Defending your country? Then pay for your own insurance
November 27th, 2009 | 
Author: By Khalil Adis
While the premium for Group Personal Accident Insurance Scheme is affordable, the government should cover the cost since national servicemen are defending the country
I have been serving my national service faithfully for a full two-and-a-half-years and will soon complete my reservist this year, at the end of my ten-year cycle.
At this time of writing, I have just finished doing my duty for the 20th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum held in Singapore.
Throughout my service with the Singapore Police Force, I have kept our streets safe, assisted my commander and senior officers in writing reports, managed the staff suggestion scheme, came up with newsletter for fellow national servicemen and guarded key installations across the island.
I have also endeavoured to pass my physical fitness test (IPPT) with a Silver award almost every year.
However, before I take a final bow from my national service duty, there is one burning question my troop mates and myself have been left wondering – why do we need to pay for our own insurance when we are in fact taking time from our work and family to risk our lives for our country?
Terms of insurance coverage
The Police National Service (PNS) Department last year sent us a letter saying that with effect from 1 April 2008, Home Team NSmen will be automatically covered under the Group Personal Accident Insurance Scheme.
This insurance scheme only covers reservist personnel like myself and not full-time national servicemen
So, unless we choose to opt out, the premiums are deducted from our make-up pay or service allowance.
Most of us have left it as it is as we are just too unaware of its implications or too busy with our duties to even question it.
The insurance is underwritten by American Home Assurance Company Singapore (AIG) and managed by Zuellig Insurance Singapore.
Police national servicemen are covered during their In-Camp Training (ICT) and pre-ICT assessment, mobilisation, IPPT and remedial test, course and other NS activities where the Order to Report for Service has been served.
The sum is not a lot, amounting to $4.85 (inclusive of GST).
The insurance provides coverage of up to 30 days of call-up per work year.
It covers each individual a sum assured of $100, 000 in the event of death and a scale of benefits of up to $150, 000 for permanent disablement arising from an accident.
In addition, there are other benefits, such as claims for accidental partial disability and child education lump sum benefit.
Insurance experts agree that the insurance coverage national servicemen are getting is a good deal.
“If you compare this with a normal personal accident plan, for the same risk level, it costs $360 with $50, 000 sum assured in the event of accidental death and total and permanent disablement. As the insurance for national servicemen covers higher risks, it is value-for-money,” says Hakim Halim, a financial advisor with Promiseland Independent Pte Ltd.
Cost is not the issue
However, the cost and coverage of the insurance is not the issue.
The issue is, despite our service to our country where we constantly have to put our life at risk, the government still makes us pay for our own insurance coverage.
Even the companies that we work for do pay for our insurance in the event any accident happens to us during our course of employment.
So, on behalf of my troop mates, I wrote an email to the Police National Service (PNS) Department early this year, asking them to explain why we have to foot the bill.
It is almost the end of the year and the PNS Department has yet to reply to our query.
Our political leaders have always questioned if Singaporeans would defend the country in times of war.
However, the government’s penny-pinching attitude will only sow the seeds of apathy and discord among existing national service men who have continued putting their lives at risk.
Should future generations feel less than patriotic, the government have only themselves to be blamed for their “money-as a-means-to-an-end” approach.
If the government can allocate $10 million of taxpayers’ money to make permanent residents feel more welcomed and foot the bill to host APEC, surely paying the insurance cost for national servicemen is not too much to ask for, right?
After all, we have paid our dues by helping to keep the country safe and secure.
Despite our grievances, we are grateful for the excellent welfare provided for us at APEC and the senior officers who took time to sit down to listen to the sentiments among national servicemen.
In the meantime, we are waiting with bated breath for the PNS Department’s official reply.
About the Author:
Khalil Adis graduated from Monash University with a Bachelors of Arts (Communications) and was a former editor for Property Report magazine covering Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Posted in 28 Responses to “Defending your country? Then pay for your own insurance”
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my fellow KINs troopers that’s my exact sentiment. Why the hell do we need to pay for the insurance coveragge to carry out reservist? It is funny, isn’t it?
Call me negative or whatever, two years ago I told myself that it is just not worth it anymore. I will go all out to request for deferment for any future reservist order until my liability is over.
What and who are we protecting really? Does any of the sons of those ASKhole ministers have ever been recalled to do reservist? Anybody can tell me?
same for all except ‘themselves’.
social security is bad for the continued progress of the nation,we hear them say so very often in Parliamnet when they are being questioned by the opposition.
but,hey,look at those old bended women who still need to eke out a meagre living along the streets of “1st world” singapore
whilst our already overpaid policy-makers get to enjoy “perks” after retirement funded by taxpayers…what ironies?
if SOCIAL SECURITY is bad for our nation,it should be practised
as consistently as it is spoken in PARLIAMENT.
YES,OF COURSE,THERE ALWAYS EXCEPTIONS…AND GUESS WHO BENEFIT?
It doesn’t take someone smart or an idiot to know this is happening about serving NS. Khalil: maybe you need to wait 40yrs to get a reply or you may have to write this same article even after you kids finish serving NS and at that time you will still be asking the same questions.
