Quick get me into Parliment!

PAP candidate first to collect nomination papers
By Jessica Lim & Melissa Pang

FORMER army chief Chan Chun Sing, 42, who is expected to be fielded in the People's Action Party's Tanjong Pagar GRC team, was the first candidate to pick up the nomination papers at the Elections Department on Prinsep Street on Wednesday morning.

He also collected a CD containing the eligible voters in the GRC, which is helmed by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. The other PAP candidates are likely to be Ms Indranee Rajah, Mr Baey Yam Keng and Dr Lily Neo.

Major-General (NS) Chan told reporters later: 'We just have to fill up the forms. I didn't know I would be the first... I didn't want to squeeze with the lunch crowd.'

The second earlybird to turn up at the Elections Department was Mr Abdul Rasheed Abdul Kuthus from the National Solidarity Party . He was there to collect the application forms for the certificate for Malay, Indian and other minority communities candidates.

Shortly after, NSP campaign manager Tan Chee Kien arrived and picked up what looked to be 10 GRC and 10 single-member constituency forms. He was followed by another NSP member Noraini Yunus.

All candidates must submit their applications to contest the May 7 General Election by 1 pm on Saturday, April 23, ahead of Nomination Day on April 27



This is interesting.

Look like MG(NS) Chan is quite free as he is jobless now since he retirement so he has all the time to run errant for his boss.

Being the newest member of Tajong Pagar GRC, I guess he is being tasked to collect the nomination papers for them. Well you can’t expect the emperor to collect the paper himself right?

Er… I didn’t know the Elections Department too will be crowded with “lunch crowd” according to MG(NS) Chan.

The only places that always full with lunch time crowd are at the eateries, banks or poly clinics. Either Singaporean always visit the Election Department for God’s know what reason or MG(NS) Chan has lost touch with Singaporean since he been eating at Officer’s Canteen for the past 20 years.

Mindef Reserve. Finally!

Attended my Mindef Reserve (MR) ceremony last Saturday, 26 Feb 2010 which spelled the end of my military life which begun on 24th June 1993.

So 14 years plus in the army exchange for a certificate, a photograph, a watch, a medal, a pin and one final meal in the canteen.

As I have blogged before, I am just glad to be out of the system.

Looking at Singapore nowadays, I don’t know whether it is worth protecting anymore. The influx of foreigners, elites and governments who has lost touch of the ground etc etc.

Look like the security of the nation now lies in the hand of another generation which have never done more the 20 push up in a row.

Good bye SAF.

The end of a journey.

Just came back from 2 week of reservist. This happens to be my last one and I have completed my 11 in-camps (yes one more extra) and fulfilled my obligation as a male citizen of this country.

I know many people dread going back or “keng” out of the army but I personally don’t want to owe the country and I am proud to have completed my duty as a combat soldier not a Pes C soldier. (No offend to some out there. : P)

Some reflections to share.

I had some great time in the army, met some nice people and it had in a way reminded me to stay fit till this very day, 14 days after my ROD.

I had seen the transformation of the army from 2nd Generations as a recruit till what it is today a 3-G army.

I had worn the old WWII helmet and the new Kevlar one.

I think I also wore quite a range of the army wardrobe.

I have wore the super old uniform, to the newer camo one and recently the pixelized one. I even wore the crab black PT short, the green PT shirt (strangely the newest one back to green), the camo PT shorts (hey bet not many of you remember), the black PT shorts, the grey T and singlets, the Brown T and finally the new green T and singlets.

I wore the super old hard boots to the softer leather one and now the gortex one.

Food in the canteen has improved drastically. From the “cooks” days to the Singapore food industry of today.

Out rations was served on meal bags over mess tin to Styrofoam box till the paper box of today.

I have fired the M-16 and the SAR 21.

Ridden in the Mercedes 3 tonner, the New 3 tonners and now the 5 tonners (air-con some more), the land rover, the Jeep (can’t remember the name) and now the ford OUV. Took a ride on unimod, the 5 tonners, the 7 tonners and some of the unique rafts during my combat engineer days.

So the army had indeed changed, evolved over the years. But I still can't stand the bureaucracy involved. This will take another essay so you guys can ask me next time.

I am both sad and happy at this MR stage.

Sad that I will be seeing less of my friends, will be missing the time off from office, the super challenging talk cock sessions and the games in the Mess.

But I am happy to be out of the system. No more Mods Manning, no more reporting to the stupid automatic machine whenever you need to travel, no more red tapes and crabs in camp. Got to say the efficiency level of the army has not improve much since I first enlisted.

I am also happy to leave after scarifying 2 years 4 months full time of my life and follow by 14 years of reservist.

I question myself what has our county became today. With 1/3 of us a foreigners we are depending only a few hundreds thousands of Singaporean males to defend our land. We are scarifying our life and time to ensure our country is stable and safe while people from other country can just came and enjoy. What for?

Some Perm Sec cam during my ICT and a word from him set off the alarm bell in me.

He said the regulars are not the main army but we the NS man are. What he said is true, we the normal citizen are the bulk of the armed forces but then why are we paid peanuts during my NS days and the regulars are paid a fortune? Sad.

Anyway I had paid my debt and good luck to those who have sons.

But it’s not so bad in the army these days. It had taught me endurance, determination, teamwork, leadership and mostly friendship.

Goodbye SAF, it was a nice journey but it could be better.

How SAF haress NS-men long after their ROD.

I did not take my IPPT during my last in-camp in Oct 2008 as I was still awaiting my FFI result. The SAF system know I am not allow to take the IPPT until I am FFI cleared. Wow! Quite impressed with MINDEF.

I was cleared of my FFI in Dec 2008 and my IPPT window will close in May 2009.

Sometime in Dec, I received 2 SMS from MINDEF automated system reminding me to clear my IPPT by May 2009.

I check the on-line NS portal then and as what I suspected, my unit has not update my FFI status so MINDEF is still sending me these SMS reminder. Note I can’t even book my IPPT date since my FFI is not clear. Wow! The system so advance.

So I called my unit up and finally MINDEF system was update in Jan 2009 and I booked my IPPT test in Apr 2009.

Thinking this will be automatically updated the MINDEF Super Advance system?

Wrong!

I still keep getting these stupid MINDEF’s SMS reminding me to clear my IPPT before May 2009.

Gosh! I can’t do that now stupid! My IPPT test is in April!!