NATIONAL SERVICE (Reduction of period for graduates with specialist qualifications)

Mr Lee Teck Him asked the Minister for Defence if he will consider reducing the period of national service from two years to six months for graduates who have specialist qualifications.

The Minister for Defence (Mr Lim Kim San): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Singapore Armed Forces aims at building and sustaining an efficient and effective force of trained men in the Reserve. To be an effective Reserve Force, during the period of their full-time service the national servicemen have to receive a high standard of training. The Reserve service can only maintain the standard that has been achieved, it cannot advance that standard.

In terms of time, the necessary period for basic training requires between four and twelve months' training, dependent on the vocation of the national servicemen, even assuming that the national serviceman has had previous technical training. This must be followed by on-the-job experience and additional training to advanced levels in the respective vocations.

Training of an officer takes up to two years depending on the vocation that he is being trained for, and his previous qualifications. Additionally, at least one year's experience as an officer is necessary before an officer can be considered for service in the Reserve Force.

Another important factor to consider is that there is not a sufficient supply of skilled men available to enable rep1acements to be called up every six months. It is particularly important, therefore, that in the case of skilled personnel they serve at least two years of full-time service.

Mr Lee Teck Him (Ulu Pandan)(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not satisfied with the reply given by the Minister. He said that it requires one year to train an officer, but graduates after passing out must have learnt a lot either in the field of science or art. They are scholars. So how can they be turned into soldiers? In my view, it is wrong. Graduates are specialists in their own fields and I feel they should contribute their specialities to the needs of our society instead of wasting their time in the army. Therefore, I think six months of training will suffice for them. I also feel that many people will oppose the continuation of two years' national service. Our country is not at war and there is no need to turn scholars into soldiers. Parents have spent a lot of money on the education of their children ---

Mr Speaker: Order. Mr Lee, do you have a supplementary question?

Mr Lee Teck Him: (In Mandarin): Sir, in my view, it is very important that graduates, after passing out, should contribute their bit to society, particularly those overseas students who are reluctant to come back to Singapore because of the statutory requirement to undergo national service.

Mr Lim Kim San: Mr Speaker Sir, I do not think the Member has really listened to my reply. He may have his own opinion, but we have gone thoroughly into the question. I would like him to understand that this is a modern technological age, and in the army we require people with specialist training and of high mental calibre. Therefore, it is necessary that we should conscript into the army people with specialist training who have gone through the third stage of education in order to make the army a very efficient force.

Mr Lee Teck Him(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, the answer given by the Minister was not what I was asking for. What I asked was that two years training should be reduced to six months. He has not answered that point.

Mr Lim Kim San: Sir, if the Member had listened very carefully to my reply, he would have heard why I said that it is not possible to train a man within six months.

Mr Lee Teck Him: (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, we can make use of Saturdays and Sundays to train these graduates. Of course, six months may not be sufficient, but we can find ways and means to give them additional training.