Editorial: Students must step up in the face of terror threats

During his National Day Rally address, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong brought up the threat of terrorism on home soil, following recent attacks in neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia.

A dozen Singaporeans have been arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) over the past two years. Last month, Indonesia arrested a group of militants who had planned to attack Marina Bay with a rocket.

While the Republic has been fortunate to evade attacks, we should not take our internal stability for granted.

Counter-terrorism must be considered a community effort. As undergraduates forming the future generation of leaders and influencers, our role remains crucial.

Sadly, young Singaporeans are often deemed the “strawberry generation”, idealistic and apathetic about things outside of their own world.

This is an opportunity to prove this claim wrong.

Our degrees should go beyond the mere thought of securing better employment opportunities.

We have to lead the way by educating each other about the nuances and characteristics of terrorism, and that danger lurks in the most unexpected of places.

The public is aware of the threat. According to a Sunday Times poll of 500 people in March, three in four Singaporeans believe that it is only a matter of time before an attack.

But passive awareness is not enough.

Pick up a newspaper and update yourself about the latest terror developments. Lead discussions with others on terrorism and get involved.

Singaporeans must also be psychologically ready to respond to a possible attack or crisis.

Mr Lee spoke about the upcoming launch this month of SG Secure, an initiative aiming to prepare the public in the event of an attack.

The challenge for us students – regardless of our fields of expertise – will then be to step up and lead on the ground.