Volunteers have been vital in helping the Ministry of Defence stretch the defence budget, improve its medical services, and guide its research in defence technology.
Yesterday, more than 200 of them, who sit on various Mindef committees and boards, were honored at a dinner.
One of the volunteers was Mr Ramanathan Seenivasakan, 41, who was appointed recently to Mindef's Board of Visitors.
His job? To make sure that the rules are being followed at the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) detention barracks, and to check on the welfare of the detainees.
Part of his work will involve talking to the inmates to see if the programmes they go through are effective.
The best part about this, he said, is that he would be working hand-in-hand with his twin brother, Mr Lakshmanan, who is a volunteer administering these programmes.
Mr Ramanathan, who is a director in an American networking company, was one of 38 people who were presented certificates of appointment or re-appointed yesterday.
He said: "I've the advantage of having my brother in there on the ground, doing the counselling and helping the inmates change their mindset, and telling him if a programme is not going well."
Both men have experience in the field as volunteers with a drug rehabilitation halfway house, The Ashram.
In a statement yesterday, Mindef said its volunteers bring with them varied professional expertise to enhance the work of Mindef and SAF, and also to create an awareness and understanding among the public in defence matters.
They serve in 30 boards and committees and supervise groups, such as Safra, the Youth Flying club and the Singapore Discovery Centre.
Speaking at the dinner, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Tony Tan paid tribute to them and held them up as prime examples of the active citizen envisioned in the Singapore 21 report.
He told them: "With your collective contributions and suggestions, we have achieved much more than we could have if we had worked on our own."
(taken from The Straits Times, 29/6/99)