Civilian volunteers matter to SAF as it is a conscript military: Ng Eng Hen

SINGAPORE – As the mother of a 16-year-old boy and an expert on workplace health and safety law, Ms Kala Anandarajah knew that volunteering with the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) to improve soldier safety would be a meaningful way to give back.

The lawyer joined the second External Review Panel on Singapore Armed Forces Safety (ERPSS) in 2017, just before a training incident where a Bionix infantry fighting vehicle reversed and mounted a Land Rover, 

killing a 22-year-old full-time national serviceman (NSF).

Since then, she has helped come up with new measures to keep soldiers safe when they operate large vehicles. This includes using rear-view cameras in such vehicles, and having a communication system between the driver and a soldier standing behind the vehicle.

Ms Anandarajah was among the 362 Mindef volunteers serving on 38 boards whose contributions were lauded at the annual Mindef Volunteers’ Dinner that was held at Goodwood Park Hotel on Thursday night.

That civilian volunteers are involved in various aspects of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) provides comfort and assurance to the general public, particularly as the SAF is a conscript military that draws the bulk of its forces from national servicemen, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen.

“This very nature requires greater participation and decision-making from civilian volunteers in all aspects of the SAF – whether it is mission planning, training, (or) day-to-day tasks and responsibilities,” he said.

In view of this, Mindef and the SAF decided, after a spate of accidents years back, that the ERPSS would be set up, rather than have decisions made internally on how safety standards would be tightened.

“We felt that it was better to appoint an external body to look in, because we realised that there was value in having external pairs of eyes that could evaluate and critique our safety systems, especially from experts,” Dr Ng said.

He noted that the ERPSS has conducted 32 visits to units across the SAF since its inception in 2013, and given valuable feedback that has strengthened its safety systems.

Volunteers who serve on the 38 Mindef boards and committees are industry experts in the private and public sectors, including in law, medicine, counselling, engineering, science and strategic communication.

Ms Anandarajah, who is in her mid-50s, said that as a mother herself, she can empathise with and raise the concerns that parents of NSFs may have.

“I always want to be sure that enough is being done, and I don’t mean absolute safety or absolute health because absolutes are impossible,” added Ms Anandarajah, who has previously served on the Workplace Safety and Health Council.

“It’s about making sure the best efforts are being put in.”

Another professional who has used his expertise to give back to the SAF is Adjunct Assistant Professor Jerome Goh.

The 51-year-old psychiatrist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital advises the SAF on mental health issues, such as screening NSFs to pick up such conditions and monitoring the needs of such servicemen.

“If we can do something to help make the support system better, to make the transition easier, then they (NSFs) can focus on what they need to do in the service,” said Prof Goh, who has been a member of the SAF Psychiatry Specialist Advisory Board since 2017.

Dr Ng said the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict are live examples of how volatile geopolitics can be, and that Singapore must remain prepared to defend itself should there be conflict in Asia.

“How do you prepare any organisation for these uncertainties, whether they are internal or external? There is only one formula and that is people,” he added.

“I am assured that Mindef and the SAF, working with volunteers like yourselves, will provide us with the wherewithal to ensure that we will continue to have a strong SAF that can protect Singapore and our loved ones for this generation and the next.”