SINGAPORE — How Singaporeans respond when a terror attack hits will be the test of 50 years of nation building, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said yesterday at the first of a series of appreciation ceremonies to celebrate five decades of National Service (NS).

Speaking at the ceremony in Safra Toa Payoh, Dr Ng cited recent events in cities in Europe and said what must run through the minds of Singaporeans when they learn of such attacks is that “what we have here now is precious”.

“But what happened in London, in Stockholm, in Russia ... can happen in Singapore. It could happen tomorrow (or) a year from now,” he said.

How citizens react will be key. “Will we respond like the Londoners, who say, ‘You can’t take my freedom away — you can try to bomb this place, you can take a truck and try to run through people, but ... we’ll stand together’?” he asked.

“Or will we cower, run back and say, ‘Oh, don’t come out, stay at home, let’s give in to the terrorists.’ That’s the test of 50 years of nation building.”

He noted that Singapore’s first defence minister Goh Keng Swee saw NS not only as a means to defend Singapore but also to build a nation and bind people together.

Today, in the face of “clear and present threats”, including terrorism and cyber attacks, families play an “indispensable role” in supporting national servicemen and Total Defence is even more relevant, said Dr Ng.

A total of 52 appreciation ceremonies will be run by the People’s Association (PA) until next month. Yesterday, Dr Ng presented the first NS50 Recognition Packages, which includes S$100 in vouchers, to nearly 100 pairs of fathers and sons living in Toa Payoh.

In reiterating the focus of the year-long NS50 campaign, themed From My Generation to Yours — a narrative adopted in recent times to chart the evolution of NS — Dr Ng likened the handover of responsibility of NS, from fathers to sons, to passing the baton in a race.

“If you drop the baton, that’s it — the race is over ... Singapore will be vulnerable, and so will our collective security,” he said.

Over in Yishun, Second Minister for Defence Ong Ye Kung officiated at the appreciation ceremony for Gambas ward and said that as a small nation, Singapore will always have to depend on NS to fill the armed forces.

But with the low birth rates, every soldier will have to count, and capability and productivity comes into play to overcome the falling numbers of national servicemen, he said.

The army’s Soldier Strong programme is a way to train them better and address their emotional and psychological needs, added Mr Ong, who is also Education Minister (Higher Education and Skills).

Technological advancements have made it easier to deploy servicemen according to their fitness level. For instance, a combat engineer had to be capable of lifting heavy loads in the past.

“But now ... you don’t need to be someone (in) Pes A to be a combat engineer,” he said. “We can now use technology and machines do the work.”

At another appreciation ceremony in Yishun, Mr Ho Chin Thiam, 60, who enlisted in 1976, recalled fond memories of being part of the first batch of police national servicemen.

“We were told that we’ll be trained as if we’ll be inspectors. I felt proud,” said the internal auditor, who recounted practising foot drills for four hours daily over three months as part of the police contingent in the National Day Parade.

Until today, he remembers the steps like clockwork. The training also helped him to think logically and carry out investigations — part and parcel of his work as an auditor.

More than one million Singaporeans have served NS since 1967. And as part of the suite of NS50 benefits, the People’s Association has announced that all servicemen will get a free Commemorative NS50 PAssion Card and membership.

Updates were also given yesterday about the NS50 vouchers announced in February, such as where they can be redeemed. They will be valid until the end of next year, and servicemen will receive them later this year.