EMPLOYERS AND CR OWNERS HONOURED FOR SUPPORTING TOTAL DEFENCE

The willingness of individuals and organisations to support Total Defence is integral to Singapore's continued security and well being. This was the point brought forth by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Teo Chee Hean in his speech during the annual Total Defence Awards (TDA) Presentation Ceremony on 28 Jul.

TDAs are presented to employers who have gone the extra mile to support their staff in fulfilling their National Service (NS) obligations and civil resource (CR) owners who have made their vehicles and other equipment readily available to the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) for periodic resource acquisition exercises.

"By bringing together Singaporeans from all walks of life, either as individuals or organisations, TD helps to build a robust, all-rounded response to the uncertainties and challenges that may confront us a nation," said Mr Teo.

This year, a total of 10, 108 and 281 companies received the Minister for Defence Award, Distinguished Defence Partner Award and Meritorious Defence Partner Award respectively.

Mr Teo's message was not lost on the TDA winners. "Everyone has a part to play in TD. In return, citizens enjoy peace, stability and a thriving economy," said Mr Alan Chia, Director of logistics firm Movon Solutions Pte Ltd., which received the Meritorious Defence Partner Award for its efforts in facilitating its employees' NS obligations.

Some of their initiatives include allowing its staff to drive company vehicles to attend IPPT preparatory training (IPT) and planning duties around their In-Camp Training (ICT) and IPT periods. "The company is very supportive of our NS duties. The NS-friendly policies motivates me to contribute further to the nation's defence," said Operations Supervisor Mr Muhammad Zaki Bin Selamat, who is a Combat Engineer.

As a medium-sized enterprise with less than 50 staff members, these NS-friendly policies were the result of careful planning. For example, Movon ensures that each of their NSman staff would have someone to cover their duties while they are away.

"The awards are a clear recognition that even the smaller companies are appreciated for their TD efforts and it spurs us on to contribute more," said Mr Chia. He further mentioned that Movon is open to the idea of providing its warehousing and logistics expertise to the SAF, should the need arise.

Over at Huationg, the commitment to support the SAF in its civil resource acquisitions exercises is strong. Mr Chua (centre) said earlier that supporting TD efforts is everybody's responsibility. Flanking him is Assistant Business Developer Mr Sharul Nazil (left) and Operations Manager Mr Desmond Poh.

Doing more for their NSmen staff is also part of the management's policies over at Davis Langdon and Seah (DLS) Singapore Pte Ltd. DLS is a well-established construction consultancy with offices worldwide and it knows the value of stability.
"Singapore's security did not come by chance, and at DLS we have a no-deferment policy and other measures to ensure that our staff can fulfil their NS duties to the best of their abilities," said Executive Chairman Mr James Pollock. For their efforts, DLS received the highest TD accolade, the Minister for Defence Award (MDA).

Commendation letters and other incentives are also presented to staff who have done well in their NS duties. These NS-friendly policies were part of the reason why the 23 year-old Mr Arshad Bin Roslan decided to join the company after he completed his NS.

"My bosses make sure that our duties are covered by our colleagues while we are away from work, and this helps us concentrate on our NS training," said Mr Arshad, who joined DLS even before embarking on his NS as part of DLS' policy of holding positions for fresh school leavers until they complete their NS duties. Most other companies only hire pre-enlistees on internship or temporary basis.

Of this, Mr Arshad, who is an Assistant Quantity Surveyor, said, "The company has given me an advantage over the other guys because not all companies are willing to take in pre-enlistees to groom them and teach them. DLS started to groom me before my NS and there is a certain level of trust here."

Apart from human resource policies, companies with valuable resources such as heavy trucks and machinery also contribute to TD by providing their assets during civil resource acquisition exercises.

"We have at least 80 to 90 percent of our fleet supply out on commercial orders daily. When civil resource recall occurs, we make provisions by asking other drivers to do more trips, so that the required vehicles might be sent to the base," said Mr Jimmy Chua, Group General Manager of Huationg Inland Transport Service Pte Ltd.

"We see it as part of our duty as responsible corporate citizens," added Mr Chua. The company has been a stalwart supporter of TD efforts for the past 10 years and hopes that the award will encourage other companies to do likewise as "nothing is more important than national security". Like DLS, Huationg also received the MDA.

During the ceremony, Mr Teo also presented certificates of appointment to 17 Honorary Minister for Defence Awards (MiDAs) League members who had displayed strong commitment towards TD for the past five years. They were the first MiDAs League members to receive the Honorary title for showing exemplary support for NS.

Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen and Minister of State for Defence Associate Professor Koo Tsai Kee presented the Distinguished Defence Partner Award and Meritorious Defence Partner Award respectively, to the companies.