Own time own target, carry on
Saturday, 6 September 2008, 8:08 am | 685 views
A new play takes on a once hallowed institution
“Own Time Own Target”, a triple-bill of plays on the National Service (NS) experience in Singapore, concluded its brief run at the Esplanade two Sundays ago. Performed by what is quickly becoming Singapore’s most exciting and innovative theatre group, Wild Rice, “Own Time Own Target” was a refreshing take on the theme of NS that was perhaps last seriously addressed way back in 1987 by Michael Chiang’s evergreen “Army Daze”.
That is rather surprising, given the preponderance of NS in the public consciousness. Furthermore, past works - whether in theatre, film or literature - while blatantly poking fun at NS, have tended to muffle its rough edges, preferring to dwell on themes of inter-racial solidarity, class equity and nation-building instead of raising serious questions. They seemed motivated to help the wider public understand the NS experience rather than reflect on it, as if the institution of NS was somehow sacrosanct and above questioning.
Against this tide, “Own Time Own Target” - army slang for doing something at one’s own leisurely pace - boldly struck out on its own, comically portraying the dehumanisation, forced assimilation and bouts of irrationality that are central to every male Singaporean’s NS experience. It wasn’t entirely shorn of the usual run-of-the-mill themes associated with NS, but it crucially armed itself with the right chords of bewilderment and belligerence (that element of unvarnished antagonism between fellow soldiers or a soldier and his superior trapped together in a misery not of their choosing) missing from those earlier works. For the first time, it seemed that the institution of NS stood unadorned of its ‘National Education’ robes before the gaze of the theatre-going audience.
In a wider sense, “Own Time Own Target” is a symptom of the changing times. NS is no longer the hallowed institution it once was. Parents no longer give their children up as willingly as before to the NS machine, and over the past few years they have become increasingly unabashed about hounding the military over the welfare of their kids or making their complaints heard. Such trends have forced the military to be more open; for instance, there have been more disclosures of accidents and deaths occurring in NS in the last few years than in the preceding decades. Ironically, each fresh incident has only brought renewed anti-NS clamour.
The necessity of military service is becoming increasingly questioned, though admittedly it is still grudgingly accepted by most people. Recognising this ambivalence, the government brought the period of service down from two-and-a-half years to two in 2004, but this still seems too long to many Singaporeans. While NS is not likely to be abolished anytime soon, criticisms against it are likely to become more and more commonplace.
There are several reasons for this. Public expectations, bred by decades of peace and prosperity, have altered substantively since NS was first instituted in 1967. Singaporean parents who have been through NS take a dimmer view of their professed obligations to the state nowadays, particularly since they don’t think they’ve been adequately compensated for their service and they’re having fewer kids to begin with. Younger Singaporeans tend to see NS as an onerous burden.
The second reason is the perceived inequities and inconsistencies in the NS system. Public disgust several years ago at the revelation of the “white horse” system, in which children of prominent Singaporean leaders were identified to the military units they served in, was compounded by the Government’s brazen denial that this often resulted in preferential treatment for such soldiers. The Government also has difficulty reconciling for an increasingly politically-aware younger generation why the age of majority remains at 21, while they are expected to serve two years of military bondage at age 18.
It’s also proving hard for the government to counter perceptions that servicemen from different races are segregated to a certain extent, with Malays tending toward vocations such as the infantry, drivers or civil defence. In part that’s due to the military’s rigid adherence to sorting servicemen according to educational attainments, a criterion in which Malays are still some way behind the other races; but some would be reminded of Prime Minster Lee Hsien Loong’s controversial remarks in 1986 questioning the loyalty of Malay servicemen. In any case, less mixing between the servicemen would undermine one of the key justifications of NS, that of strengthening inter-racial bonds.
