Non-replies and salaries

Can NSmen keep their hair during 1-week ICT?

I ATTENDED my first reservist In-Camp Training (ICT) last week. I trimmed my hair before the ICT, making sure it did not reach my collar and ears, and my fringe did not reach beyond my eyebrows.

On the very first day, to my bewilderment, a warrant officer ordered me to hand over my civilian IC. His reason was that my hair was ‘not in line with SAF standards’. I was then told to join the long queue to get my hair cut.

When my turn came, the barber went through every strand of my hair with the shaver and left me with a crew cut, not much different from a recruit’s.

During the next few days of the ICT, I was surprised to see many NSmen with long, sloppy fringes. Then there was one NSman with dyed golden-brown hair.

Were the barbers instructed to trim every NSman’s hair so that they look like fresh recruits, when trimming the sides and the back would suffice?

If the warrant officer was there to check NSmen’s attire and hair, how was it possible that many with floppy and even coloured hair managed to escape his notice?

During ICT, shouldn’t the focus be on refreshing the NSmen’s skills to make them effective soldiers, rather than on the length of their hair?

How about those NSmen who have civilian careers which require them to keep their hair? Can they obtain permission to do so when they go for their ICT?

Even as we fulfil our national obligation by going for ICT, we have wonderful civilian careers where our physical appearance plays an integral part.

Take the media and entertainment industries. An actor may get to play certain roles based on his looks and appearance, and this would determine his career path.

In the competitive corporate world, where first impressions matter and we are more likely to do business with people we like, one’s looks may just make or break a deal.Do we have to sacrifice our looks just because of a one-week ICT?

Lim Chin Yuen

All servicemen in ICT require decent haircut

I REFER to the letter, 'Can NSmen keep their hair during 1-week ICT?' by Mr Lim Chin Yuen (ST, June 21).

In keeping with military discipline, all servicemen, including NSmen attending in-camp training (ICT), are required to observe SAF regulations for neat hair.

Specifically, this means a hairstyle where the hair does not touch the ears or the collar, any fringe is kept above the eyebrows and any sideburns are kept short. Short hair is necessary for reasons of hygiene, as servicemen are typically involved in field training. The SAF does not usually exempt NSmen from this requirement to keep their hair neat and short, unless there are exceptional grounds to do so.

NSmen are required to report for ICT with hair that meets SAF regulations. If their hair does not conform with SAF regulations, they are required to get a haircut. To facilitate this and ensure the haircut meets SAF standards, barbers are available in camp to provide this service. We have contacted Mr Lim to clarify the situation and have verified that he was not given a recruit's haircut.

Colonel Benedict Lim
Director Public Affairs
Ministry of Defence

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I ought to be used to the typical non-replies given my government agencies. But this one really is a stunning manifestation of either stupidity or indifference. Not only does it fail to address any of the querries put forward by that hapless NSman, it is also totally devoid of logic. Let's dissect what Colonel says.

"In keeping with military discipline, all servicemen, including NSmen attending in-camp training (ICT), are required to observe SAF regulations for neat hair."

So how does having "neat hair" relates to disipline? Does having "neat hair" somehow magically makes one more disiplined and less likely to misbehave?

"Specifically, this means a hairstyle where the hair does not touch the ears or the collar, any fringe is kept above the eyebrows and any sideburns are kept short."

Wasn't this standard for a "neat haircut" excatly what Lim Chin Yuen conformed to? Why wasn't the warrant officer's actions explained?

"Short hair is necessary for reasons of hygiene, as servicemen are typically involved in field training."

Oh....but i don't see the girls in my class made to adopt a "neat haircut" for their virology laboratory practical lessons. They are simply told to tie up their hair in case their hair come into contact with the viruses they handle and is subsequently ingested. Furthermore i'm sure the viruses we handle are far more dangerous than........ NSmen's sweat? Soil ?

"The SAF does not usually exempt NSmen from this requirement to keep their hair neat and short, unless there are exceptional grounds to do so. "

What are the "exceptional grounds"? Some medical condition that will lead to the death of certain NSmen if they cut their hair? For work purposes? Isn't that one of the points Lim Chin Yuen brought up? How does one decide what work purposes constitutes "exceptional grounds"?

"NSmen are required to report for ICT with hair that meets SAF regulations. If their hair does not conform with SAF regulations, they are required to get a haircut. "

A case of blindly obeying silly rules?

"To facilitate this and ensure the haircut meets SAF standards, barbers are available in camp to provide this service. "

Did anyone accuse SAF of not providing free haircuts?

"We have contacted Mr Lim to clarify the situation and have verified that he was not given a recruit's haircut. "

Whether it was indeed a recruit's haircut or not is totally irrelevant. Besides what Lim Chin Yuen said was "When my turn came, the barber went through every strand of my hair with the shaver and left me with a crew cut, not much different from a recruit’s." "Not much different from a recruit's (haircut)" is not the same as "a recruit's haircut".



Looks like it's time to raise the salaries of Colonels in SAF. After all as the famous logic goes, you get monkeys if you pay peanuts.

Coincidentally, i read this piece of news on the Channel News Asia website today. It was tittled "SAF remains final guarantor of Singapore's independence"

Think about it. Since SAF is so vital to the existence of Singapore (which is why our defence budget amounts to around SGD$10.7 BILLION) i think Generals and Colonels must be paid million dollar salaries. Otherwise once we have a good dose of incompetence in the army, our women in Singapore will end up as maids.

I guess the senior officers in SAF are grossly underpaid. Otherwise it would mean that SAF is not so vital to the survival of Singapore, which would in turn mean that the government is wasting money on defence, which in turn means that our ministers do not deserve their out of this world salary? Impossible!!!!