How MINDEF’s Unwavering Stance On National Service Impacts Singapore Sports So everybody probably knows Ben Davis, who recently signed a 2-year contract with the Premier League Fulham Football Club, has had his National Service (NS) deferment request rejected. The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) released 2 statements explaining why it had rejected Davis’ application. Although based on facts, MINDEF’s decision might just change Singapore’s sporting scene forever. Here’s why: 1. It might deny Singapore of its next Fandi All male Singaporeans liable for full-time NS put aside personal pursuits to dutifully enlist and serve their NS. – MINDEF MINDEF views Ben Davis’s 2-year deal with Fulham as being no different from the “personal pursuits” of other Singaporean sons. Therefore, the ministry feels that he should put aside these dreams and serve his NS dutifully, just like everyone else. But we think Ben Davis’ situation is a little more complicated. His high pass accuracy “of over 90%” impressed the Fulham Under-18 team so much they decided to sign him. This makes him the first Singaporean to sign a professional contract with a top-tier English team. So make no mistake, this is no ordinary 17-year-old. Safe to say, he’s in a pretty unique situation, especially when […]
6 years ago
