The SAF Needs To Fix Its RT System

[VIBGYOR]

The SAF Needs To Fix Its RT System

An email from one of my readers.

Hi Mr. Wang,

My name is Lim. I'm a normal [XX]-year old graduate working in a normal company and living a very normal life. Basically, I'm a nobody.

I'm sure we're all familiar with National Service and Reservist and how we positively hate how the gahmen still manages to intrude into our personal life even after we've served our NS liability.

Here's my story.

After I left the army, I became unfit and unable to pass my IPPT. I knew I had to pass my IPPT in order to avoid remedial training which is 8 sessions of physical training. Thus I started running and getting some exercise.

My birthday falls in [XXXXXXX] and I started training somewhere in [YYYYYYY].
By [XXXXX] I was confident of passing my IPPT. Unfortunately, I pulled my
hamstring in [XXXXX] and I was unable to do the test.

( I know at this point Mindef will point out that's just an excuse and I could have done the test earlier. Even a medical certificate would have been rebuffed. FINE. Not going to argue).

I was hauled down to Mindef and slapped with a S$100 fine. (Not going to argue).

So they sent me to this lady who told me to select dates for my remedial training. I had 3 options (twice a week)

1) Monday 6pm to 10pm / Sat 10am to 2pm

2) Wed 6pm to 10pm / Sat 4pm to 8pm

3) Thur 6pm to 10pm / Sunday 4pm to 8pm

Note that they assume everyone can get off work at five (You have to be there half an hour early). I think they got us confused with Australia.

Here is the catch, you can only pick one of the options. You can't under any circumstances mix and match the dates. For example I can't take Monday evening from option 1 and put it together with Wed evening from option 2.

All the options were bad for me, due to work / family commitments but I simply had to pick one (FINE, not going to argue).

I suggested to the lady if I could just take my test, pass it, and avoid all of this nonsense. And she replied with a smile "I'm sorry, our system won't allow you to take your test until you have completed your RT". (A system designed by scholars no doubt).

So basically I HAVE to do the RT no matter what. EVEN if I can pass the test. Here's what really irritates me. (sorry I'm getting there).

1) The S$100 fine is to punish me. (or they just want my money)

2) The inflexibility of the schedules is insipid, why can't they let us choose which dates we can do the RT? After all, if we do it twice a week it shouldn't matter at all. (So i guess, its just to punish me since i'm at fault)

3) I have to attend the RT, even if i'm willing to take the test immediately. If I miss a single RT date, they'll fine me again (Who saw that coming? An opportunity for them to make more money)

My question is: Are Mindef simply interested in making us 1) fighting fit or are they just trying to 2) punish us and 3) take away our money.

Maybe all of the above since I'm a terrible citizen for missing my IPPT. I deserve it.

P.S I know this is a rather unimportant issue compared to the other sociological / economic issues on your blog.

Best regards,
Lim

In the above email, I have deliberately obscured a few details, (as you can see with the "XXXXXX" and "YYYYYY") in case some overly clever person at Mindef decides that he must do some investigation to ascertain who Lim is, and have him charged under the notorious, all-encompassing Section 25 of the SAF Act.

NSmen, if you have any other issues or problems with the Remedial Training system, please feel free to provide your feedback in the comment section. If there are enough substantive comments from you readers, I will collate them and pass them to the Singapore government.
Posted by Mr Wang Says So

 

[Gillette]

CPL (NS) Lim could have just gone to visit a friendly family doctor to get a MC to be excused from RT.

 

[kingrant]

Havge you tried talking to them nicely and ask them to help you reschedule?

Or ask politely to appeal to the superiors?

The SAF Needs To Fix Its RT System

An email from one of my readers.

 

[makapaaa]

FTrash: Is that my biz? *hee*hee*

 

[DerekLeung]

If 100,000 men don't report to RT !

Will you have to jail and fine everyone !

Do you have the space and capacity !

No wonder Singaporean men are being replaced by FTs !

 

[halsey02]

If 100,000 men don't report to RT !

Will you have to jail and fine everyone !

Do you have the space and capacity !

No wonder Singaporean men are being replaced by FTs !

That is why, some years back, I asked my Japanese immediate superior why he doesn't employ SINgaporeans to fill some positions in the company, where there are capable, qualified locals. He told me, having to go for reservists was one of the reasons, it is disruptive to the company; especially it was a small concern here (though large worldwide), when the company have important projects going on.

We are 'sentenced' by the NS ACT...when we are born a male, here in SINgapore...

There is no choice...we are 'SENTANCED', the FT's, PR's..have it better!:(

 

[Snipeshot08]

The SAF Needs To Fix Its RT System

An email from one of my readers.

Hi Mr. Wang,

Here's my story.


