Cash bonuses for NSmen in pipeline
All 700,000 men who have served can expect between $100 and $200 if plan gets OK
The 700,00 Singapore men here who have done National Service can expect a cash bonus when the Government conducts its next exercise to share the nation's bounty.
This "gesture of appreciation" is being proposed to the Government, for Parliament to decide in the coming Budget debate, due in late February. If the proposal is accepted, those who have served NS can expect between $100 and $200 in cash.
Other ways of recognising service have also been proposed.
Among them: A new Safra clubhouse in Jurong, to open by 2009, and a meuseum on National Service to showcase their contributions.
While the cash bonus is a one-off award to commemorate the 40th anniversary of National Service (NS), another proposal calls for those who have completed their in-camp training - usually after a 10-year period - to also get some money. This is also expected to be between $100 and $200.
Some 20,000 Singapore men are called up every year to serve in the military, police and civil defence forces. After two years of full-time NS, these Operationally Ready NSmen can be called up every year of NS service, to practise battle manoeuvres or emergency exercises, until they turn 40, or up to age 50 for officers.
These proposals for monetary rewards come from the committee to Recognise the Contribution of Operationally Ready NSmen to Total Defence, or Record, which convenes once every five years.
This is the fourth Record committee and is chaired by Second Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen, who is also Manpower Minister.
"Our recommendations should not be seen as commensurate with the investment or sacrifice made by NSmen. They are not meant to be tallied or compared one with the other," Dr Ng told reporters yesterday, when he released the committee's recommendations.
"It is a tangible expression, a simple way of saying, that we appreciate the role of each NSman in the Singapore Armed Forces, the Singapore Police Force and the Singapore Civil Defence Force."
This time, Record wants even those have completed their reservist liabilities to be eligible. In fact, it is calling for them to have a greater share of the booty than those serving NS.
To Captain (NS) Aw Ah Liat, 36, an air force officer who completed his NS last December, the proposed bonus reflects the country's appreciation for its old soldiers - especially early batches of NSmen who enlisted from 1967.
He said:"I think it's a good gesture. NSmen who have completed their 10- or 13-year-long training cycle are the forgotten lot, so to speak, because they are no longer called up for NS training."
Another first: Instead of shares, cash will be given out. Dr Ng declined to reveal the amount, suggesting that past exercises would serve as a guide. By this yardstick, the men will get $100 to $200 more than other Singaporeans.
Key officers also stand to gain from higher allowances and tax relief. The rationale: These are critical players in the SAF's efforts to transform itself into a third-generation fighting force.
The proposed Safra clubhouse in Jurong will complement five other Safra clubhouses, while the museum, said Dr Ng, will serve "as a tribute to the contributions of our NSmen" and also a "learning institution for all Singaporeans so that they can better appreciate the crucial role that NS plays in national defence".
Source: THE STRAITS TIMES FRIDAY JANUARY 20, 2005
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home