The deluge of immigrants into Singapore in recent years has also fuelled resentment, with many questioning the fairness of competing with newcomers unencumbered by NS obligations and who are free-riding on the security that Singaporeans have provided with their blood and sweat. The interminable tide of immigrants will only engender increasing bitterness, so long as that question of “fairness” remains unaddressed.
NS for a different world
The third reason is the notion that the geopolitical landscape is no longer the same as that of the 1960s. Today’s biggest security threat is terrorism, one that is better countered by sound intelligence work and nimble counter-terrorism forces rather than a hulking conventional army. Furthermore, the traditional perceived threats to Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, are (to what must be the profound surprise of Singapore’s ruling cabal) becoming increasingly democratic. While their racial rhetoric is admittedly worrying at times, they are more likely to be preoccupied with nation-building and internal politicking than outward expansion.
There is no doubt that the democratic experiments in Singapore’s neighbours are still fragile and not irreversible, but so far they have proven to be quite resilient, thanks in no small measure to the bedrock of strong civil societies in both countries. If these democracies continue to persist, in time the Singapore ruling cabal’s insistence on the maintenance of a large standing army (Singapore spent more on defence than Malaysia and Indonesia combined in 2005 and has a troop per capita ratio 3 times higher than its two neighbours combined) might actually reflect its insecurity at being surrounded by democracies quite unlike Singapore’s.
The institution of NS clearly needs to be adjusted to take into account new realities. Thus far most Singaporeans still agree that the need for a strong military necessitates compulsory military service, so NS will remain in service for some time to come. The main challenge is to meet questions of fairness and changing expectations. Some issues are easily addressed, such as abolishing the “white horse” system or improving the racial mix of army units. Another good suggestion elaborated earlier in TOC was Benjamin Cheah’s idea of giving servicemen more benefits in return for their service. (See: To walk the fire.)
Issues such as these are likely to prove increasingly urgent since the number of people experiencing (and being disillusioned by) the flaws of the NS system is only growing. On that score, the government can’t simply “own time own target”.
Writer’s note: The original version of this article had mistakenly said that “Own Time Own Target” was one play, when in fact it was a triple-bill consisting of two plays and a musical. The plays, “Radio Silence” and “Full Tank!” were written by Laremy Lee, and the musical “Botak Boys” was written by Julian Wong. Apologies for any confusion that might have ensued, and my thanks to Laremy for pointing out this mistake.
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RH:
1. Brilliant article, taught me many things. Much more thoughtful and insightful than the ad-filling rubbish in States Times and Toady. Thanks, all.
RH:
2. Any chance of putting the play on YouTube or some peer-sharing availabilities?
I posted this over at Dr Huang’s and would like to share it here.
I was born in the 60’s. I believed in the role of NS as a teenager and as a young adult. Now as a father of 3 boys who are fast reaching adulthood, I myself am not too sure about the role of national service, and I truly pity my boys.
1) There are no rewards for doing NS. While the PAP ministers are paid millions to do their ‘national service’ our boys are given no priviledges.
I would like to see a lump sum of money given to them- boys or girls , at the end of their NS, to be used for further education in local or foreign U. This will be a reciprocal act and give young citizens a sense of ownership.- much like what the ministers are getting, but a much much smaller percentage. You cannot go 2 ways about this, it sounds hollow!
2) At the moment, I understand the govt gives scholarship freely to Chinese and Indian citizens, this is obviously a snub to our local boys - while fees are increasing year by year. In many other countries university education is freely available - and free
3) Given a choice, yes, I would give my sons wings to fly and not come back either. However, I am not rich, so I suck thumb and hope for the best. While the ST forummer today (5 Sept )speaks loudly about the beauty and wonders of national service, I think he is not in the majority.
4) At a certain point in time I will need to tell my boys that the PAP govt does not have their interests in their heart and all they care about is bringing in more foreign talent to boost the GNP and their personal salaries and bonuses. (See Lucky Tan regarding sale of our power companies)
If they care enough about the people, there would not be old folks sleeping along walkways, collecting drinking cans and cardboards to make a living.
