SINGAPORE : National service for new arrivals and ideas to
help integrate permanent residents and new citizens with
Singaporeans were some of the issues discussed with Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong during his hour-long dialogue with women
professionals on Thursday.
The dialogue was attended by representatives from 25 women's
organisations.
Besides raising several issues, they also spoke of their
experiences. These concerned Singapore's education system, national
service for new citizens, and benefits enjoyed by citizens and
permanent residents.
Mr Lee said: "I have to have a clear distinction between citizens,
and non-citizens and between citizens who do NS and citizens who
have not done NS. And that is what we have tried to do. That is why
every few years we have a RECORD Committee, and we have to make a
clearer distinction between the citizens and the PRs.
"When it comes to education fees, we have widened the difference
between citizens and PRs and we will continue to widen (it).
Similarly healthcare, in our hospitals, PRs pay significantly more
than citizens in all classes of wards, and that also gradually we
will widen.
"And then between the PRs and the foreigners, we have another clear
differentiation in treatment. So I cannot make it completely flat
because intrinsically it is not comparable.
"But I can redress some of this sense of 'not quite fair', and we
can do more of these measures. But I cannot stop people bringing
the people in, and unfortunately I cannot do away with NS."
Some mothers suggested that national service be broken up, instead
of two years at a go.
Mr Lee responded: "It is better to have the two years as one block
and compact it. From the SAF point of view, it is better because
two years as one block, I am genuinely making full use of the
soldier... train, go on course, become a specialist or officer,
posted to a unit, train to operate a unit and become a proper
operational which can actually deploy and fight and then ORD. If I
do it three months here, six months there, I am just pretending to
have a battalion."
Mr Lee stressed that the challenges faced by Singapore - be it the
economic crisis or population shortfall - cannot be solved by the
government alone. All Singaporeans must unite to tackle them
together.
- CNA/ms