“No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country” is the kind of awe inspiring quote attributable to a general with gravitas, specifically General George S Patton, that will lead men fearlessly into battle. Not the “Look, I’m naive. It doesn’t matter” kind of limp response from Singapore’s first Malay Brigadier-General (BG).
28 years ago, BG Ishak Ismail was responding to a skeptic’s question about his chances of promotion when he signed on with the Singapore Armed Officers (SAF). Unlike generals in other countries who serve with distinction under combat fire, BG Ishak, like most of his fellow BGs, earned his decorations for being Parade Commander of the National Day Parade in 1997 and the like. They learn to keep a clean record, and wait patiently for the day a CEO position in a Government Linked Company (GLC) becomes available when they reach retirement age.
Still the sensitive question about the uphill task Malay-Singaporeans face in rising up the ranks of the SAF lingers. BG Ishak’s personal take on this: “I don’t think (the promotion) of one man answers that question.” Member of Parliament (MP) Zaqy Mohamad shares the sentiment, “I hope it’s not seen as a token appointment.” There’s historical baggage to the nagging doubts. In February 1987, issues on ethnic relationships in Singapore surfaced when Malaysian leaders asked the Members of Parliament why there were so few Malays holding key positions in the SAF. Lee Hsien Loong, then Second Minister for Defence, infamously broadcasted that the SAF did not want its soldiers to be in a position where the loyalty of the soldiers might clash with racial and religious factors. Now you know.
Forget the naysayers, so is our latest BG an ardent reader of military strategy, avid collector of firearms, consummate follower of latest developments in wargaming? Nah, his professed dedication is taking his wife and two daughters to Orchard Road for shopping. His mission, BG Ishak claims, is to have quality time with his family: “I have never made the SAF an excuse for my family to be sidelined.” General Patton must be rolling in his grave.
June 27, 2009 at 11:42 am |
a little promotion b4 retirement. how genuine is that ?
June 29, 2009 at 11:36 am |
[...] Generation Singapore: Our First Malay BG – What was Said and Not Said – Today In Singapore: All Hail The Generals – Random Thoughts Of A Free Thinker: A Malay-Muslim BG does not a policy change make – [...]
June 29, 2009 at 2:28 pm |
What an utterly ill-informed opinion piece.
I know Ishak rather well from both personal and professional standpoints. No matter which unit he was in, he earned the respect of everyone under his command by his classy behaviour and thoughtful dedication to his men and women under him. I’m sure that if he were to lead men into battle, they would fight tooth and nail for him. I know I would. And yes, he is very up-to-date with military strategy, tactics and wargaming – you don’t need to know him personally to be cognizant of that as a cursory glance at his military CV is enough. But hey, you know everything about a person based on a newspaper article, don’t you?
Racial politics aside, Ishak should be congratulated for his promotion, and only someone with a small mind would criticise him based on a “limp” press response and dedication to his family.
Leadership in the military does not equate to obscenity-laden, guts-n-glory speeches, nor sitting in oversized jeeps with oversized rank insignias, nor showy uniforms with ivory-handled sidearms. That “leader” you idealize treated his subordinates like shit and slapped sick men in the infirmary, and also possessed an oversized ego that could not deal with other men less “worthy” than him getting promoted quicker. Maybe that describes you to a tee, hence the idolatry of GSP?
Ishak doesn’t stoop to that level, and will never do so. Is he any less a leader than Patton? The moot – and irrelevant – point that “oh, the SAF has never been in a war yadda yadda yadda” aside, I think not.
June 29, 2009 at 9:28 pm |
I second what Leong15 said – BG Ishak was one of the platoon commanders in my OCS company…
Although I didn’t train under him, I can see that he is a very fair and committed officer from my interactions with him and my friends in his platoon (can’t say the same for a lot of my mentors)
And whenever I go back for reservist and I happen to bump into him, he would always take the time to have a chat with me…
June 29, 2009 at 11:03 pm |
Your view of a military leader is that of a destructive madman.
Read up and you will realise a famous quote to be true:
“Politicians start wars. Soldiers end them.”
The military may not be able to make peace – thats for the rest of society to do as a whole – but they at least they certainly can stop wars.
June 30, 2009 at 8:07 am |
After slapping a hospitalized American soldier in Sicily in August 1943 and then making controversial remarks at the opening of a serviceman’s club in Knutsford, England, in April 1944, Lt. Gen. George S. Patton Jr. came within inches of being relieved of his command. Instead, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower imposed a punishment almost as devastating: Patton would be relegated to an essentially minor role during the historic Normandy landings.
Crushed that he was missing “the opening kick off,” a restless Patton wrote the following to his son, a cadet at West Point:
“There are apparently two types of successful soldiers. Those who get on by being unobtrusive and those who get on by being obtrusive. I am of the latter type and seem to be rare and unpopular: but it is my method. One has to choose a system and stick to it people who are not themselves are nobody.
To be a successful soldier you must know history. Read it objectively–dates and even the minute details of tactics are useless. What you must know is how man reacts. Weapons change but man who uses them changes not at all. To win battles you do not beat weapons you beat the soul of man of the enemy man. To do that you have to destroy his weapons but that is only incidental. You must read biography and especially autobiography. If you will do it you will find that war is simple. Decide what will hurt the enemy most within the limits of your capabilities to harm him and then do it. Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash. My personal belief is that if you have a 50% chance take it because the superior fighting qualities of American soldiers lead by me will surely give you the extra 1% necessary.”
June 30, 2009 at 10:59 am |
Obviously this is a timed trick to satiate the Malay community because old man Lee might be dying soon and he is afraid of his own paranoia of ‘instability’ after his passing.
Any ‘instability’ though is brought about by the very system and social mentality that he designed.
Read through Lee Kuan Yew: Race, Culture, Genes for more info – http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/lib/ne/lky/raceculturegenes.pdf
July 4, 2009 at 11:33 am |
[...] Generation Singapore: Our First Malay BG – What was Said and Not Said – Today In Singapore: All Hail The Generals – Random Thoughts Of A Free Thinker: A Malay-Muslim BG does not a policy change make – [...]