If they care enough about the people they will spend money and invest in her children, instead of making them pay for University education while giving free education to Chinese and Indian citizen, who come here, protected by the national service of our Singaporean youths.
Something is just not right!
“See Lucky Tan regarding sale of our power companies”
We wonder where the billions of money that goes into selling our local state-owned power companies goes to ? Anyone be surprised that majority goes into Temasek Holding ? Or any moron minister dare to tell us that sale of companies doesn’t end up profit like in a case by certain dubious gahman that says ERP does not make profit.
Look like we give them absolute power to come out lies and deceit. Only in Singapore can these gahmen get away and still bask themselves in Ivory Tower and eat Mee Siam Mai Hum.
Actually, I don’t really mind serving the 2 years NS. However, I have a huge gripe about how we serve those 2 years.
Several points.
1. Voting rights to all NSF regardless of age (i got conscripted when i was 17, finished 19 and left sg for higher ed).
2. Proper and independent channel for grievances (the current SAF hotline and chain of command does nothing but to help cover things up).
3.A greater involvement in national security (most of what we do is for show and parades only). For some reason singapore prefers hiring mercenaries to protect national assets. This really insults us.
4.Better recognition of service among the populace (i still remember how much stares and sneers we got in public while in uniform, especially on the MRT).
5. Better and more decisive employment measures, there are some regulars (a minority) who joined the army decades ago and wield their seniority with impunity by threatening everyone around them, ruin systems and think we’re their personal slaves. So much so they even other regulars have often complained. You should just fire these individuals rather than just transfer them to some small (condemned) unit to act out their fantasies.
6. A unequivocal and equal solution to the immigrant problem.
7. A stronger independence from the executive. We are here to serve the nation, not the PAP ie…dancing monkeys for show during the IMF.
8. Independent 3rd party audits for military spending (i’ve handled some invoices before and some of the things we get charged for will blow your mine). It’s tax payers money after all.
9. Better boots for all combat servicemen. We buy all the new fancy vehicles and weapons when the GST raised yet we’re still stuck with crappy boots that can’t grip on metal grates, tiles or even the the cement floor at my HDB (you can sabo the other platoon by mopping their floors). After I bought a pair of gortex-likes from the australian army, sold my old pair and never looked back (their soles are awesome). Same price even.
10. Stop forcing servicemen to consume drugs that have historically killed and hospitalized individuals (im not kidding).
Personal opinion, less legal/reservist liabilities and also people who downgrade due to flat foot should just die IMHO.
Regards,
As it is, NS does not give a level playing field to the local S”pore male. Now with extended maternity benefits, the S’porean employee takes a back seat to the so call FTs we take in by the container load. We serve n protect, the foreigners ride on our safe haven, take up uni places /work that SHD go the our only resources, the S’porean. I had been thru the unfairness in my workplace during my high key ICT, no employer other than the civil service gives a damn abt national defense. So pls cut the crap and this NS issue is a millstone round the neck of the S’pore male. Unless the unfairness is fixed. patriotism is dead, it cheapens the question of citizenship and it is just TCSS, what we learnt during NS. I used to believe in NS, with this FT invasion, it leaves a very sour taste.
Well I’m 19 this year and I have heard alot of unjust and inequity in the NS system from my friends who have served in it.
Moreover, as most of the people know the 2 years service time is too long. I personally feel that Singaporean males usually are more or less more educated than the other people from other nations due to our education system but we gave up this competitive advantage when we go into NS.
Secondly, I remember an interesting quote from somewhere that goes like this “NS for Singaporean guys, scholarships, jobs and education places for FT” This is the result of our government liberal FT policy. Since they (the government) like FT so much, why not hire FT to “protect” Singapore.
Lastly, as stated earlier, I’m of 19 of age and a lot of my peers abhor the day when they need to serve NS. They feel that it will ruin their live, break up relationships etc. How can you have a strong army when those serving are not serving willingly ?
