Defence is key

I FEEL strongly about securing the military defence of our nation, not only for the present generation, but also for generations to come.

This era of the 3G (Third Generation) Army has profound meaning for me as a Basic Military Training instructor in the Singapore Armed Forces.

My duty is not just to train recruits to be proficient in military skills, but also to inspire them to be passionate about national service and understand its importance in the face of threats like terrorism. If they do not take Singapore's security into their own hands, who will?

Hopefully, they may in turn inspire future generations - when they themselves become leaders.

It is with all seriousness that I will always be faithful to my Specialist Creed: 'I will defend Singapore WITH MY LIFE!'

Nicholas Lim, 19, has a place in NTU's Nanyang Business School

Protect racial harmony

DO NOT let the 1964 race riots fade from memory.

When racial tensions simmered to the fore, there were chaos and bloodshed throughout the streets of Singapore.

Those tumultuous events seem to have been confined to another time and place altogether. But that doesn't mean we should take what we have now for granted.

With a multitude of races rubbing shoulders alongside one another in tiny Singapore, harmony is crucial to the continuity of peace and prosperity. If it were to break down, life here would not be bearable.

I have close friends of all races and we celebrate every ethnic festival together, be it Chinese New Year, Hari Raya or Deepavali. I'll never trade this bunch of friends for anything in the world.

Truly, racial harmony is something I'll defend with my life.

Nurul Jannah, 19, is a third-year Media and Communications student at Singapore Polytechnic

My family first

THE truth is, if Singapore were faced with a mortal crisis, my first thought would be to protect my family and myself.

One of the shared values in National Education is 'society above self' - but this runs counter to gut instinct, whether or not we admit it.

My sense of self-preservation and pragmatism so greatly outweighs abstract notions such as patriotism and selflessness that I can scarcely imagine myself laying down my life to defend anything outside my inner family circle.

And I may not be alone in holding such views. Many of my peers equally have no qualms about cutting and running for their own sake, as long as their families' safety was secured.

Eugene Ang, 19, has a place to read Law and Economics at NUS

Ideals worth defending

IF ANYONE were to defend something with his life, it should be the ideals and principles that allow him to attain his fullest potential.

Examples such as Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Tibet prove that it is all too common for those in power to institutionalise discrimination, snatching the fruits of labour out of the hands of those who earned and deserved it.

Singapore, on the other hand, has always heeded the sweet call of egalitarianism. Everything that I have gained in life is a fair reward for my efforts, and possible because of pragmatic meritocracy.

We reject the notion that anyone is superior because of race or privilege.

No country is perfect, but Singapore gets it right more than many others and that is worth defending.

Eef Gerard Van Emmerik, 20, has a place to read Law at SMU this year.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.