NATIONAL SERVICE (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

3.40 p.m.

The Minister for Defence (Mr Lim Kim San): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Bill seeks to amend a few sections of the National Service Ordinance, 1952, the principal amendment being the addition of a new subsection (3) to section 5. As section 5 now stands, a person who has been convicted for failing to register is not legally bound to register even though he has been tried and convicted for the offence. The addition of the new subsection will remedy this situation by giving authority to the Court to direct persons who have been tried and convicted of this offence to register.

The other amendments to the Act are to section 16K (1). Clause 5 of the Bill seeks to increase the national service liability of persons who have been selected for officer training from two years to three years. This is desirable because officer training is lengthy and expensive. Besides, to be effective, an officer must serve at least 18 months after he has been trained. He can then go into the Reserves. The total period of service has, therefore, to be three years. Although it is possible to retain a national serviceman in service for three years or for any longer period by virtue of section 16c of the Ordinance, this is not the proper section to invoke because it was designed for times of emergency.

Clause 5 of the Bill also amends sections 16K (2) of the Ordinance by enabling part-time national servicemen to be deployed for duty for either three hours per week, or six hours per fortnight, or twelve hours per month. The deployment of part-time national servicemen in the People's Defence Force, the Vigilante Corps and the Special Constabulary on police duties has shown that three hours' duty per week is not practicable. By the time the national serviceman has been briefed and reaches his beat, he has only a short actual duty period before it is time for him to report off. The proposed amendment will enable national servicemen to be deployed for duty for continuous periods of up to a total of 12 hours in a month, thereby making the deployment more effective.

Clause 4 amends section 9 of the Ordinance by adding a new subsection (10) to ensure that the medical examination of a person who is to be called up for national service has to undergo is a full and proper medical examination, including a dental examination at the time of registration.

A minor amendment is also being made by including the expressions "vigilante corps" and "VIA" to section 26 (1) (b) of the Ordinance, which were inadvertently left unamended when the Ordinance was amended in March 1967.

Sir,I beg to move.

Question proposed.

3.45 p.m.

Mr Lee Teck Him: (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to repeat what I have said before on the subject of national service. I said that when national service involved students of higher institutions, such as universities and colleges, their period of training should be reduced from two years to six months. Now the Minister, by this Bill, is increasing the period from two years to three years. I am against the Bill on this point. We should place a premium on our specialists and scholars from the higher institutions. We should give them special treatment. Why should we train them as military officers?

Some people, as soon as they pick up a sword or a gun, are scared to death. We should recruit people who are of stout heart and also physically fit and train them as soldiers and officers. We should not enlist weaklings to fill military posts. I feel that the National Service (Amendment) Bill is against the spirit which I am propounding. Only people who are tall and strong should be enlisted for military training.

Mr Lim Kim San: Mr Speaker, Sir, perhaps the Member for Ulu Pandan does not realise that not all officers are scholars and not all scholars are officers in the army here. I am afraid he is living in the past when he talks about an officer in the army being robust, healthy and an extrovert. That may be in the past. Although we need robust, healthy and young officers, at the same time we also need people with brains in this modern technological age. Of course, in the army we do have some university graduates who are officers. But not all officers are university graduates. I think I have made it clear that officer training is expensive. It takes about 18 months to two years to train an officer, and just after he has completed his training, we are letting him off. This does not serve the purpose at all. Therefore, for an officer to be effective after having received his training, he should spend another year in the army and put all his training into practice.

The Member for Ulu Pandan may have his own views about giving six months' training to an officer and letting him off. But I can assure him that I have thoroughly looked into the question and, on the advice of the experts, we have decided that it is best for an officer to serve three years in our army.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Lim Kim San].

Bill considered in Committee.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

3.50 p.m.

Clauses 1 to 4 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 5 -

Mr Lim Kim San: Mr Speaker, Sir, subject to your consent and the general assent of Members present, under Standing

Order 32, I propose to move an amendment to this clause.

The Chairman: I give my consent. Does the Minister have the general assent of Members to move this amendment?

Hon. Members indicated assent.

Mr Lim Kim San: Mr Speaker Sir, I beg to move,

In page 2, lines 12 and 13, after "training,", to insert "or having been so selected and is currently undergoing officer training,".

Mr Speaker, Sir, this is a drafting amendment the purpose of which is to make it clearer that persons who are currently undergoing two years' full-time national service will be required to do three years' full-time national service.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause 5, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 6 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Bill reported with an amendment; read a Third time and passed.

Mr Speaker: Order. I propose to take the suspension now. I will take the Chair again at 4.30 p.m.

Sitting accordingly suspended at 3.55 p.m. until 4.30 p.m. Sitting resumed at 4.30 p.m.