I got a crazy idea. Since demonstrations are allowed at Hong Lim Park, why not we hold a demonstration regarding this issue?
7) Komenos on September 6th, 2008 3.59 pm
Ermm….we are sporeans, remember ?
someone must lead the way, many will see see look look, waiting the signal, the sign, that its safe to talk.
sporeans follow orders very well.
NS men have to be creative to maintain the sanity. See Michael Chiang’s movie for some real NS situations.
It is unfortunate that NS men and reservists are taken for granted - more meant to take bullets in war.
FT policy of trying to get their children failed as most so called FTs use Singapore as transit to elsewhere once they are ready to leave with their family..
Serious issues for Singapore if present policies are not changed. Advice to follow the principle that those who served NS and have to die for Singapore must be taken care first not FTs and their families - it is a very simple market driven practice - take care of your people and the markets will come to you. The Government cannot be that dumb.
Hi,
Thank you for publishing this piece.
I am one of the playwrights for Own Time Own Target (OTOT) and an avid reader of this website, so I was inititally quite excited to see OTOT mentioned. However, I’d like to make a few suggestions/comments which might aid in future editorial/editing decisions.
Firstly, OTOT was not a play on its own, as the writer seems to suggest in this article. OTOT was a triple-bill of two plays and a musical, so the editor/writer may want to check and double-check her/his facts in the future.
Secondly, I take umbrage at the writer’s remark that “past works - whether in theatre, film or literature - while blatantly poking fun at NS, have tended to muffle its rough edges, preferring to dwell on themes of inter-racial solidarity, class equity and nation-building instead of raising serious questions”.
I think this is a rather sweeping statement to make, and the writer may want to conduct further research on this. For starters, s/he may like to look at From Boys To Men: A Literary Anthology Of National Service In Singapore (2002), edited by Koh Buck Song and Umej Bhatia. It provides a good point of reference from which to look at the theme of NS in Singapore literature.
Thirdly, I’d like to commend the writer for her/his attempt at literary analysis of the plays, as seen in “that element of unvarnished antagonism between fellow soldiers or a soldier and his superior trapped together in a misery not of their choosing”. I recognised what play s/he was referring to (Radio Silence), but other readers may not be immediately clued in, so it would be good to provide a bit more context in the writing.
Last but not least, it would be nice to see a bit more engagement with the text and the performance in the writing in order that contextual evidence may be provided to support and lead the discussion into issues/topics the writer wants to discuss.
I acknowledge it may not be easy to procure copies of the performance, but the writer is very welcome to leave me a comment on my blog and I will gladly e-mail her/him copies of the texts of my plays. I extend this invitation to all readers of this website as well.
P.S. Robert HO: As much as “I disapprove of what you [normally like to] say, … I will [still] defend to the death your right to say it”. In any case, you may like to view some videos of OTOT here at http://singaporetheatrefestival.blogspot.com/2008/08/otot-videos.html . Thanks.
I agree that we can still have NS, but consider that a) girls readily have it really easier than men b) that RT (training when you fail or default IPPT) is really taxing c) inflexible deferment policies (Esp that post grads are not exempted from service like undergrads) d) SAFOS scholars disrupt and are placed in scholar platoons and given accelerated promotion–our military is the only one to have general in his thirties e)NSF is still too little–especially with changing economic climate
I did my full-time National Service in 1969 to1971. I did not like it much but I did my share, including reservists training after that. During those days, pride in service to nation was just that. Proud to be a Singaporean contributing towards defense and nation building.
Today in Singapore Inc., it’s crap! Total bullshit!
National Service became a mockery, a disgusting joke, the day ministers signed their own cheques and paid themselves millions in salary.
To add insult to injury, normal NSmen (active & reservist) give time of their lives to the nation to get their arse kicked while ‘white horse’ NSmen got theirs licked!
