REMEMBERING THE PAST, DEFENDING THE FUTURE

Fifty-one years ago, this event shook the hearts of every Singaporean. With more than 40 acts of sabotage and violence carried out, several civilians were killed and many others were injured. The most heinous act, however, was the MacDonald House bombing on 10 Mar 1965.

One of the darkest moments in Singapore's history, Konfrontasi was a period when Indonesia embarked on a three-year armed campaign to oppose the formation of the Federation of Malaysia. To honour those who defended Singapore and remember the lives lost during that period, a memorial ceremony was held at the MacDonald House on 10 Mar.

"We draw lessons from that dark chapter of our history, so that we can face today's challenge against a different threat from extremist organisations, one that threatens the security of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the region," said Senior Minister of State for Defence Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman who officiated at the solemn service.

Noting that terrorism today has evolved and extremist groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has taken to social media to "propagate their twisted ideologies", Dr Maliki said that Singaporeans' response has to be one of Total Defence, with everyone playing their part to keep Singapore secure and resilient on all fronts.

"There is no doubt that we are in an ongoing fight against terrorism. This will be a long battle, one for the hearts and minds of our people, but if we stand together and have the resolve to defend our way of life from those who seek to hurt and divide us, we will triumph," he added.

In his address, President of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Veterans League Brigadier-General (BG) (NS) Winston Toh spoke of his hopes for the future generation to remember the sacrifices of those who fought for Singapore.

"I hope that succeeding generations of Singaporeans, such as our young National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets present here today, will continue to remember important lessons from this turbulent period of Singapore's history, and have the resolve to do all they can to preserve our way of life."

These messages were not lost on NCC cadet, 16-year-old Grant Sim, who was participating in the memorial ceremony for the first time, as part of the Honour Guard.

Through social media, Mr Sim and his friends are kept updated on news about terrorism, particularly the acts of ISIS. This got him thinking about how he could play his part to defend Singapore.

He said: "It (Konfrontasi) serves as a reminder for us to always be alert and not take our peace and security for granted. Even though I was not born when it happened, terrorism (exists today), and we always have to be alert, and not let it happen in our country."

The Ngee Ann Polytechnic student, who intends to sign on with the SAF as an officer, added: "I want to play a part in keeping the peace, to raise awareness that we always have to be alert, to be thinking about what we should do and not take (peace) for granted."

For 17-year-old Ammar Bin Abdul Rahman, defending Singapore is something that must be passed on from generation to generation.

The NCC cadet from Singapore Polytechnic was part of the Honour Guard last year, and volunteered to train the Honour Guard for this year's ceremony.

He said: "How we can all play a part is to always remember (past events) like the MacDonald House bombing Singapore is our land and our home. We wouldn't want to live a life where we can't see our family or loved ones the next day or (even) the next minute. That's why we should defend Singapore."

Others like Military Expert (ME) 4 Kristy Rose Ryan and Winnie Hoe from the SAF Volunteer Corps (SAFVC) feel that attending the memorial ceremony is a reminder to not take Singapore's peace and security for granted.

"We are enjoying the peace, stability and harmony that our forefathers have created," said ME4 Ryan, an Air Force Engineer from 110 Squadron.

"So it's good to see how we can contribute to maintaining the stability and peace, whether it's being vigilant in our everyday lives or working hard and being professional in our training."