Last Updated on 2017-07-29 , 5:10 pm
Singapore is generally a great place to live. You just have to pay for your stay with 2 years of your life (if you’re a guy), and about 10 years of reservist afterwards.
You could also simply move out of the country, and skip NS altogether.
Or so Ang Lee Thye, a 43-year-old man, thought.
In one of the never-ending cases of people evading NS obligations, Ang went for the home run. He evaded NS for the longest possible duration under the Enlistment Act, from age 16.5 all the way to 40, a total of 23.5 years.
He timed it so that when he returned he didn’t need to serve at all.
For all that effort, all he got was a 2-year jail term.
Another pair of brothers, Sakthikanesh Chidambaram and Vandana Kumar Chidambaram, each evaded NS for durations between 3 to 5 years. Sakthikanesh was originally jailed for 3 weeks, and his brother fined for $6,000.
But That’s Not The End Of Their Stories
Now, the High Court and MINDEF have decided to take a harder stand against evasion of NS obligations. They will be drawing up a new sentencing framework to guide punishments for defaulters, in order to send a harsher message against evasion of NS.
As a result, Ang’s sentence was extended to 2 years and 9 months, while the two brothers are both serving jail terms now, with durations of 10 weeks and 7 weeks respectively.
Everyone Has A Duty To Do Their Best in NS
The focus of the changes is to address concerns regarding deterrence. As of now, over time, the attitude that NS could be served whenever one preferred will weaken national security. When the punishment is so weak, people would begin to think they could simply avoid NS until they felt like it.
Furthermore, if a defaulter returns and his sentence reduced due to performance in NS, it might feel unfair for those who served dutifully, as if they were being rewarded for escaping NS. It would also be unfair to defaulters who were less fit.
For National Service to remain effective, it has to be universal and equal, where every male Singaporean serves when he is required to, without regard to convenience or considerations.
In short, people who evade NS will be given harsher sentences, and reduced sentences will become nigh impossible to get.
The final and detailed sentencing approach will be released in due time.
Guys, it’s really not worth it to avoid your NS obligations. Instead, just serve dutifully, and you won’t get into any trouble.
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Featured Image: todayonline.com
This article was first published on goodyfeed.com
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