What matters in our armed forces today is not the amount of
new-fangled toys we have, but how professional our regulars and
NSFs are.Professionalism plays a big role in ensuring that the army
remains as an effective institution in times of crisises, able to
deal with threats in a capable manner, unlike all our common "army
cock-up" experience.In the case of regulars, they should undergo a
paradigm shift in their attitudes, instead of thinking that the
Army is a rice bowl which will never crack, or should I say ,
harder to crack than the private sector.Many regulars sign on with
the mindset that the risk element is low, and that Singapore might
never go to war in their lifetime.When you have such attitudes
amongst the professional soldiers, their thinking will infect the
entire corps and slowly work its way to every nook and
cranny.
In my NSF experience, I have seen us conscripts, be it men, specs
or officers, being tasked a great deal more to do in our daily
jobs, much more than the seniors.Why might this be so?Some may say
IT revolution, the "lau cheks" may be quite unfamiliar with the new
toys the Army is implementing, (remember that they are usually
O-level holders or below, for the case of the Warrant Officers,
which are mainly the leaders on the ground).Perhaps because of this
inadequacy. they make use of us to perform their tasks.It's okay,
we are under orders.However, what irks me is the main attitude
amongst them that they think its their God-given right and an
entitlement for them to have helpers like us, working on stuff that
they should be working on.What is needed is appreciation and
acknowledgment that we did a good job and we provided assistance
and support.This is not a crusade against the senior specialists as
a whole, but I'm trying to point out that many of us feel used, and
that's where the morose and despondancy appears, when we do a great
deal and we are not recognised.So much for ISO, MEA and all that
bull, because if you were to go down to the ground, you will
realise that all these are just paid lip-service and the Army ,
exemplified by the narcissists that have their insidious grip on
the NSFs, demands commercial standards of production but pays and
rewards in a 13th century penury system.
The old generation will pass on soon enough.In order for the rot to
be stemmed, we should inculcate proper values in our younger
regulars and have in place a stringent psychometrical evaluation
and tests to analyse a prospective applicant's mind and
character.We should not just accept any fit Tom, Dick or Harry.An
motivated smaller and educated force is much better than a large
but unmotivated and parasitical force.We owe the taxpayers this
much.Let it sink in or we might have a crisis of faith in our green
hands.
