National Service: Flogging the horse that is named “Accountability”
The Singapore Armed Forces’ rap sheet is beginning to look as dubious as the SMRT’s, save with the far more serious consequence of death. While deaths occurring during army training are…
The Singapore Armed Forces' rap sheet is beginning to look as dubious as the SMRT's, save with the far more serious consequence of death. While deaths occurring during army training are not new by any means, its causes, allegations of negligence, suspicions of potential cover up down to the relevance of national service in the first place are beginning to capture public interest in a way that is unprecedented.
While Wikipedia is by no means a hundred percent accurate, it does provide a snap shot of the gist of a topic and I have included a link to Wikipedia that provides a list of those who have died in service just to give a picture on the numbers*.
Dominique Sarron Lee Rui Feng's case was probably the most high profile case in recent history given his parent's efforts to obtain justice for their son's seemingly senseless death. Their efforts while legally unsuccessful have provided much necessary publicity which provided a platform for some much needed discussion on the issue of how military negligence is dealt with.
Every healthy Singaporean male has to serve national service which involves vigorous physical and combat training. While strenuous, parents and loved ones should have the certainty that their sons are in safe hands while under the care of the state. When this does not happen, the state and the SAF has to be accountable to not just the victim's loved ones and family but to the country as well. These young men were serving their country after all! Not to mention that SAF is funded by public funds!
Why then do training incidents involving negligence still occur rather routinely? The latest victim is Dave Lee who died due to heat stroke while undergoing training.
In Dominique's case, certain officers were declared to have been negligent and that was the end of it. There was no follow up on what specific detailed changes were made and the family still feel that they have been left in the dark.
In Dave's case, it would appear that some questions still remain unanswered.
Why is proper procedure still not being followed despite previous deaths? Should there be accountability further up the command chain? Are we promoting officers who have not amassed the sufficient experience or maturity to lead? Is national service even necessary?
Real people have died and National Service remains a legal requirement for every Singaporean male. Is it fair to ask these young men to give up 2 years of their life if you can't provide them full transparency?
Given that the SAF is funded by public money, shouldn’t we be allowed to ask more questions?
These issues are not new and the questions although not new have been unanswered. As such, the flogging cannot stop – the horse is not dead.
*Editor's note - The Wikipedia list is not exhaustive, the two deaths (2002 and 2012) that occurred in the units that I served in, are not included, along with many others that were briefly covered in local media but not captured by public attention.
This entry was posted in Opinion.
