Channel NewsAsia 26 Mar 14;
SINGAPORE: Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said the civil service must pay special attention to three areas of governance if it is to retain public trust and govern well in Singapore's new environment.
Speaking at the Administrative Service dinner and promotion ceremony on Wednesday evening, Mr Tharman said the first is implementing policies well and making sure they work on the ground.
The second is to include the public more in working out solutions.
The third is investing in community life and the intangibles that matter to people's sense of well-being.
Mr Tharman said: “We cannot read too much into perception surveys, or take too much comfort from them. But the broad conclusions are clear enough. We operate today from a position of broad public confidence in the government, and we have to work hard to keep this trust in the government, that has been built up over the years.”
Mr Tharman also announced the setting up a taskforce to implement the Pioneer Generation Package.
It will be co-led by Senior Minister of State for Finance Josephine Teo, and Senior Minister of State for Health Dr Amy Khor.
Some of the areas the taskforce will focus on include training volunteers for face-to-face outreach to the pioneers.
A total of 66 administrative officers were promoted this year.
There were over 300 officers in the administrative service last year, an increase of 4.5 per cent compared to 2012.
- CNA/xq
Civil Service needs to understand Singaporeans' moods, sentiments
Sharon See Channel NewsAsia 27 Mar 14;
SINGAPORE: The Civil Service needs to keep its ears close to the ground to understand the moods and sentiments of Singaporeans in order to craft the right policies that benefit citizens.
Mr Peter Ong, head of the Civil Service, said this at a dinner and promotion ceremony for the administrative service on Wednesday.
He said a key focus for the public service is the need for smooth implementation and policies as the operating environment evolves at a more rapid pace than before.
There is also greater diversity of aspirations among citizens, greater plurality of voices on issues and greater uncertainty of policy impact.
Mr Ong said to tackle this new environment, civil servants not only have to have a wide range of skills, they also need to keep their ears close to the ground.
He said how details and feedback by citizens on policies are handled can either allow the successful rollout of policies, or stymie their progress.
This culture of "mastery over details" in the service was well known, as he cited the example of the late Mr Sim Kee Boon, who used to walk the ground and even slept at Changi Airport before its opening, to ensure that everything was in place.
Mr Ong emphasised it was important for civil servants to understand Singaporeans' moods and sentiments and see the impact of policies on their lives.
He said this would allow them to craft the right features into policies to benefit all Singaporeans.
- CNA/de
Greater need for public servants to respond quickly to public feedback
Eileen Poh Channel NewsAsia 27 Mar 14;
SINGAPORE: There is now greater pressure on public servants to respond quickly to public feedback.
But engaging the public means more ideas coming forward to help solve complex problems, according to three top public servants who were promoted this year.
One in every 24 seconds -- that's how much feedback the Land Transport Authority received in 2012.
To 32-year-old Muhammad Ramzi, who works as Deputy Director (Land) at the Ministry of Transport, the numbers show greater public interest, but they also mean time is of the essence where response is concerned.
Mr Ramzi said: "Probably a long time ago when public expectations weren't so high, you could take a bit more time to look at things more thoroughly. But now there's the pressure, demand and there's social media. If you don't come out with a quick response to some of the issues that are going on out there, people will see you as weak. Where's the government, why are they not saying anything?"
Ramzi is one of over 60 administrative officers who were promoted this year.
Another officer who moved up the career ladder is 29-year-old Lydia Loh, who was with the Ministry of Finance from 2009 to 2012.
She said dealing with public feedback was already a challenge then.
Ms Loh, Associate Director (Strategy, Group Enterprise) of SingTel, said: "Taxi drivers have a view, your hawker centre uncle has a view, your bosses have a view, everybody has a view. But what is the representative view? What is it that is good?"
For 31-year-old Tan Chee Hau, more public opinion is a sign that the public cares.
And that is better than having one which does not.
Mr Tan Chee Hau, General Manager of Central Singapore Community Development Council, said: "It is challenging because we have to find out what is the best way to incorporate and listen to these opinions. But at the same time, I see it as a great opportunity because it shows that the public cares.
"It is an opportunity for us to establish partnerships. Problems today that we are facing are very complex, and I think it is only through partnerships that we can come together and make things better. I think it is an exciting time."
The three have been in the public service for some seven years. They are among some 300 officers in the Administrative Service.
- CNA/de
Policy, implementation both vital: Civil Service chief
Robin Chan The Straits Times AsiaOne 29 Mar 14;
SINGAPORE - The Head of the Civil Service wants elite members of the service to be close to the ground so they will not only craft but also execute policies well.
Mr Peter Ong used the occasion of this year's Administrative Service dinner to highlight the importance of policy implementation, as the Government prepares to roll out new policies in the second half of its five-year term.
