Conscription Part 1/5: The 3 Mentalities

Every Singaporean male has to be enlisted in the army so that he 'can serve his duty to his country'. While this is superficially a fair and noble cause, the sacrifices that the Singaporean male goes through is often overlooked, taken for granted, because it is his 'duty', something every boy goes through. In fact, many of the boys themselves think likewise.

There are generally three attitudes which enlisted boys take when going through their army days, using colloquialisms, (1)'siao on' (taking a gung-ho and positive attitude towards excelling in army (2)'lan lan' (taking an attitude that it is something that has to be done and got over with), (3)'chao keng' (taking an attitude that this is something that is horrible and should be avoided at all costs, resorting to malingering)

The first type can be subdivided into two types:(a) The high flyers, those that top their company in every aspect, ending up in OCS with the Sword of Honour, etc. These are usually competent and capable people in civil life also so it is just their nature to be good at what they do. (b) Those who think that to serve his country is an honour and a duty, an act of patriotism, an opportunity to prove their love for their nation. These people are usually righteous and fanatical and hate it when others skive. Those who take it upon themselves to do something better than others just so as to impress their superior, even if it is not required nor requested, just to show their patriotism. Those who use rank as an excuse to extol their bigoted mentalities. While this could be laudable it can also be abrasive.

The second type are those who serve army, do things for the sake of doing although realising the futility of doing such tasks. Basically, just grinning and bearing through the times. Most do things blindly without giving much thought to why they are doing it. They do not question why they are doing the things they do. Such mindlessness dulls even the sharpest of brains and since the large proportion of conscripts fall within this category, this may cause an irreversible damage to a conscript's ability to think and adapt for himself once he is out in the civil world again. Just ask the countless undergraduates who have just passed out of army to return to university.

The third type are the type that all superiors detest. These people fear the regimental nature of army life and will do anything to avoid it. Sick leave, a popular escape route even in civil Singapore, is the most common method. Some make minor injuries into major downgradable disabilities. These lot feel that they do not need to subject themselves to such a life if there is another route out. What they fail to realise is that this route is usually equally strenous, and may even backfire, since they will become sitting ducks should they fail.

Whichever mentality a boy chooses when he enters army, it is undoubted that by the end of the 2 years, there is much change in him. Not necessarily positive, not necessarily instantly noticeable to the subjects and his family/friends.

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Part 2: Social Anomalies as a result of Conscription
Part 3: Are opinions on conscription divided by sex?
Part 4: Is National Service really a service to our land?
Part 5: Are there alternate avenues to conscription?