Letter: More feedback channels needed in the SAF

SAF would do well to protect whistle-blowers Straits Times, July 17, 2007

Sir/Mdm,

In the report, ‘PM Lee’s son in NS reprimanded by SAF’ (ST, July 13), Mindef spokesman Colonel Benedict Lim was quoted as saying that ‘all SAF servicemen with complaints or grievances should take them up through proper channels for redress’.

The SAF Act described these ‘proper channels’ as lodging a complaint to an officer next senior in rank to the offender – which was what 2nd Lt Li Hongyi did initially by complaining to his supervising officers, though no disciplinary action was taken against the offender.

Although 2nd Lt Li’s act of ‘broadcasting his letter’ was improper, it highlights a frustration shared by many servicemen with the current system of providing feedback – more often than not, it is not taken seriously.

If a second lieutenant’s lodging of a complaint with supervising officers was met with nonchalance, I shudder to think how they would react to a similar complaint by a non-officer.

Instead of reiterating the importance of following the proper protocol for complaints and grievances, the SAF should look into providing a more effective and less bureaucratic means for soldiers to provide feedback, lest even more disgruntled soldiers start ‘broadcasting’ their grievances.

For one thing, the SAF can institute proper whistle-blower protection so that candid and useful feedback and complaints can be made by servicemen of all ranks without fear of reprisal, as anonymity, according to Col Lim, is not a privilege enjoyed by them.