First generation PRs no need to serve NS, but second generation…

Many people have raised the issue of first generation PRs not serving NS. Some even deliberately opt to become citizens after a certain age to avoid NS. But if I am not mistaken, the often repeated defence to this policy is that the second generation of PRs or citizens would have to serve NS. This took away some of the vehemence of NSmen for the time being. Finally their children would have to serve NS.
 
This is what I have believed, rightly or wrongly. Now there is an article in TRE that told a different story. Maybe I have been mistaken all the time. According to this article, ‘PRs who fail to serve NS face serious consequences’, the children of PRs can opt not to be PRs and stay here under student passes. I swear this is new to me. Blame me for being ignorant. I quote an elaboration of what this means in the same article.
‘Foreign expats’ sons go for Student Pass instead
 
Due to the stringent tightening of NS policy especially after the PAP Govt suffered a GRC loss in the last election, foreign expats will now tend not to apply PR for their sons. Their sons are put on student pass so as to avoid NS and work or study issues later.
 
A good example is former Indian national and now new Singaporean citizen, Raj. During an interview with TOC [Link], Raj revealed that only he in the family has converted to Singaporean citizenship. His wife and daughter remain as PRs and his son is on a student pass.
 
Raj said that if his son was a PR, he would need to serve NS. He preferred to “let his son decide if he wanted to put his roots down in Singapore or go back to India when he turns 21″.
 
The benefit of having his son on a student pass is that his son can always work in Singapore later as a “foreign talent” and eventually become a PR himself. He will not be considered a second-generation PR since he was not sponsored by his parents in the first place. A second-generation PR who gives up his PR is barred from working or studying in Singapore.
 
Raj said, “We have friends who are from India as well as Singapore. My kids must grow up knowing their roots and our Indian culture, so we purposely go out of the way to stay connected with our friends from India, especially those from our own hometown.”
 
“Living and adjusting to so many different races of people is a very big challenge,” he added.
Raj chose to let his children study in the Global Indian International School instead of a local school.’
 
There are two points to this quote. One, PRs indeed had the option for their children not to serve NS. Another point is that they do not think our policies of having the four major races learning their own languages and roots are good enough to retain their own culture and need to go back to absorb their own culture in their mother land. Also, they are not going to sink roots here as their children would not be one of us.
 
Does this not defeat the objective of having immigrants to be one of us, to be rooted here? We would end up with transient families and more old folks problems if their children would not want to be citizens.
Why like that one?

Kopi Level - Green