Defence Minister Emphasizes Equal NS Responsibilities for All Young Male Citizens
SINGAPORE: Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen asserted on Tuesday (Aug 2) that all young male Singaporeans, including new citizens, are required to undergo National Service (NS), refuting recent claims made by Progress Singapore Party’s Leong Mun Wai as “inaccurate and misleading.”
Mr. Leong, a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP), had previously stated that “citizens by registration are not doing NS” during a parliamentary discussion regarding sporting privileges for national servicemen.
Dr. Ng clarified, “Since 2000, on average, 3,400 new citizens have been registered each year, and they are enlisted just like all male Singaporeans to serve their NS duties.” He highlighted that the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) had already provided a detailed written response to Mr. Leong’s earlier questions about the enlistment of male citizens, noting that men who receive citizenship later in life, typically in their 30s or 40s, are exempt from full-time NS due to their age and lack of prior benefits.
Dr. Ng emphasized that for all young male citizens, whether by birth or registration, NS liabilities are identical. “New male citizens who lived in Singapore as youths and benefited from its economic and social advantages are enlisted at 18 years or older,” he stated.
He pointed out that the policy of exempting mature adult citizens from NS has been in place since the early 1980s. Dr. Ng urged MPs to refrain from making misleading statements that could undermine NS, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), and the Home Team.
“Over the years, permanent residents and young male new citizens have formed an increasing proportion of NS enlistees,” he noted, mentioning that in the early 2000s, they constituted 5 percent of full-time national servicemen, which has now risen to about 20 percent.
Dr. Ng added, “Without the additional influx of new citizens and PRs, our smaller birth cohorts would have severely impacted SAF’s manpower needs.”
He also expressed the importance of correcting misleading information to reassure national servicemen. “If potential enlistees believe that their peers are exempt, it may discourage them from fulfilling their NS duties,” he cautioned.
During the session, Mr. Leong expressed his dissent, acknowledging MINDEF’s data on contributions from permanent residents and new citizens but insisted that a significant number of new citizens did not serve NS. He pressed for specific figures on those who had not enlisted.
In response, Dr. Ng reiterated, “It’s not in the interest of this House to debate based on misleading statements,” emphasizing the facts provided.
As the debate continued, Mr. Leong insisted on clarity regarding the number of new citizens exempt from NS, to which Dr. Ng confirmed that his previous answers had addressed the inquiry. Mr. Leong concluded by stating he would file a parliamentary question for further clarification.