I’m too old to know but I’m sure my younger friends are frustrated with their losses in opportunities especially their careers due to their NS liabilities especially to so-called FT’s.
If national service or nation building is something that the government is serious about, they should not have robbed the public bank to pay themselves so well. What is done cannot be undone. As such, they must reward the NSmen more, much more, though not as much as their own obscene salary!
Yes, they can start of by listening and acting on the concerns of Familyman who’s 3 sons will have their arses kicked, NS-style. soon.
feedmetothefish
democracies = less aggressive? Really? Which countries have violated the most international laws?
Internal democratization does not equate to a more moderate foreign policy.
given that National Service is a service that is virtually free while our Ministers’ national service is multimllion, i propse that all youths who go through national service be paid the same as full time service men. Give them compulsory 2 years contract at ‘market rate’ pay, since we know that subsidies of any kind will only breed complacency, laziness and inefficiencies.
This will reduce the number of manhours spent on bo-liao things like ‘free packing of NS goodies bag’ airport baggage service for IMF personnel etc etc
We, in the pledge are all equal, and the life of oour 18 year olds should be more equal than 50 year olds 60 year olds and 80 year old ministers.
PS - does MM Lee get a separate pay check as head of GIC, on top of his MM pay?
Anyone knows, or is this a state secret that when divulged, will cause the investment of GIC to crumble?
TOC - thank you.
You have given the main cause as to why people are not reproducing themselves in Singapore!
It is not just the mothers. All the reservists know there is a 50-50 chance a boy will be born, and what shit follows thereafter at the prime of the kid’s life.
Spot on!
Dear Laremy,
Thanks for your comments, and for pointing out that “Own Time Own Target” actually consisted of 2 plays and a musical. Nevertheless, the article’s comments are meant to be applied to all the plays/musicals within “OTOT” taken as a whole.
I enjoyed “OTOT” and thought that it was rather original (I personally felt that “From Boys To Men: A Literary Anthology Of National Service In Singapore” was a mixed bag, with the better pieces being those by Gilbert Koh and Boey Kim Cheng), but this week’s article was not meant to be a literary critique of the play. Rather, it was used as a starting point for talking about NS.
Once again, thanks for your good work on the play.
Dear Farquhar,
Okay, but maybe The Online Citizen (TOC) could be more professional about this then and amend the opening paragraph to read:
Also, it would be nice if my comments were read carefully - my point was that it would be better to engage with the text/performance in greater depth before launching into the discussion.
I say this because I want to see TOC improve in terms of quality; I normally don’t go out of my way to give this amount of feedback.
9) Failed Policies on September 6th, 2008 7.48 pm
There was this lady , a ex-India citizen , now new citizen here, was guest on Blog TV hosted by FD and another guy and TOC representative Choo was there also.
There was a reply she gave that said something like, if foreigners have to serve ns, they most probably would not want to. Contradictingly, in another reply to TOC representative, she said she does not understand why people grumble about doing ns. She said, singaporeans should feel proud that they are doing national service. I wonder would she volunteer to do NS now that she is new citizen? I hope she say ‘YES’ loudly.
In that episode, FD also very much support FT and says he could not understand why sporeans feel uneasy about FTs saying that FTs competiting for rice bowl with them is good.
Coincidentally, FD owns a company and that makes him an employer.
small correction to the above of what I said:
It should be :
There was a reply she gave that said something like, if foreigners considering to be new citizen here have to serve ns, they most probably would not want.
Hi all,
I think the article was well written, mitigating the various factors and analyzing the current changing global climate.
However, I’m one to stand up for serving NS. Other than pride and what nots, I feel we do need a credible defence force to deter potential aggressors. Who is to say that the volatile political situation in neighbouring countries will not spill over to us? One of the most easy tactics is for those political leaders to create a “common enemy” (eg. Singapore) to divert their citizen’s attention away from their real problems.
