All I see here is a LTC who wants to continue to be king of his little kingdom. If you've made it to the top, of course you will want to be there forever. Ask him if he wants to continue if he were a Private!
Obviously he has keen interest to ensure he has more men under him, and use the excuse of national defence to make sure all men report for service, even at the expense of the soldier's personal livelihood. Is LTC Lien going to shoulder the opportunity losses from ICT?
LTC Lien has a nice little company and all the flexibility to leave work. If he succeeds in expanding his company, lets see what his shareholders say when his male employees have to disrupt their work for NS.
In the end, this is an economic problem, not a problem solved by drinking coffee or a meal in a restaurant. The world would be perfect for NS if everyone were a civil servant and paid from tax payer's money. But who is pays the taxes then? NS men doing ICT?
Defer ICT? He'll talk to your boss
If you are deferring your in-camp training and are in Danny Lien's unit, you can expect a call from him about it. - myp
Adrian Lim
Tue, Oct 23, 2012
my paper
LTC (NS) Danny Lien, one of the NSmen of the Year award recipients. Behind him is his family: (from left) daughter Nicolette, 18, son Sean, 13, wife Ms Joyce Yee, 44, and daughter Dana, 20.
SINGAPORE - If you are an operationally ready national serviceman (NSman) deferring your upcoming in-camp training and serve in Lieutenant-Colonel (NS) Danny Lien's unit, you can expect a call from him about it.
That is not all: He will even call your boss to explain why NS training is important if you are deferring because of work.
LTC Lien, 49 - one of this year's winners of the NSmen of the Year award - said he does this to understand the difficulties his NSmen face in turning up for training.
If it was work-related, LTC Lien said he would try to give his NSmen time to return to the office, or ensure they remain contactable to their employers.
"Some workaround is better than not attending in-camp training," said LTC Lien, who is the Chief of Staff of the 4th Singapore Armoured Brigade.
LTC Lien firmly believes that deferring training will just result in a longer liability period for NSmen before they reach the statutory age when they are no longer required to serve NS.
He has spoken to more than 10 employers to explain their employees' roles and responsibilities during NS.
He went so far as to take an employer out for lunch three years ago when one of his NSmen - a local bank's relationship manager - was unable to get time off from work for in-camp training.
"A lot of employers are still not very sure what their NSmen are doing, and what their (NS) roles and responsibilities are," said LTC Lien, who is the managing director of a marine and offshore services company.
He reckons that after chatting with his NSmen's bosses, there is a 50-50 chance that they will allow their employees to go for in-camp training.
LTC Lien fulfilled his NS liability around 2002, but he decided to extend his service voluntarily.
Asked when he would stop, LTC Lien - who is married with three children - said that as long as he is healthy and fit, he will continue to serve.
He revealed that he had a quadruple heart-bypass operation two years ago, but was given the green light to continue serving NS following a medical- board review.
"I told them that as a commander, I should know my limits and I should be able to manage myself. And if I cannot do that, how can I manage the battalion?" he said.
adrianl@sph.com.sg
