We have all been sucked and suckered into believing in the honour of our men dying for a larger cause - the courage and nobility and all, the whole macho sacrifice for a symbol that is a flag and for a people consisting many persons whom one may have never met before.
Additionally, we are steeped into believing that life consisted of rigid phases, every one of which marking a rites of passage to the next phase. For men, we see national service as a transition to their manhood, a very much coveted masculine position. If a boy complains, it would not be considered manly. The overall message delivered to and internalised by all Singaporean sons is "Be a man!", and this message effectively legitimises every decision, position, action and atrocity of the establishment.
The message is not a motivation for men to serve the nation, but a fear most of them harbour. Their mind and consciousness have filled and threatened them with the fear of ridicule, social disapproval and stigmatism. This disciplines their behaviour that is oriented towards the need of acting on behalf of the nation.
In this time of age, SAF and the Ministry of Defence are faced with many challenges they can do without. Thanks to our improved educational standards and the prevalence of media technologies, people are smarter. The hunger to know is greater now than before. Moreover, people know they have some rights they could exercise when aggrieved. Training-related deaths or deaths in camps and training grounds can now no longer be covered up.
At most, the authorities could impose legal sanctions and gag orders, implement more clauses, to do what it does probably most of the time: Covering one's behind.
There is no incentive in this society to do good, or "better than enough". There are only punishments and negative sanctions for doing less than enough. This is a punishment-punishment system, and not a reward-punishment system, where one is punished for doing something "wrong", but not rewarded for doing something "right".
The reason why Singaporeans are inclined to feel this way rather than feel a strong sense of belonging is because they have little say in how things are to be run in this tiny island-state. The growing apathy is both a welcome and at the same time a concern for our leaders. On the one hand, ordinary Singaporeans will not give two hoots and stand in their way. On the other hand, the same ordinary Singaporeans have to be bribed and threatened into conformity and action.
And for men who really love this country and serve as its soldiers, what has the government done to them? There is no war, yet they have died. Can peace be obtained if training-related deaths and suicides have reached a significant level?
I believe that it is time Singapore invested more in love than in instilling fear.
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