspect of life there to ensure total loyalty to Kim Jong Un's regime. That is a pretty high price for everyone in society to pay for a marginal benefit that will only affect a small portion of the population and it is not as if North Korea is totally free of crime and corruption either. There is only so much you can do to try to eradicate crime through military discipline and we just have to face the fact that whilst installing military discipline may go some way to reduce the incidence of criminal behavior, it should not be treated as some kind of miracle cure that will solve all social ills. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it has done some good,  but let's not imagine that it is solely responsible for Singapore's low crime rate. Rather, the rather harsh punishments for even seemingly minor crimes are responsible for the low crime rate, creating the same 'fear of consequences' effect.

What about the UK then? 

Well, the crime rate in the UK is higher than in Singapore - but that has far more to do with the more liberal regime and more lenient laws than to do with the absence of NS. It is not like British men are totally devoid of discipline: those who seek it will find it through sports, their careers, religion or any other sources. Once a man finds something he is passionate about, the discipline will kick in naturally: so if he starts a business based on his passion and he finds great joy in working, making his dreams come true as he nurtures his business, then waking up everyday at the crack of dawn is not a matter of discipline per se but motivation. Give a man a good enough reason to work hard and he will - and all that has got to be based on motivation rather than discipline for the sake of discipline. Such is true discipline, deterring would-be criminals.

Singapore's laws are a lot stricter than the UK's.

2. "Fostering a sense of unity"

"I have fond memories from my NS days, we were guys from different social backgrounds: you had the A-level guys as well as the Hokkien pengs, you had Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Hindus and guys with no religion, you had rich guys whose parents drove big cars and those who were struggling to make ends meet, you had gay guys and straight guys and confused guys. We spoke English, Singlish, Hokkien, Mandarin, Cantonese, Malay and Tamil. We lived together, worked together and learnt a lot from each other. The shared experience gave us so many happy memories, it taught me so much about Singaporean society in a way that I never did back in my JC days - I had a rather sheltered upbringing and really only mixed with people from a similar social background. Hence I must say that NS really fostered a sense of unity amongst all of us, it united us men as Singaporeans with a shared experience. It truly brought us all together and I truly believe that NS does contribute a lot to social cohesion and harmony in Singapore."

I think there is an element of seeing the past through rose-tinted lenses. I had a similar yet different experience: yes I had to work alongside men from all different sections of Singaporean society during NS. Whilst it was definitely a precious learning experience, I didn't get along with everyone, must less form great friendships. No, rather, I simply got along best with those whose social-economic background was most similar to mine and I learnt how to be diplomatic and professional with those I had nothing in common with. Don't get me wrong, this is an extremely important lesson for one to take into the working world, where you also have to work alongside people you have nothing in common with, or even intensely dislike and can't stand the sight of! So whilst I look back upon my NS days and recognize that this was an important lesson I learnt then as I have since gone on to work with loads of people I didn't like at all. But no, I really don't believe it did anything to foster a genuine sense of unity amongst the men at all.

Does NS foster a sense of unity amongst the men?

The true litmus test is whether or not these men of different social backgrounds continued to interact with each other socially long after they have left NS, or did they simply retreat to the comfort of their own communities instead? Whilst some do maintain these friendships they have forged during NS, many do simply retreat to their comfort zone and only mingle with those from their own communities once safely back in the civilian world. There's nothing mysterious going on here - it is simply easier for us to enjoy the company of those with whom we have more in common with. I did what many would have done in my situation: I was stuck in NS, I didn't have a choice whom I had to work with so I simply made the best of a bad situation by being diplomatic with people I disliked - now that is quite different as someone who is enjoying that particular situation. NS taught me how to make the best of a bad situation - it certainly did nothing to foster a sense of unity with my fellow Singaporeans. Quite the opposite in fact, it confirmed to me that leaving Singapore to seek greener pastures abroad was the right thing to do.

What about the UK then? 

Well here in the UK, national service was phased out in 1963, so only those over the age of 70 would have had the experience of having served. In the absence of anything equivalent, British society tends to be rather fragmented according to social class. Thus British people would mix with people of a similar social-economic background and would rarely even know anyone from a different social class. But then again, is this really any different from the situation in the civilian world in Singapore? No, it isn't. When people have the choice to decide whom they live with, whom they work with, whom they socialize with, whom they marry - most people tend to gravitate towards those who are very similar to themselves. Hence by that token, British society is no different from Singaporean civilian society.

British society really isn't that different from Singapore.

3. "Work experience for young men"

"When I look at these young Singaporeans who have just graduated from university, they have very little practical work experience. Okay, maybe they have had a short internship, but that's hardly the same as having held down a real job. But with these Singaporean men who have served NS, I can at least use that as some kind of proof that they have had some kind of practical working experience. Without NS, they have only proven that they can study hard and pass exams - my company does not hire people to study for exams! We hire people to do real work, in the real world, for real clients who pay us good money for our goods and services. Okay, maybe your NS vocation has nothing to do with your future job - but at the very least, that's two years of work experience on your CV. It is worth more than you think, so don't take it for granted."

