[News] Warrant officer asked by SAF to retire 5 years earlier


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xtemujin

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Apr 1, 2005
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Singapura, Singapore
Warrant officer asked to retire 5 years earlier

Tue, Nov 06, 2007
The Straits Times

I WAS a regular serviceman in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). I served a total of 32 years, comprising full-time national service, reservist and regular service, from 1974-2006.

I was one of more than 200 regular servicemen and women in the Army who were notified in May last year that we would be given Special Early Transition. Some of the reasons cited included difficulty in offering us 'suitable jobs' in the long run, restructuring and possible 'stagnation'. We were given only six months to transit.

Having attained the rank of a warrant officer in 2001, it meant that I was able to serve till the compulsory retirement age (CRA) of 55. I transitted last November after just turning 50, five years short of the CRA.

The Control of Personnel Centre announced that we were not under-performers. I was still PES 'B' and I received my performance bonuses annually without fail. I had also met all other requirements, i.e., Individual Physical Proficiency Tests, Annual Trainfire Programme, Body Mass Index, and Annual Proficiency Knowledge Test.

I also did not have any discipline or medical problems. The latter meant that I was still combat fit and still deployable. There are some who have not conformed to one or more of these requirements and yet are still serving in the organisation.
Till today, I am still somewhat in a state of depression at how the organisation had overlooked all my years of loyal and dedicated service.

The SAF Management Philosophy states:

'The SAF is concerned with the well-being of its people and their families, the SAF values its people, looks after them and their families so that they can give wholehearted attention to their assigned duties.'

The Defence Minister himself said last year:

'Every soldier is precious to us. Every national serviceman, every operationally ready national serviceman, every regular who serves with us is a precious and valuable person.'

The organisation failed to honour its word to allow me and many others to serve till the CRA of 55. I have a wife and two young children still attending school.

Second Warrant Officer (Retired)
Henry Minjoot

http://news.asiaone.com/News/The+Straits+Times/Story/A1Story20071106-34647.html
 

As usual, the army promise promise, but doesn't deliver.

Every reservist, the CO will say "If you all do well, we will let you go off earlier". That never happened.

One year lagi best, the CO say "If you all do well this year, next year we will clock your low key as a high key".

Next year came, rumours abounded that it will be a low key clocked as low key. Last day of ICT, CO says "sorry sorry, not my fault, I already send the request up but "they" refused - I tried already".

Yet another long string of empty promises.
 

I've talked with my warrant officers during ICT and they were not happy that the SAF is letting them go and replacing with new officers.
 

Yup, another fine example of how screwed up the SAF is.

I always say don't believe all the nice words you hear about SAF in newspapers and stuffs. Of course they have to say nice things about SAF. Which goondu will report (or do they dare?!?!) the bad things about SAF in the mass media?

But the lower level people (warrant officers included) will know how bad things could be. Underneath all the wayang, reality speaks for itself.
 

whatever happened to the iron rice bowl?
 

green men not green anymore :devil:

it is pointless to be devoted to a job nowadays... money is the real thing. Learn to smell opportunities and seize them.. this is the globalised world now.

loyalty is just a word that sounds nice on paper.
 

Yeap, the papers all report the good stuff, but the bad stuff all get hidden.

The thing is the papers also report all the 3G-ness the army has, new this new that, but end up donno how many people get to use.

Today has a new mobile base configuration - I think by the time I MR also will not have smelled it yet.

Yup, another fine example of how screwed up the SAF is.

I always say don't believe all the nice words you hear about SAF in newspapers and stuffs. Of course they have to say nice things about SAF. Which goondu will report (or do they dare?!?!) the bad things about SAF in the mass media?

But the lower level people (warrant officers included) will know how bad things could be. Underneath all the wayang, reality speaks for itself.
 

MINDEF may not even comment - its a news article and doesn't require a reply.

Waiting for a reply from MINDEF.
 

The irony of the system is that the good and capable regulars always get chopped while the ones that really cannot make it get to stay on.
 

The irony of the system is that the good and capable regulars always get chopped while the ones that really cannot make it get to stay on.

loyalty flew out the window a long time ago...

the ones that really cannot make it get to stay on only because they got ONE very important skill.... how to ANGKAT....
 

For an organisation that takes the lion share of the national budget, it really is badly run.
 

Yeap, the papers all report the good stuff, but the bad stuff all get hidden.

The thing is the papers also report all the 3G-ness the army has, new this new that, but end up donno how many people get to use.

Today has a new mobile base configuration - I think by the time I MR also will not have smelled it yet.

The mobile base thing was already been in place when I was NSF back in 2000. I guess this is the final version or almost final. Its used by Div commanders. If you're not with Div HQ, you will not smell it.

Unit commanders no hope of using it. :bsmilie: Bde commanders have their own and is different to this.
 

My ex-RSM daily schedule

9.30 am - Come to office

10.00am - tea break at officer's mess

11.00am - clear some paper work - wait for lunch

12.00pm - 2.00pm Lunch, free food in canteen plus sometimes go outside

2.00pm - Clear some more documents.

3.00pm - Tea break and more practise golf swings at officers mess / watch VCD/DVD

4.00pm - Go back office to pretend to work, read newspapers for "research"

5.00pm - go home :)
 

Hmm, really? Mobile deployable from a truck?

That's strange because the design registration was only filed in 2006....



The mobile base thing was already been in place when I was NSF back in 2000. I guess this is the final version or almost final. Its used by Div commanders. If you're not with Div HQ, you will not smell it.

Unit commanders no hope of using it. :bsmilie: Bde commanders have their own and is different to this.
 

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