MINDEF’s Reply to ST’s Forum Letter: 'MINDEF should pay artistes for their work'

We thank Mr Ivan Heng for his letter and agree that creative professionals should be fairly compensated for their work.

The Ministry of Defence and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) value the contribution of the arts community, which are critical partners to strengthen support for defence and inspire Singaporeans. We remain committed to supporting Singapore's creative ecosystem by regularly engaging and commissioning local performers, creative agencies, production companies, and technical crews for a wide range of projects such as public engagement concerts, livestream events, as well as digital media productions and programmes. These are fully paid engagements.

The Singapore Defence Volunteer Network (SG Defence) complements, and is not intended to replace, paid engagements. It serves as a platform for active citizenry, offering an additional avenue for Singaporeans from all backgrounds and with diverse skill sets including both creative professionals and non-professionals, to contribute their time, talents, and abilities in support of national defence. Other examples of volunteers contributing alongside our service personnel include SAF volunteers serving as Auxiliary Security Troopers or psychiatrists volunteering on the SAF Psychiatry Specialist Advisory Board.

Paid professional engagements and voluntary service serve different purposes and can coexist in strengthening both Singapore's creative community and our Total Defence.

Deanne Tan
Director, Nexus
Ministry of Defence