Singaporean footballer Benjamin Davis has been the talk of town this week after news first broke that he would not be allowed to defer his National Service (NS) obligations to pursue professional football in the English Premier League.

Ministry of Defence (Mindef) is also likely to reject Davis’ appeal if no new facts are presented.

In the context of the saga, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) shared a Facebook album on July 18, with the caption: "What does it take for an athlete to defer his NS long-term and pursue his sporting dreams? Here’s the lowdown"

The album did not make any mention of Ben Davis.

MINDEF's stand on deferment

In the post, MINDEF reiterated the main points of the statement that it first released to the media last Sunday (Jul 15), highlighting that "playing for an overseas football club is not the same as representing Singapore in football internationally. It is a professional career choice".

1) How is sporting performance and potential assessed?

First, the athlete must be representing Singapore at top-tier international competitions; Second, he must display a potential to win medals and bring national glory for Singapore.

Each sportsman’s deferment request is assessed individually in consultation with Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth - MCCY, taking into consideration factors such as his past achievements, potential to excel in his particular field, and the need for deferment.

Playing for an overseas football club is not the same as representing Singapore in football internationally. It is a professional career choice.

2) Who has been granted deferment, and what did they do?

In the last 15 years, only three have met the criteria to be granted sports deferment. Each was deliberated extensively.

• National swimmer Joseph Isaac Schooling had his NS deferred a second time till after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In 2016, he clinched Singapore's first-ever Olympic gold medal in the 100m butterfly event. His first deferment was granted in 2013 to prepare for the 2016 Rio Olympics, after he won a gold medal at the 2011 SEA Games and qualified for the 2012 London Olympics.

• National swimmer Quah Zheng Wen was allowed to extend his NS deferment until after the 2020 Olympics. During the 2016 Rio Olympics, he was a semi-finalist in the 100m and 200m butterfly events. His first deferment in 2015 was after he won 12 gold medals at the 2015 SEA Games.

• National sailor Maximilian Soh was granted a year-long deferment in 2007, to prepare for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Back then, he had clinched gold medals at 2005 Philippines SEA Games and the 2006 Doha Asian Games.

Using Ikhsan Fandi Ahmad, who completed serving his NS in Jan, as an example, MINDEF explained that it "is flexible and supports these servicemen in training and representing Singapore while serving NS".

Ikhsan Fandi was given additional leave in 2017 to represent Singapore at various football competitions like the 2017 SEA Games.

3) What about other national athletes?

MINDEF is flexible and supports these servicemen in training and representing Singapore while serving NS. These national sportsmen are allowed to take time-off to train prior to international competitions, provided it does not conflict with military training and operations.

For instance, Ikhsan Fandi Ahmad was given additional leave in 2017 to represent Singapore at various football competitions like the 2017 SEA Games.

National diver Jonathan Chan was also given additional leave to train for the 2017 SEA Games, where he won four medals for Singapore.

National sailor Ryan Lo also won gold medals for Singapore at the 2017 SEA Games while serving NS. He is currently putting his university studies on hold to train for the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games.

And MINDEF went on to explain why NS policies are so strict.

4) Why are NS policies so strict?

NS is a national need for security and survival, hence all Singaporean males fit to serve are eligible for conscription. Policies must apply equitably to everyone.

In 2016, Justice Chan Seng Onn sentenced then-25-year-old Brian Joseph Chow to 1.5 months of jail for evading his NS enlistment for more than six years. In his sentence, Justice Chan said: "NS is about each Singaporean male citizen performing his fair share towards Singapore's national defence, regardless of his background or circumstances."

He added that this involved sacrifice on the part of enlistees to postpone their personal goals, including continuing their education, to fulfil their duties.

In other words, the Facebook post intends to remind one of the importance of our defence policy -- deterrence. 

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Images from Mindef