A CLOSER LOOK AT DEFENCE WITH DPM TEO

How safe is Singapore really, from external threats? Are Singaporeans willing to stay back to defend the nation in times of crisis such as war or disease outbreaks? Should National Service (NS) be compulsory?

These were some of the pressing issues that students from 20 junior colleges, integrated programme schools and five polytechnics raised to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean during the Temasek Dialogue 2010 held at Changi Naval Base on 20 May.

Seventeen-year-old Edwin Chua was pleasantly surprised at the confidence Mr Teo expressed towards Singapore s future.

The first year student from Tampines Junior College told cyberpioneer that even though the nation faces issues such as a declining birthrate, Singapore has successfully forged ahead in the 21st century. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), for example, has leveraged on technology to become a modern and effective fighting force.

He added: "From the dialogue session, I came across ideas and opinions I never thought about, seen issues that I never thought existed. I realised that Singapore is much more prepared than I expected."

The annual Temasek Dialogue, which began in 1991, aims to create interest in the public service and to increase awareness and appreciation of security-related issues among students.

In his keynote address to over 300 students, Mr Teo shared about how the Republic of Singapore Navy has evolved over the years to become one that is well respected in the region.

"In a way, the Navy that you see today is a metaphor of the Singapore that you see today. It started out with very little, almost nothing, that through the efforts of people, it was created into something which is respected by others," he said.

"What is more interesting is the how - how did we get to where we are and also the why. Why is it we have to have a navy, why is it we have to have the SAF, why is it we have to spend quite a significant sum of our resources on defence every year."

A Year 5 student from Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), Arjun Kunnasagaran, however, felt that every Singaporean has a part to play in defence and that we cannot rely solely on the armed forces.

"Constant vigilance by everyone is important as it is very hard for just the army to uncover possible threats. If Singaporeans practise that, threats can be minimised," said the 17-year-old.

He added that Temasek Dialogue provided students the opportunity to discuss defence and security issues - something that is not delved as deeply into at schools.

"These issues are especially pertinent to us as males, and it s good for more students to be exposed," Arjun said.

For Rachel Goh, 17, the dialogue session was an enriching experience with a frank exchange of views.

"I expected it to be a monologue at first, but as more questions popped up, it became really interesting," said the first year student from Nanyang Polytechnic.

While it was very insightful to see security and loyalty issues being discussed and raised during the dialogue, what made it more refreshing was the way Mr Teo interacted with with students.

As Edwin put it, "Mr Teo turned out to be a funny guy, cracking jokes and stuff, especially in the way he was answering our questions."

Summing up his experience of the Dialogue, he said, "To discuss issues of national interest and hear Mr Teo's opinions on them, learning about the workings of the leaders of society, was definitely a great privilege for all of us."