Saturday, August 1, 2009
National Service
Some young men cringe upon knowing they have to attend it. Some are enthusiastic about it instead.
Yes, it is National Service.
Everyone has separate views on this issue. From the viewpoint of the opposing party, some people think that attending National Service is simply a waste of time, and interrupts their studies and future plans. They find that National Service has caused them to miss out of some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Some people think that National Service is excruciating and is plain physical torture to them. On the other hand, those who are enthusiastic about National Service feel that National Service is inevitable and also the responsibility of all Singaporeans.
Nonetheless, there has been cases that there are people who are evading National Service. With regards to this problem, I do have some suggestions.
For one, the National Service can be amended such that everyone has a choice as to what role to take on other than the uniformed groups. Defending the country does not need to be only through the army. All young men should be given options as to what role to take on, such as policeman, firefighter or medic. This ensures that less young men will be reluctant to join National Service, and instead encourages more of them to serve the country willingly.
However, there will still be dodgers present even if the above suggestion is put in place. Thus, harsher punishments can then be put in place to complement the above proposal. Since they still refuse to join National Service despite being offered a larger variety of options, it is justifiable to increase the severity of punishments.
Summarizing my proposal: "Take it, or leave it and suffer the consequences"
