STUDENTS, STAKEHOLDERS ENGAGED THROUGH DIALOGUES

Ranging from issues surrounding defence spending to the possibility of women serving National Service, the topics discussed at the Second Temasek Dialogue flowed freely under the guidance of Minister of State (MOS) for Defence and Education Lawrence Wong Shyun Tsai.

Similarly, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Defence and National Development Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman engaged various stakeholder groups in lively discussions, as part of their visits to the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Open House 2011.

While the annual Temasek Dialogue was held on the sidelines of the open house at the Air Force Training Command (AFTC) on 26 May, the various stakeholder visits were held over the course of the open house's run.

This year's Temasek Dialogue, themed Defending Our Home, saw over 200 students from 20 junior colleges, integrated programme schools and polytechnics take part.

In his opening address to the students, Mr Wong spoke of the need for a robust defence. "It is easy to forget after decades of peace and prosperity that Singapore's existence and our success has defied both history and geography," he said.

"Deterrence has worked because of a strong Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), built through many years of National Service (NS). Over the years, the SAF has developed into a potent and credible fighting force. Without this, Singapore might not have survived, let alone prospered."

He added: "As a small nation with a small population, with very limited resources, we cannot afford a large standing armed force. That is why we need National Servicemen."

For student Amrit Singh from Temasek Junior College, the dialogue proved to be both insightful and surprising when he learnt that women, too, wanted a role in defence similar to NS. "Some of the points such as the vulnerabilities of Singapore arising from energy issues brought the NS into perspective. For me, it brought home the message on the importance of NS in safeguarding our country," he said.

The question of females serving NS was brought up by student Sarah Tan during the dialogue session. "I know that certain countries draft able-bodied citizens of both sexes, and I wanted to hear Mr Wong's views on that," said the Raffles Junior College student.

In response, Mr Wong said that while NS has a nation-building component to it, the key purpose remains to train combat-ready soldiers for the defence of the nation. He elaborated: "There are currently no plans to draft women because the current set-up sufficiently fulfils the SAF's core mission of defending the country."

At the dialogue session with ACCORD members and employers on 26 May, Dr Maliki gave his take on issues such as the SAF taking on overseas missions, the defence budget and the readiness of the SAF to respond in times when the security of Singapore is under threat.

While the SAF's mission remains the defence of Singapore, the changing security landscape requires constant change so that the armed forces can deal with the threats said Dr Maliki. He also reassured ACCORD members and employers that the SAF remains ready to respond to national threats if they do materialise despite the overseas operations and training exercises which the SAF regularly participates in.

During the women's group dialogue session on 28 May, Ms Chew Lee Ching from the International Women's Forum asked about how the SAF takes care of soldiers' emotional needs, especially when they are deployed overseas for extended periods of time. "It works both ways, for the men who are out there and the families back home and I just wanted to find out for the sake of women who do not have access to such information," she said.

Ms Chew was glad to find that much effort is made to ensure that SAF servicemen, while on official duties overseas, are kept in contact with their loved ones back home. In addition to regular phone calls home, each serviceman or woman is assigned a Family Liaison Officer who will constantly update the families on the situation in the respective foreign country. There are also periodic "care packages" for families to send items to the service personnel overseas.

Grassroots leaders got the chance on 29 May to speak with Dr Maliki, who called on the community leaders to transmit the importance of defence to their residents. "Defence is a national responsibility. And I appeal to all to spread the message of the importance of defence," he said.

The RSAF Open House 2011 will end today at 7pm.

For more information, please visit the RSAF Open House website.