Don't conflate duty with transaction: Chan Chun Sing on increasing allowances for national servicemen

Serving the country is not a transaction, and no amount of monetary compensation can be equated with the contributions of national servicemen, said Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing.

Paying soldiers fairly: Tiong

Speaking in parliament during MINDEF's Committee of Supply debate on Feb. 27, he was answering a question by Workers' Party's Aljunied GRC MP Kenneth Tiong, who questioned if national servicemen were being paid fairly.

"SMS Zaqy (Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamad) said we should not erode the social compact and the ethos of service by casting NS as a employer-employee relationship, but SAF regulars serve the same mission and they are paid market rate salaries and CPF, so it doesn't erode their ethos of service," Tiong had said, adding that he does not think "duty and compensation are incompatible at all".

Zaqy had earlier said that there is a fundamental difference between salaries and NS allowances, adding that NS "is a unique civic duty and contribution by all able-bodied Singaporean males, not a transaction".

Tiong continued, "The fact is that people who have no choice get paid less than people who do."

Tiong also took issue with Zaqy's speech, saying that Zaqy framed accommodation, food and equipping as part of national servicemen's compensation package.

"I would respectfully disagree. I think these are just simply operational necessities for the SAF.

The Army feeds soldiers because hungry soldiers do eat to fight. It houses them because you need them in camp at 5:30am and it gives them equipment, because you can't send someone outfield in civilian clothing."

"It's less than one per cent of the defence budget. Why can't we find it to pay our soldiers fairly?" he asked.

SMS Zaqy earlier said that the state takes care of the vast majority of NSFs' basic needs like accommodation, food and equipping.

Zaqy added that the NS allowances, which was reviewed in 2015, 2020, 2023 and 2025, are designed to support NSFs’ personal upkeep and other incidentals.

No amount of monetary compensation can be equated with NSmen's contributions: Chan

First, Chan spoke about the professionalism and commitment of the NSFs and NSmen, commenting that "sometimes those who know the most say the least. Sometimes those who do the most say the least."

He continued that NSF and NSmen, many of whom operate classified systems that cannot be disclosed, have been able to operationalise such capabilities "without having to tell the world".

"I will be the first one to champion that we recognise the contributions of our NSFs and NSmen appropriately," he said in response to Tiong's question, but emphasised on his choice of the word "recognise".

"I think those of us who have served in National Service will be very careful to not use the word 'compensate', because, in truth, no amount of monetary compensation can be equated with the contributions of our NSmen," said Chan.

He added that on top of the mandatory two years NSF have to serve, these contributions include the additional 10 years of reservist and more for some who volunteer their services.

"What is the ultimate price for all this contribution? It is not how much money we give them. Ultimately, it is the security and survival of Singapore that we are defending," he stated.

Chan emphasised that Mindef takes care of NSmen and NSF in according with the ministry's budget space and "will do more" where possible, but refuted the idea that "this is a transactional relationship".

"I have never seen it so and I hope that generations of Singaporeans will continue to not see it as so. It is not in our interest to cause invidious comparison or to bring this down, the sacred duty of serving our country into a transaction."

Top photo from MDDI/YouTube and Basic Military Training Centre/Facebook