Khalil, I agree with your views.
I like to ask you a slightly off-topic question.
As you are police trained, could you enlighten me
are complaints big or small that complainants are asked to file a magistrate complaint is considered a crime if the complainants are deterred by this process?
Should the Police not be doing this for the people by investigating the cases especially when evidence is provided?
2ndly, as a civilian are we legally allowed to demand NRIC number from alleged criminals whom you are filing a case?
Should the police not be the one to do it?
i think this is very different from Social Security. i don’t agree with social security. but i think there is a very strong case for insurance for NSF and troops on reservists.
but i would like to clarify one thing. i tore my ligament during training as an NSF. my surgery was paid for (though the surgery didn’t quite work as intended so my knee still pops out… but that’s another story), follow-up phsyio and medical things all paid for, and even got additional compensation. are all these considered insurance already?
TR: thank you for providing your readers this article about Mrs Tan. I think all sg should read.
‘We migrated to spare our kid further misery with Chinese’.
I too know of a friend who has migrated to the US. Not only is he doing well. He is doing very well. And also a true blue Sg talent. He has his own invention.
Because behind the grandiose view of defending the country (with 36% foreigners), you are actually a cheap source of labour. Paying for your insurance will increase cost exponentially which defeats the purpose of having cheap labour in the first place.
“but i would like to clarify one thing. i tore my ligament during training as an NSF. my surgery was paid for (though the surgery didn’t quite work as intended so my knee still pops out… but that’s another story), follow-up phsyio and medical things all paid for, and even got additional compensation. are all these considered insurance already?”
Even foreign construction workers get these under the workmen compensation.
Are you gonna bark all day little doggie, or are you gonna bite?
You Wrote…
“Are you gonna bark all day little doggie, or are you gonna bite?”
If a barking dog then also get “Muzzled” up too… where can the “Cornered” dog go to… to release his frustrations???…
And so, since YOU sound So Capable of BITING… Why DON’T YOU “GO and BITE for YOUR Weaker Fellowmen’s SAKES… As YOU ARE SO Obviously JUDGEMENTAL and thus is SHOWING OF how “TOUGH” YOU ARE and therefore ABLE TO in COMPARISON!!!…
Or ARE YOU NOT EVEN CAPABLE OF BARKING SINCE YOU ARE A “MUZZLED” DOG FOR THE pappies???… YOU DIDN”T “MINCED” your words… And so I DON’T TOO likewise!!!
I am saying these things BECAUSE I am Surprised no one has yet responded to you at all… IN DISAGREEMENT!!!
CAN SPEND MILLIONS ON PARTY TO WELCOME FOREIGNERS,
BUT
CANT SPEND 50plus buck to buy insurance for each NSF
Of course they can’t pay for us. Much of the tax payers’ money was thrown into the sea, and they have to spend on the foreigners to increase their vote for the next GE.
Sorry I dun even feel a bit of patriotism anymore, and I don’t even have to after all the sh!t our government has thrown to us.
New York firemen are insured for $1 million for death. That is why they risked their lives for others trapped in the buringing twin towers during 9/11. They knew that the city govt will take good care of their families should they die.
Can’t say the same for Sinkies in the army. We are just cheap labour who are paid worse than foreign construction workers.
I served 2 1/2 years in the midst when MinDef changes fulltime NS to 2 years. The 1 question in my mind then, was and still is “who are we defending?”
In Taiwan, the duration for NS went thru various changes in the last 4 years. Taiwan is facing China, and yet, Taiwan was able to reduce their fulltime NS from 21 months to 18 months and now, 12 months.
TAIWAN : Mandatory military service to be gradually shortened
CONSCRIPTION: From July 1,2005 Taiwanese men will only have to perform military service for a year and a half. The term will be reduced to one year from 2008.
Till today, I felt exploited.
I am still serving my reservist, and too me, its like I am protecting those who are earning millions a year. We are those 85% living in HDB flats leased from HDB.
Hmmm… seems like the SAF/Mindef is trying to cut down costs.
I know NS won’t be abolished anytime soon. ST Logistics, SFI etc need NS or else they will go out of business overnight.
How about:
1) Cutting down the number of reservists cycles.
2) Cutting down the duration of NSF conscription.
3) Closing down some SAF camps and selling the vast lands to developers for residential/industrial/commerical purposes.
4) Stop buying overpriced military toys which serve no real strategic or deterrent purpose. Slash the defense budget, and stop the paranoid siege mentality. Singapore is not Israel.
5) Stop playing the good samaritan by rushing over to countries (eg. Indonesia) ravaged by natural disasters. That is a job primarily for that country’s troops, or some global disaster relief organization. Doing a good PR photo-op for Pioneer magazine is asinine.
knnbccb n kkylp can also pay millions a year.
The “logo” for this article on the TR home page is MINDEF’s logo, and the title “Defending your country” also seems to be about MINDEF, but this letter is clearly about MHA instead.