I’ve ORD just a few months ago. I’ve to say, the experience was good, even though I have to raise my hands and admit that when I was serving in it, I was earnestly counting down to the day I take back my pink IC. Looking around me, the soldiers I was with, there are quite a number of them who totally dreaded NS. It was not even a case of sucking thumb and just go through whatever is given to them, some of them were trying their hardest best to get downgraded and so on. It is scary to think what will become of these young men, when they leave NS, not being able to take a little hardship.
And also, I think 2 yrs is the right length of service. One has to go through NS to know that training a soldier takes almost a year, before he can undertake operational ready roles. So if we are to shorten the NS span even further, will we have enough operational ready active soldiers? I doubt so.
The article has pointed out some valid points about the foreign talents and the lack of recognition for the contributions from young Singaporean men. I think it is time we do something for the younger generations to come.
Summing up, I’d like to reiterate that having a credible defence force is important and necessary. However, more can be done to recognise the effort and time put in by young men.
About Robert Ho’s comment on whether the play is on YouTube, I suggest why not support the play live, when it has a re-run, hopefully. =)
Dear Laremy,
Certainly, will get the editors to correct the online version. The TOC editor is usually a one-man operation and the individual writers don’t have access rights to amend the articles posted, but we’ll get to it soon.
I did get your comments, but what I meant by my earlier post was that the comments on “OTOT” were only meant to set the context for talking about NS. Keeping in mind that “OTOT” wasn’t the focus of the article, there was only so much detail that I was willing to or could have gone into, and I thought that what I had written about “OTOT” was sufficient. I will certainly take your comments into consideration the next time I decide to use a similar device.
Once again, thanks for your comments and congratulations on what were two very-well written pieces for “OTOT”.
Dear Farquhar,
Thank you. Just to share with you: the articles on TOC were also a source of research for me while writing the plays, so if anything, I have much to thank TOC for as well.
Yi Long wrote:
“Looking around me, the soldiers I was with, there are quite a number of them who totally dreaded NS. It was not even a case of sucking thumb and just go through whatever is given to them, some of them were trying their hardest best to get downgraded and so on. It is scary to think what will become of these young men, when they leave NS, not being able to take a little hardship.”
It may be due to the fact that they are sick and tired of contributing to national defense when their own mercenary ministers, not being able to take hardship, make a joke of service to the nation by paying themselves millions!
feedmetothefish
well, if you want to talk about the standards of online journalism, a good cross-reference point would be the ST’s review of this very play. written by john lui, it incorrectly reported a major part of the plot line, and the ST later admitted that the reviewer had left 10 minutes into the play.
but of course, this isn’t to say that journalism, print or online, should be a race to the bottom in terms of standards.
i can’t wait to ord.
during a ’sharing session’ with a high ranking commander, said commander actually had the nerve to tell us NSFs that we were lucky to be able to serve our 2 year stint in the army, comparing the 2 years to sabbaticals or ‘gap years’ that youths in the Western world often take to travel/pursue their personal goals and interests after their equivalent of jc/poly before starting university.
i had to stop myself from snorting. they are backpacking across poland while all we get to do is carry our full packs across pulau tekong. joy.
that said, i believe that ns is necessary. what needs to be changed given how times have changed is 1.) i’m sure we all know this, how the army is run and 2.) the length of full time service for conscripts. 1 year, i believe, is more than sufficient for an nsf soldier’s liability.
@feedmetothefish
really hard to link chaokengers to being fed up about the government.
but on the other hand, we shouldn’t take the focus away from some of these well fed ministers.
If anyone were to consider NS to include females, I recommend to watch the movie ¨Close to Home¨ starring Smadar Sayar and Lana Ettinger. The movie is about two 18-year-old Israeli girls who are thrown together as part of their compulsory military service in Jerusalem. Against the backdrop of political and religious turmoil and violence, they are only trying to live their normal lives. [Vardit Bilu, 2005] [S]