Malaysian national swimmer that is Lim Ching Hwang has been sentenced on the 9th February 2021 to eight weeks of jail for defaulting on his National Service (NS) obligations in Singapore. This 24-year-old man pleaded guilty to two charges under the Enlistment Act. Another charge was taken into consideration during sentencing.
Lim has become the 17th defaulter to be jailed since the High Court set out a new sentencing framework in 2017 for those who evade NS. He has since completed his NS. According to a report, in the past decade, Lim had competed as a Malaysian in the SEA Games in the year 2011, 2013, 2015, and also 2017.
According to a statement, Lim has told the judge in court that he succumbed to the ‘temptation’ of studying at a prestigious university after he was given a Malaysian scholarship. He also said, in hindsight, he should not have listened to his parents’ ill-judged advice to finish his studies before serving NS, but rather, should have persuaded them to sort out his exit permits.
The court also heard that Lim intends to apply for citizenship in Singapore in the near future, as well as continue to compete for Singapore. This was despite Lim having attempted to renounce his permanent residency status after he was ordered to serve out his NS obligations. Lim said he has a girlfriend and a job lined up for him in Singapore now.
He said, “I’m deeply regretful of my actions. I committed them as a boy and now that I am more mature, I have come back to face the consequences like a man”. The court also heard from the deputy public prosecutor, who said that NS defaulters enjoy an unfair advantage over their law-abiding peers, even if they complete their service eventually. Lim also told the court that he experienced mental stress and was glad that he was able to complete his NS without creating any problems.
In the month of March 2014, two days after he was approved to be a permanent resident, Lim received a notice to register for NS. At that time, a Malaysian conglomerate that is Sime Darby also extended an offer to him to pursue university studies in the United States on a scholarship. On May 29, he registered for NS two days before the deadline and was granted a deferment until May 2017 to pursue a diploma at Republic Polytechnic. But he left his polytechnic studies and Singapore on July 17 and started on a business degree course at Ohio State University.
The Ministry of Defence rejected Lim and his parents’ request for an NS deferment to attend university, as deferment for university studies are not typically granted. His parents also failed to put up a bond in order to secure an exit permit for Lim to leave Singapore. Lim was told in February 2015 by the authorities via his father that he had to undergo medical screening for his enlistment. Lim’s father replied that his son would be renouncing his status as a permanent resident since his deferment for the university was not granted.
Lim finally returned to Singapore on June 11, 2018, after completing university. He enlisted on April 3, 2019, and completed his NS on Feb. 2, 2021. Lim will begin serving his sentence from Feb. 23. He could have been jailed for up to three years or fined, or punished with both, for leaving Singapore without an exit permit under the Enlistment Act.
Sources: CNA