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Those with young boys will leave soon?
A Caucasian Permanent Resident of Singapore Cherie Ball has written to TODAY Voices asking why second generation PRs are required to serve National Service when they have already contributed ‘significantly’ to Singapore.
Under the present laws, new citizens and first-generation PRs need not serve NS, but their children born in Singapore are required to do so.
Cherie argued that the value of Singapore PR has ‘diminished’ over the years its benefits being ‘watered down’:
“In recent years, benefits given to Singapore PRs have been so watered down that being a PR is not that much different than being a Personal Employment Pass holder — apart from the right to live and work freely in Singapore and some hospital subsidies.”
She went on to ask:
“Why should a second generation PR, who holds citizenship in another country, be required to serve NS to “give back” to Singapore, when they typically belong to a family of PRs who already contribute significantly to the country’s economy?”
A recent survey conducted by the Institute of Policy Studies revealed that the majority of Singaporeans listed National Service as an indicator of social integration by immigrants.
All Singapore born men have to serve compulsory NS for two years followed by many more years of reservist which put them at an disadvantage in the job market compared to foreigners who do not have such liabilities.