See Ian Ike and NS deferment

There's been a flurry of letters to the Straits Times with regards to See Ian Ike's deferment.

Give Ike a chance to pursue his dreams
Mindef should grant teen violinist NS deferment
Mindef should review NS deferment policy, make exceptions for the exceptionally gifted
National Service deferment: S'pore will gain by letting gifted young people develop their talents abroad
Consider NS deferment for those with exceptional family burdens

Thanks to the Melvyn Tan saga and the subsequent public outcry, MINDEF tightened it's rules on NS deferment. NS is always a tricky issue, it's taking 2 years of a young man's life and forcing him to lead a regimental life as a soldier. Issues of nationhood, universality, equality, dreams and aspirations, duties and obligations come into picture.

For See, it's a special case as he's one of the first hugely talented people to be affected by the change in deferment policy. If this change had been in place for some time, it would seem reasonable for aspiring musicians to plan their careers with this consideration in mind. They have to take some responsibility and cannot blame MINDEF for being inflexible. However, in this case, See is a victim of the untimely change (but of course someone will always be affected by policy changes), so MINDEF should probably take that into account when deciding the outcome of his appeal.

It would also be good if MINDEF could disclose the reasons for its judgement. Wasn't there someone who deferred NS by 2-3 months for the World Cyber Games? I dont know the details but it does seem strange that this was good reason for deferment. Perhaps it is the length of period of deferment, but there are sentiments that music and art is neglected in Singapore and See's case just proves this point. If MINDEF was more transparent about its decision-making process, it will clear up the misunderstanding about any biases.


A difficulty I see is that there will always be costs for someone to be drafted, and for See it is not exactly clear that the costs incurred now is higher than that if he defers and returns. Will he become a world-famous violinist? And if he does, is 2 years as a world-famous violinist more "costly" than that of him as a student in Curtis? And if his skills will stagnate or atrophy if he enlists now, what about if he enlists later? It is quite impossible to measure this hence there we can't tell what is the less costly option.


Also problematic is the issue of the principle of equality which decides how NS is implemented. Equality means that everyone serving NS is given the same treatment, which is distinct from the concept of universality that means every medically fit male must serve NS. Already there are people who are not happy that some PSC scholars and medical students can defer. I can understand that SAF needs Medical Officers but what about PSC scholars? As it is with See's case, it seems to me that the value of deferring now mainly accrues to themselves. There is talk that See's enrollment in Curtis Institute of Music will boost Singapore's reputation by leaps and bounds but that seems a bit too tenuous an argument. And since it will not benefit most Singaporeans, it does seem sacrificing equity in this case is a little dubious.

In addition, sacrificing equity for the promotion of the arts is a value-judgement, but that just creates more questions. Why can't enlistees with severe family problems defer? Is the professional development of a musician deemed to be more important that the relieving of hardship for one's family? Will it lead to a breeding of elitism or create some sort of societal divide? I think these questions should not be casually brushed aside.

Then there are questions why we are so harsh to our own brother/son and yet can be so generous to foreigners. Realistically, how many people will want to immigrate here if they have to do NS? It's even worse for talents in this globalized economy. Practical reasons aside, being born and bred here, he owes more to the country than some PR. He has enjoyed the fruits of the labour of our NSmen, the security, the prosperity, the conditions which allowed him to become who he is today.

That said, I don't think deferring him is a major problem, given the circumstances and provided he comes back. Given his potential, I don't think Singapore government wishes to burn bridges by creating ill-will, but it'll be an interesting outcome as NS is a touchy issue.