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Right Decision to Build up Singapore Defence Says Goh.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Dr Goh Keng Swee, yesterday said Singapore's decision to build up its defence was the right one in view of the recent collapse in Indochina.

He said that if that decision was not taken, Singapore would be in a weak unprepared state and confidence of businessmen and investors would be shaken if the decision had not been taken.

Singapore, he said, was fortunate in that the Republic was able to finance its defence buildup from two infantry battalions, consisting mostly of non-citizens, to the present state without additional taxes.

He said: "This was possible because the economy grew at a very rapid rate and government revenues increased even faster.

"While the financial burden was easily borne, the manpower requirement could be met only by introducing full time national service."

This meant Singapore's youths had to do compulsory two and a half years of soldiering. Those who intended to go for higher studies had to delay their plans by two years.

(In 1967, defence expenditure absorbed 7% of the national budget; by mid-1967, compulsory national service had been introduced; the allocation more than doubled to 16% in 1968; in the following year a quarter of the budget went to defence, and by 1970. the proportion had jumped to 33%. The island state, with some 2 million inhabitants, and barely a third of the area of Greater London, is spending an average of over $300 million annually on defence and internal security.

The process of militarisation was originally to serve a three-fold purpose in domestic and regional politics. It was a means towards nation building, towards creating a strong garrison with in a volatile region; it was a means of stabilising one of the strategic bases of foreign interest in South East Asia - ensuring the maintenance of 'an excellent back up facility 'for the United States presence in Indochina, and a staging post for Western penetration of Indonesia; finally, a strong military and paramilitary discipline in society is one way of guaranteeing the survival of a political elite and containing opposition.

The above purposes, with the exception of the role of Indochina, still remains true. Dr Goh would not dare to spell out the motivation for the build-up, of course, nor had he the guts to admit the very fact, that, for those intending to go for higher studies could go ahead if they could afford a $50,000 bond.)