Govt is to help achieve dreams not destroy them

Clarence Chew had sought a deferment from his NS commitments so that he could complete his studies, and also represent Singapore at the two major Games next year.

By rejecting his appeal and not allowing him the opportunity to represent Singapore and complete his studies, the relevant agencies have sent all the wrong signals to potential national athletes and their families, in that it doesn’t pay to invest in sports at all.

It is disappointing that after all these years, we still haven’t understood the value of sports and the sacrifices our athletes and their families go through just to bring glory to the country.

Wouldn’t a better solution have been for Clarence to finish his studies, which would also have allowed him to swing for Singapore at the two major Games next year, and then serve out his NS commitments?

It would be more meaningful to stop taking singular positions, and start finding common interests, for the benefit of Singapore.

A Government’s role is to help its citizens achieve their hopes and not be a destroyer of dreams.

This was first published at themonitor.sg and reproduced with permission. This is the personal opinion of Jose Raymond and does not represent the views of the organisations he currently hold positions at.