My birthday falls in [XXXXXXX] and I started training somewhere in [YYYYYYY].
By [XXXXX] I was confident of passing my IPPT. Unfortunately, I pulled my
hamstring in [XXXXX] and I was unable to do the test.

( I know at this point Mindef will point out that's just an excuse and I could have done the test earlier. Even a medical certificate would have been rebuffed. FINE. Not going to argue).

I was hauled down to Mindef and slapped with a S$100 fine. (Not going to argue).

So they sent me to this lady who told me to select dates for my remedial training. I had 3 options (twice a week)

1) Monday 6pm to 10pm / Sat 10am to 2pm

2) Wed 6pm to 10pm / Sat 4pm to 8pm

3) Thur 6pm to 10pm / Sunday 4pm to 8pm

Note that they assume everyone can get off work at five (You have to be there half an hour early). I think they got us confused with Australia.

Here is the catch, you can only pick one of the options. You can't under any circumstances mix and match the dates. For example I can't take Monday evening from option 1 and put it together with Wed evening from option 2.

All the options were bad for me, due to work / family commitments but I simply had to pick one (FINE, not going to argue).

I suggested to the lady if I could just take my test, pass it, and avoid all of this nonsense. And she replied with a smile "I'm sorry, our system won't allow you to take your test until you have completed your RT". (A system designed by scholars no doubt).

So basically I HAVE to do the RT no matter what. EVEN if I can pass the test. Here's what really irritates me. (sorry I'm getting there).

1) The S$100 fine is to punish me. (or they just want my money)

2) The inflexibility of the schedules is insipid, why can't they let us choose which dates we can do the RT? After all, if we do it twice a week it shouldn't matter at all. (So i guess, its just to punish me since i'm at fault)

3) I have to attend the RT, even if i'm willing to take the test immediately. If I miss a single RT date, they'll fine me again (Who saw that coming? An opportunity for them to make more money)

My question is: Are Mindef simply interested in making us 1) fighting fit or are they just trying to 2) punish us and 3) take away our money.

Maybe all of the above since I'm a terrible citizen for missing my IPPT. I deserve it.

P.S I know this is a rather unimportant issue compared to the other sociological / economic issues on your blog.

Best regards,
Lim

Ok before I start, just to qualify I in no way have ever liked or supported the IPPT or RT cause it is really a fuking pain the the arse

Just for discussion sake,

01, Firstly he claims that he pulled a hamstring and was unable to take the test, which also means he visited a doctor is get this diagnosed and have some form of certification. You can actually write in before your 1 year expires, instead of waiting for them to haul you up after it expired and expect them to be sympathetic.

02. Secondly you can also apply to your employer to be let off 1 hour early to be able to attend the RT session, most employer will comply as it deals with Gahman, or he can't seems to be able to open his mouth????

03. Thirdly any commoners with any sense at all will knows that in order for an exercise regime to be effective it has to be regularly conducted, imagine you suka suka pick Wed & Thu than rest for 1 week till next Wed than expect to be able to keep up

04. Lastly if every individual tries to evade their test by purposely taking it on the last day of their 1 year period than purposely fail or give up, and than when threatened with RT, they claimed that they can retake the test and pass it without having to take the RT, this means that they can pass it during the next year allotment, meaing 2 years take once...clever isn't it???

Okay miserable 2 cents over.....:o

 

[The_Latest_H]

Unfortunately, the problem about scheduling fitness programs, let it be personal or Mindef RT, is that employers in SG still don't give attention to work-life balance, which includes exercising. This is unlike in other countries where employers provide company gyms or give you discounts in private gyms around the same area(for example, Fitness First in UOB plaza, Raffles Place if companies do it here), to keep fit.

Here, employers prefer employees to finish their work for the day before they go- even if it means unpaid overtime work. And hence they don't let go of employees very quickly.

I mean I worked as a temporary contract worker in the immediate months after I ORD in march and I had to train for a marathon...needless to say the departments I worked for didn't think much about exercise. All they thought was about work, work and more work. You ask yourself..how can an NS man keep fit when your daily schedule of work, personal life and family turns out to be rojak?

 

[sleaguepunter]

As a RT regular, i can understand his frustration about RT, apparently he had just ORD as most old birds know how the IPPT / RT system work.

The only way to siam IPPT for the work year is to have a Medical Letter that excuse the NSman for at least six months. Upon getting the MC, the NSman must book a medical review online at www.ns.gov.sg. Only upon attending the medical review by his camp MO, the MO will decide whether to endorse the "outside" MC or not. If lucky, the MO will give the full six month and can excuse IPPT for the year.

 

[Leongsam]

There is nothing wrong with the RT system. It's not supposed to be convenient. Its purpose is twofold :

1) Punishment for not keeping fit.
2) Lays down a compulsory schedule for getting fit.

