I'm also against NS because it's hindering the adoption of smart technologies.
Why invest in a robot soldier/labourer if you can get cheap forced labour for a fraction of the cost, including r+d?
That mentality will work so long as there is a large supply of unemployed youths. Once people get more affluent, and more aware of how they're being underpaid, the available labour pool will shrink.
However, the current 'management' (i.e. the colonels and majors) all who depend on controlling these cheap labour have their motives behind retaining NS. If not for managing these cheap labour, they would have been released to fend for themselves in the private sector. Since the GLCs/civil service is already at breaking point trying to absorb this excess manpower, most of them will be simply jobless.
Therefore it is in their interest to maintain NS to keep their rice bowl. However, it can be seen from the 7% GST and the rising defense budget that this is no longer tenable. Coupled with the recent worldwide credit crunch and oncoming recession, this is going to put the people in dire straits.
PAP depends on SAF/GLC votes for it's survival. That's why it can't do anything about it. Vote for a party that dissolves NS!
I have always maintain the fellow who fight for abolishent of NS will get 1,000,000 crowd at speaker corner.