RIP CFC Aloysius Pang

RIP CFC Aloysius Pang.

The passing of one Singaporean Son during training is one too many. As someone who believes strongly in Singapore’s ability and responsibility to defend itself, I would like to say that CFC Aloysius Pang didn’t die in vain. I would like to say that he did a great service to his nation. But. I. Can’t.

The fact of the matter is, we have had 8 deaths in the past 16 months. That is 8 sons, 8 brothers, 8 boyfriends, 8 fiancés, 8 fathers we have lost as a nation. 4 from training accidents, 3 from suicide and 1 from a hazing accident. 

At which part of this statistic do we start to say that their death is in vain? At which numerical order does, “you have done a great service to the nation” become “we have failed you as a nation”?

What is the point of having the fiercest warriors, the most accurate marksmen or the toughest soldiers who strikes fear in the hearts of our enemies if we fail them during peacetime?

We hold CEOs accountable when they fail to make profit targets. We hold senior managers accountable when they fail to create a workplace free from discrimination and sexual harassment. Where is the accountability when leaders fail to meet the most important safety target? Profits lost can be recouped but a life lost is immutable.

I don’t have answers to this question. I don’t have solutions to this problem. What I do know is that we have to do better. We must do better.

Just as how each Singaporean Son has a responsibility to defend this nation. This nation has a responsibility to protect each Singaporean Son. It has a responsibility to show that it deserves to be defended. That it deserves every sweat, tear, blood and pain that our soldiers give.

As a nation we have failed CFC Aloysius Pang and 7 other sons. The tragic end to their life story is preventable. The day we keep the verb in its past tense, “prevented”, instead of its future tense, “preventable”, is the day when we can finally say that they didn’t die in vain. Only then can we finally say that they have done a great service to their nation. 

Until then we mourn and grieve as a nation because we didn’t just lose a Singaporean Son, we failed a Singaporean Son and his family.