Nevertheless, it is useful to examine how MINDEF has implemented insurance for its servicemen. They have implemented (since January 2009) a similar opt-out insurance of $100,000 coverage for all MINDEF employees, regulars and NSF (but not NSmen), for a premium of $12.80 per month. They introduced an additional $20 allowance per month for NSFs to cover the cost of the premium. Why did they do it this way? Why didn’t MINDEF just pay the premium for all the servicemen directly?
I would say that there are a few reasons. But the most important is the principle that the individual has to take responsibility for his own insurance needs, and to decide whether the $100,000 is appropriate, or whether he needs more or less coverage, in accordance with his own situation.
That is not to say that MINDEF does not take care of their people. MINDEF provides many benefits. But there are some aspects where the individual needs to take more personal responsibility, such as determining how much insurance coverage he needs.
Another reason is that the NSF, even after ORD, can decide to continue with the coverage and therefore remain insured.
@rc,
The medical treatment for your injury, and the compensation, were paid for by your parent agency, whether it was MINDEF or MHA. Your injury would not be covered by group insurance, which specifically covers death or total permanent disability. In any case, did you feel that you were well taken care of?
indexer on Sat, 28th Nov 2009 10:36 am
“…..I would say that there are a few reasons. But the most important is the principle that the individual has to take responsibility for his own insurance needs, and to decide whether the $100,000 is appropriate, or whether he needs more or less coverage, in accordance with his own situation…..”
Agreed that we have to take responsibility for our own insurance needs. However, that should not apply to the time when we are serving NS or reservist.
If you were to take a poll as to how many will serve reservist or NS for that matter willingly, you will be surprised by the number of negative respond. For example, in my reservist unit, I am very sure that more that 85% of us will not serve reservist if not for the fact that we can be charged for not complying with the call-up order.
In recent years, I have been asking myself what and who are we actually protecting? Risking our life for what cause?
A poster here ask are the sons of our ministers doing reservist also? I also like to know. Can someone able to answer this question?
IF you don’t have fulltime NSmen going overseas for training to promote and demonstrate your military hardwares, then who is convinced to buy your products.
Big money, don’t play, play!
Nothing new.
The govt is always looking out for itself and always in the forefront when it comes to exploiting the people.
Do you know that even if you are sent to UN peacekeeping areas, you have to buy your own insurance coverage!
Volunteering for such missions includes volunteering your loved ones well being too. If something happens to you, your loved ones can look forward to a life of hardship and having to fend for themselves. At the best, the NOK will get what an ordinary worker gets in an industrial mishaps. That in itself, tells you how the govt view/value your worth for volunteering to put yourself in harm’s way for the country.
The govt may spend and lose billions on investment scams, but would exploit its own citizens to the hilt by its cheap and ham fisted ways.
This gov is really hopeless. Only knows how to bully and exploit own people but has no balls to confront foreigners.
This kind of behaviour, in the old days, they called traitor behaviour or treacherous, or betrayal.
I doubt most Singaporeans will stand up to fight for the country. If there is a stronger military force that invades Singapore, the calculative, selfish, kiasu and kiasi mentality will be set in play and prevail.
What is a 99-year lease govt flat? Can it entice us to die for the tiny island that has no hinterland, no depth, no resources but only a handful of selfishly power-crazy people.
Why should we die to protect the filthy rich investors, the powerful exploiters, the opportunistic foreigners, and the uncaring self-enriching ministers and elitist scholars in the civil service who exploit and lord over us until we can’t even protest as one single individual?
I would rather welcome the invading forces with open arms and hope that things will change for the better – a new government and a new country; a new life and a new hope.
Whether I become a second class citizen is not an issue at all. We are already a second, if not third, class citizen under our own so-called ‘leaders’.
Hope springs eternal in the human breast …
@indexer:
hmm… overall, i think i was well taken care of by MINDEF la. even though the compensation came two years after the incident… but i was quite pissed that NUH didn’t fix my ligament properly. apparently the operation has a general 20% failure rate. just my like that i’m one of those 20% lor…
@indexer,
Pls understand that NSFs and NSmen are only paid allowances and not the usual “FAT” regular’s pay. Yet all are exposed to similar amount of risk as per regulars. It is hence the RESPONSIBILITY of MINDEF to look after these groups of ppl and to provide more welfare/benefits such as insurance and medical coverages, as well as compensation in the event of accident, etc. Cheers
@science idiot,
Yes, I agree that MINDEF should be responsible to look after its NSFs and NSmen, and take care of those that are injured. I thank @rc for sharing that his service injury was taken care of. The group insurance is on top of MINDEF’s coverage. Plus, the group insurance would cover non-service injuries.
Scienceidiot; indexer’ :Both of you are absolutely right. But, still i can see a lot of idiot who still be believe in NS. Sg people is not slaving it without knowing for what the reason. And, the worst is been pay much much less than a peanut. As clearly shown in some article family member are not well support if something happen you. Nobody will know until one family member is injury as a result of NS. The compensation will never ever be enough. So to all young sg citizen.. think before you act.
//indexer
You should be paying some dues to TR for giving you a job.
We would really like to know how much you are paid to scan TR articles.
Don’t worry about getting out of job.
With the current performance of your ministers, we have a lot to write and comment on.
Hahaha