In fact, it is designed to be as inconvenient as possible(within reason). This ensure that fat, useless, lazy, unfit soldiers do their level best to avoid ending up doing more RT in future.

The SAF physical fitness test is a breeze. Anybody who fails has to be a spastic.

 

[Lestat]

There is nothing wrong with the RT system. It's not supposed to be convenient. Its purpose is twofold :

1) Punishment for not keeping fit.
2) Lays down a compulsory schedule for getting fit.

In fact, it is designed to be as inconvenient as possible(within reason). This ensure that fat, useless, lazy, unfit soldiers do their level best to avoid ending up doing more RT in future.

The SAF physical fitness test is a breeze. Anybody who fails has to be a spastic.

I concur with most of your points except for the last point.

Oh well, I'm a spastic

 

[annexa]

SAF provide us with statistics by age group. How many % fail IPPT. Then review is it because SAF stupid to expect old people to fly like young spider.

 

[scoobyhoo]

i'm sure you could pass the test mr lim, if i would be your commander. just presume your rank is ZZZ.

ZZZ lim, drop 2000! pumping position ready! start!

"one, sir"
"two, sir"
"three, sir" .......

 

[Sideswipe]

peoples just don't appreciate SAF good intentions.

IPPT, RTs are introduced to keep young men fit and healthy. The army cared about their soldiers even after they ORD.

IPPT and RT are badly misunderstood just like the peasants don't understand that GSTs are there to help the poor. ( I'm really struggling badly now and can't wait for GST to be increased to 10% )

guys, please take your IPPT seriously and demand for SOC in reservist.

 

[halsey02]

peoples just don't appreciate SAF good intentions.

IPPT, RTs are introduced to keep young men fit and healthy. The army cared about their soldiers even after they ORD.

IPPT and RT are badly misunderstood just like the peasants don't understand that GSTs are there to help the poor. ( I'm really struggling badly now and can't wait for GST to be increased to 10% )

guys, please take your IPPT seriously and demand for SOC in reservist.

You are kidding! right?....it is a system designed to toture the Singapore males, who are SENTENCED by the NS Acts. It causes emotional stress, not only they have to balance work to make a living, raise a family, they have to worry through no fault of their with this IPPT, RT etc..

 

[blackmore]

You are kidding! right?....it is a system designed to toture the Singapore males, who are SENTENCED by the NS Acts. It causes emotional stress, not only they have to balance work to make a living, raise a family, they have to worry through no fault of their with this IPPT, RT etc..

SideSwipe is not completely wrong that IPPT is to keep everyone fit after ROD. If you really attempt to maintain your fitness, its possible even if your marginal in passing.

But as Mindeaf dictates, everyone is suppose to do these shit routines until FFI at 36. This is where all the problems comes in. Somehow, MinDEAF doesn't realise that people over 30s , the average bodies can;t that sudden surge of physical exertion compare to a younger individual.

Coming from a combat unit, it is possible to just pass or with incentive if you really put in effort. Unless something is really wrong with you internally which was never diagnosed before.

Imagine clearing every IPPT every year except for age 35 when a disease strikes and hospitalised you. From this episode, I understand one thing about our SAF, your unit and MINDEAF does not communicate with one another. What you correspond to your unit has no record with MINDEAF.

When you never book RT after your window period, you get to be charged. I still remember facing my JDO face when I reported in full uniform clutching a walking stick and a thick stack of medical reports.

The last 10 years I keep asking myself; I served my country and what do I get in return ? No rewards, no recognition and plain forgotten after statuory age of 40.

No medical benefits, no citizen privillege.
Every job is taken up by a FT and our FT are much revelled by our gahmen.
Miserable tax rebate for NSmen

The values of National Service started out of a country's bona fide need for self defence after independence. However, now the values and general management is completely warped in logic.

The whole IPPT / NS system is simply a tool for oppressing every Singaporean born males to the point of obedience.

They expect every NSMen to behave like professional soldiers but paid pittance allowance.

Its has never been about character or leadership building or about honour or pride for the country.

Ironic isn't it ?

 

[Cestbon]

Very stupid NSmen. 2 year NS can do but IPPT is more easy still @#$@@.

 

[The_Latest_H]

peoples just don't appreciate SAF good intentions.

IPPT, RTs are introduced to keep young men fit and healthy. The army cared about their soldiers even after they ORD.

IPPT and RT are badly misunderstood just like the peasants don't understand that GSTs are there to help the poor. ( I'm really struggling badly now and can't wait for GST to be increased to 10% )

guys, please take your IPPT seriously and demand for SOC in reservist.

Thanks for being ironic and sarcastic at the same time. Having said that, there will be many who won't get it- for many understandable reasons. Its especially so for those men who are already married and having kids and also having work stress at the same time.