there was this article on mypaper the other day.... 7 october

"Encourage ill NSF to speak up"

i think i can speak on this topic..... cos i went thru national service before and i know what its like to be sick.

i remember i injured my back when i was doing my national duty. i went to see the MO in my camp.... there was a officer in front of me, who also injured his back.

while waiting for my turn, i was watching the medics at work... when its an officer or NCOs, they will always be very nice, they will talk to them nicely... joke.......and when its people like us.... they will shout like "GOT PHLEGM NO PHLEGM !" ( i can never forget this) very impatient.. and very rude...... what have we done?

the first thing when the medic see people like us..their first thought will be "malingerers"....want to run away from duty or service...... must "tekan" then.....

my back hurts..... and i have walk a long way to the MO..... as i waited.... the officer came out... smiling...... he got to go home to rest for 2 days!!

when my turn came, i have to do light duty.... ??? and i was in pain. i can hardly stand straight....... and i have to endure light duty....logic??

when i got back to camp, my PC sort of suggested that i am faking it to escape training ( i am not sure if he is just joking).... i was damm piss..... i was prepared to be charged for it...

"SIR...don't insult me.... you know me well enough.... look at my record. i am physically fit and i do my job well and i am a cross country runner...my fitness is not an issue here and so is my work rate in camp..."

and i walk away.

there are officers who walk away from responsibilities..... and left their men to answer for it. i know of a few in my days...... and i can't do anything about it, and i am one of the victim. officers who disregard our strength and let me and my men work a little slower after 5 days of sleepless of training..... and scolder my men and me when i asked him to let my men rest first.... officers who run away when higer ranks officers come to the site for inspection..... and let me and my men answer to any screw ups..... officers who does not know their job..... these all the officers and superiors i have.

and to speak up..... to who???

my camp is far away from the medical centre..... maybe about 1km away... its a long walk and imagine if you are really sick.... you have to walk all the way there just to see the MO......who thinks that you are faking it..... after the long walk under the sun... you tell me if you will still have fever.....??? its a lucky thing that we dont die or faint under the sun.......

i have a friend who broke his leg while training... he was hopping and hurt.. he went to the MO and the MO say nothing wrong just rest will do...my friend insist on having an x-ray cos he thought his bone is broken..... the MO told my friend that his friends in the hospital will laugh at me if i refer you for x-ray.......????? are they doctors???????

i am not surprise that this guy kept his MC in his locker..... maybe he felt that his officers will think that he is a malingerer....... and he will be punished for it.... i don't know.

why do young people drop dead just like that? don't push the blame to polys or schools..... its the system...we only have time to study to get good grades and chase the papers....... fitness is not even secondary..... its just an option way below in a long list of options...

yah right...speak up.......

another useless thought