He said good implementation is needed especially as the environment is changing rapidly in Singapore, with more diverse needs and many different voices.
Policies have also become more complex, with a "constant surge" in transactions and feedback volumes. The time to roll them out has also shortened.
The annual dinner is also a promotion ceremony and this year, 66 administrative service officers (AOs) were promoted.
At the end of last year, there were 324 AOs, an increase of 4.5 per cent, the Public Service Division said. Last year, 24 officers joined the service while 10 either retired, resigned or transferred out.
Mr Ong said that to execute policy well, three things are needed.
The first is to pay attention to details by being close to the ground. The second is to work with non-government partners such as voluntary welfare organisations, restructured hospitals and vendors.
The third is to tap the wisdom of public sector specialists with deep knowledge.
Elaborating on the first, he said keeping one's ear to the ground is important to understand the moods and sentiments of Singaporeans and how policies impact them. Being closer to where public services are delivered also allows officers to put the right features in policies more credibly.
Mr Ong praised the implementation of the Enhancement for Active Seniors (Ease) programme, which aims to improve the safety and comfort of seniors living in HDB flats.
Officers from the Ministry of National Development, HDB and Ministry of Health worked with occupational therapists to pilot the project and found that the height that grab bars are installed at is key.
So HDB trained the contractors to ensure each installation of a grab bar is customised to each senior living there.
"About 24,000 residents have signed up for the programme since its 2012 launch, demonstrating how attention to detail leads to practical benefits for our seniors," he said.
Mr Ong also highlighted the importance of exposing the AOs to operational jobs, such as putting more buses on the road.
There are now 27 AOs working in such jobs, and the aim is to have all AOs have at least one such posting in their careers.
Another initiative - the six- month Community Attachment Programme - has seen its participants quadruple from 10 in the 1980s to 40 this year, he said.
By year's end, 70 per cent of AOs are expected to have undergone this in their first 15 years.
Despite the more challenging environment, Mr Ong said that Singapore's civil service is starting from a strong base in policy implementation and is internationally recognised for this strength.
"We are a public service that can get things done. This can-do spirit must spur us on as we tackle new problems that confront us," he said.
'Vital to listen to silent majority's views...'
Maryam Mokhtar The Straits Times AsiaOne 29 Mar 14;
SINGAPORE -Weeks after Dr Beh Swan Gin became the Law Ministry's permanent secretary, he was tasked to oversee the reform of a law on Singapore's mandatory death sentence.
The experience in 2012 left an indelible mark on the 47-year-old.
He learnt how vital it was "to find ways to understand what the silent majority is talking about".
"Otherwise, your policies and laws may well be shaped by a very loud and noisy minority," he told The Straits Times earlier this week.
The change in the death penalty law since January last year gives judges discretion to impose a life sentence, instead of death, in certain instances of murder and drug trafficking.
But feedback showed a silent conservative part of society felt it "signalled a reduced commitment to law and order", he said.
Mr Beh and PUB chief executive Chew Men Leong were among 66 public sector officers whose promotions were celebrated on Wednesday at the Administrative Service annual dinner and promotion ceremony.
Mr Chew, 46, said understanding the needs and views of the public has been a "very big lesson" for him. Since taking up his present post in 2011, the former navy chief has had to tackle a series of severe flash floods in Singapore as well as the recent, worst-ever dry spell.
Underlying the important role of engaging the public, he highlighted two crucial measures.
One, having a central point of collecting information - where the public can also send details about what is happening where they are - is key in helping PUB decide how "to prioritise our response".
Two, the need to be transparent when engaging the public. "We need to lay out whatever information we have. And if the public is telling us (something), we better recognise it as something we don't know and pick up on it."
Dr Beh said there is a need to seek views in an in-depth manner as people get more involved and social media gets more popular. "You have to engage in deep conversations... you have to invest effort in doing that.
"Is it about having more presence on social media, more presence on the Web? To a certain extent yes but that's just superficial," he added.
A medical doctor by training, Dr Beh held various posts while working in the public sector.
These include being managing director of the Economic Development Board and executive director of the Biomedical Research Council in the Agency for Science, Technology and Research.
At the dinner, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam paid tribute to two recently retired permanent secretaries.
They are Mr Chiang Chie Foo and Mr Bilahari Kausikan.
Mr Chiang, who is now chairman of the CPF Board, was in the Administrative Service for 32 years.
Mr Tharman, in noting his "outstanding" career, listed several key positions he has held and his achievements while leading them.
These include being director of the Internal Security Department, where he strengthened its capabilities and operational effectiveness.
Mr Kausikan had a "distinguished" career at the Foreign Affairs Ministry for 31 years, said Mr Tharman, as he described his achievements.
Among them is the groundwork he laid for Singapore's historic election as a non-permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations.
Read more!
Posts
visitors since Nov 07