Now there is actually some truth to it, though it does vary: some Singaporean gatekeepers do attach quite a lot of importance to your NS experience, but don't take this for granted. I know of this male Singaporean gatekeeper who was an officer during his NS days, so he took great interest in this aspect of the applicant's CV. Then I also know of this female Singaporean gatekeeper who obviously didn't serve NS and she knew nothing about NS, so she skimmed through that part and focused on other parts of the applicant's CV. I have even heard a gatekeeper say, "well that's conscription, it doesn't really count does it? You don't get any say in what you do, you just turn your mind off and follow instructions and okay, you survived two years of being able to take instructions. It doesn't demonstrate any creativity, taking initiative or problem solving skills at all. So if I see you've served NS, then I simply shrug my shoulders and say, so what? That doesn't impress me much." What about Singaporean women then? They don't have to serve NS, yet they still somehow manage to make that transition from student life to working life - so I fail to see how NS provides such vital work experience for the men. Sure it is work experience, but how much value can you really attach to it?

What about in the UK then?

In the UK, many students tend to work - far more so than in Singapore. This means that by the time your average British student graduates, they already has several years of part-time work experience under their belt. Of course, not all British students work part time - some do it throughout the academic year, some do it only during the holiday period and some don't do it at all. However, there is quite a different attitude towards students working in the UK compared to Singapore. In the UK, it is seen as a means to gain vital work experience whilst in Singapore, students are expected to use their holiday periods and any spare time to do extra studying, just to get an edge over their classmates. Thus in the UK, many fresh graduates actually do have a lot more work experience on their CVs compared to their Singaporean counterparts - they are not any worse off, in fact, it can be argued that they are a lot better off as Singaporean men have to take two years out for NS whilst British students incorporate this into their student life and enter the workforce two to three years before Singaporean males do.

4. "From Ah Boys To Men." 

"It is a rite of passage that defines all Singaporean men - when you enlist, you are a boy, a teenager fresh from school and when you ORD, you are no longer a boy but a man. It is such an important process which turns boys into men, you learn so much about being an adult in NS as that is probably the first time you are being treated as an adult in Singapore. The teachers in school see you as a kid, your parents see you as a kid, you are treated like a kid all your life till that point when you enlist in NS, you are given a gun and treated like an adult, expected to function as one and made to feel like one. Many guys actually find this experience quite liberating, as that is the kind of adulthood experience they had been waiting for all their lives till then. I shudder to think what Singaporean men would be like if they didn't have this experience of NS, they would be these overgrown boys who may be tall and look like men but still have the mindset of boys, living at home with their parents! NS is so vital for Singaporean society, it nurtures the males, from Ah boys to men. Can you imagine in other countries, where men are not made to grow up like that?"

Once again, there is some truth to this statement but it mostly boils down to one unique cultural aspect of Singapore: Singapore is small enough a country that children tend to live with their parents throughout university and even their adult lives. They only contemplate moving out once they get married and sometimes that move is even delayed until the couple have their first child. This is because Singapore is such a small country that any where is within a reasonable commute, so there is little incentive for Singaporeans to move out of their parents' home. Spare a thought for our Malaysian friends north of the border: imagine someone from Johor Bahru who gets a job in Penang or goes to university in Penang, that's a long journey of nearly 700 km. So Malaysians and indeed anyone from a bigger country would get used to moving away from home once they reach adulthood for work or further studies.

Whilst what it is true that NS represents the first time the vast majority of Singaporean men are living away from home, but the moment they ORD, the vast majority of Singaporeans men simply go back to living with their parents. So any kind of maturity acquired through the NS regime is undone within months, even weeks, the moment Singaporean men revert back to the previous arrangement and mindset subsequently. In fact, I have written about this issue at length in a previous piece. In NS, you are infantalized: you are treated like a young child. You are told what time to wake up, what to wear, breakfast is cooked for you and all day long, you are given instructions (well, orders) about what to do, where to go, what time you go to sleep, what time the lights are turned off and you simply turn your brain off and just follow all the instructions. How is that different from the way three-year old children go through their daily routines?

Adults think for themselves, children just do as they are told.

What about in the UK then? 

Well, like Malaysia, the UK is a big country and as a result of the geography of the country, most adults are compelled by circumstances to move away from home the moment they turn 18 - be it to find work or to get further education. The difference is that the moment you are 700 km away from your parents, you're saddled with a lot of responsibilities as an adult. Nobody is going to wake you up in the morning, nobody is going to make you breakfast and if you have not done your own laundry, then you won't have any clean clothes to wear. Nobody is going to tell you what to do and if things go wrong, say you fall very ill, then tough shit, you're on your own. Now that's what being an adult is all about and let's contrast that last example to our men doing NS - when you fall ill, you go to the medical center and "report sick", whereupon the medical officer will examine you and if you are very ill, you will be warded in the medical center where you will be taken care of by medics and nurses. That is a luxury that British adults living on their own won't enjoy - if you are not sick enough to be warded in hospital, then nobody is going to take care of you when you are lying in bed running a fever. That is the grim reality of being an adult and taking care of yourself - that's something many Singaporeans never really experience until they move out of their parents' home. 

So in conclusion, whilst I do feel that Singaporeans tend to exaggerated the benefits of NS to both the men and society in general. Singaporean males don't get a choice in the matter - they simply have to serve NS whether they like it or not, so many do take in their stride and try to make the best of a bad situation. What do you think? Have you reaped the benefits of NS personally? Or if you are a Singaporean woman, do you think that your society is much better because your men have serve NS? Do let me know your thoughts, leave a comment below. Many thanks for reading.