Fielding questions from Members of Parliament (MPs) in regards to the Ben Davis case, Minister of Defence Ng Eng Hen laid out some pretty solid reasoning on why the young Fulham Football Club signee got his application to defer National Service rejected.
Mainly, the minister stated that there weren’t any valid grounds to approve the application as the 17-year-old has shown “no indication, commitment or plans” on how he would benefit football standards in Singapore.
Some context first:
- Ben, signed a two-year professional contract with the English Premier League (EPL) club on July 13 after putting up impressive performances on the field. He’s the first Singaporean to ever sign a pro contract in a top-tier EPL club.
- Singaporean lads, however, are required by law to be enlisted in NS once they turn 18.
- Ben applied to defer his term in NS but was outrightly rejected by Mindef on grounds that the young man is simply pursuing his personal career.
- Mindef asserts that deferments are only approved for individuals who represent Singapore on the world stage, like Olympic champ Joseph Schooling.
- Ben’s father, Harvey Davis, told Reuters that his son may be forced to consider giving up his Singapore citizenship for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in the EPL.
In Parliament, the minister made no indication that the Ministry of Defence will ever budge on the issue. Dr. Ng’s full speech can be watched on the Channel NewsAsia clip above — here are some highlights.
- “Mr. Ben Davis is playing for Fulham Football Club as an English national, not a Singaporean citizen.”
- “The father’s responses make clear on his intent for his son to pursue a professional football career to the fullest. If Mr. Ben Davis will not give up his senior contract which provides an allowance of a few hundred pounds a week to serve his national service, it is even more unlikely that he will return to serve national service if he subsequently gets offered a contract worth many times more.”
- “The application by Mr. Harvey Davis for his son’s deferment is to further his son’s professional career first and to the longest extent possible. He has been quite open about this, and you would have read what he said. Singapore and her interests, including his son’s NS obligations, are secondary considerations, if at all.”
Dr. Ng then affirmed that The Enlistment Act is blind to “personal convenience and considerations” regardless of circumstances.
“Deferment, therefore, cannot be for that individual, no matter how talented, to pursue his own interests or career, even if it vicariously brings credit or fame to Singapore.”
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