#ourarmy

Last Wednesday, 1 July 15, we commemorated 50 years of the SAF. Come 9 August, we will celebrate 50 years of independence as a nation. This is no coincidence. Singapore has come a long way since 1965. Today, we are a First World City. Recently, our Singapore Botanic Gardens was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We also successfully hosted the 28th Southeast Asian Games in June. We are no longer the sleepy fishing port we once used to be. 50 years of independence is a significant milestone. We should celebrate such occasions. More importantly, we should use this time to reflect.

The peace we enjoy today came with a price. Our pioneers suffered as prisoners of war during the Japanese Occupation. Years later during Konfrontasi, they lived in violence and chaos. They also experienced the communal riots of 1964 when Singapore was part of the Federation of Malaysia. Our founding leaders realized that if they wanted to be able to call Singapore their home, they were going to have to be able to defend her. This prompted them to form the SAF. They started off with the most rudimentary of equipment. Unlike the SAF today, they did not have planes, tanks, or modern ships. But what they lacked in hardware, they made up for in heart ware. In 1967, the late Dr. Goh Keng Swee, who was the Minister of Defence (then called Minister of Interior and Defence) felt that NS was necessary for Singapore to have a credible defence force. He also saw NS as an important nation-building tool. It would bring Singaporeans from different backgrounds together in a common endeavour to defend Singapore. Our late founding Prime Minister Mr. Lee Kuan Yew was of the same opinion: “If you, who are growing up, do not understand that you have to defend this, then in the end, we will lose. Other people will come, smack you down and take over.”

Now, the SAF is a modern professional force able to defend Singapore and deter potential aggressors. It has proven itself in peace and in operations. The hijacking of SQ117 was one incident where the SAF managed to react swiftly and decisively, saving the lives of the passengers and crew members on board. When Singapore was hit by SARS, the SAF responded and helped to curb the global health threat. Just earlier this year, SAF personnel rescued Singaporeans who were stranded in Nepal because of the earthquake. When Mr. Lee Kuan Yew passed on, the SAF rallied together and conducted his state funeral. As we celebrate SG50 and SAF50, we also make a pledge to continue this commitment to preserve and protect the honour and independence of our country. For Singapore, for Singaporeans.