Study notes on Good Governance

With thanks to Hwa Yi Secondary School
What is Good Governance?
Governance  The way the government manages the country
Good Governance  The managing of the country in effective ways for the benefit of the people
Principles of Good Governance in Singapore

1. Pragmatism
2. Forward Looking
3. Meritocracy
4. Fairness
5. Transparency


1. Principle of Pragmatism
What is it: \
 Making a practical decision about an issue
 Adopting a practical solution to a problem

Examples of pragmatism
 Multi-national corporations in the 1960s and 1970s
 Economic links with communist China from 1950s to 1970s
 1985 recession
 car ownership since 1980


Example 1: Multi-National Corporations in the 1960s and 1970s

What was the situation
 Many countries did not want to invite foreign companies
 Fear of losing out to foreign companies
 Fear of domination of economy by foreign companies

What Singapore did
 Invited foreign companies to set up operations in Singapore

How Singapore benefited
 Economic progress in the 1970s



Example 2: Economic links with communist China from 1950s to 1970s

What was the situation
 China was a communist country
 Communist threats in Singapore and Malaysia
 China was providing help to the Communist Party in Malaysia

What Singapore did

 Retained economic link with China
 Did not close down branch of Bank of China in Singapore

How Singapore benefited
 China opened its economy to foreigners in late 1970s
 Singapore able to achieve good trade and investment in China

Example 3: 1985 Recession

What was the situation
 Serious recession in 1985
 High unemployment

What Singapore did
 Efforts made to lower cost of doing business in Singapore e.g. reduction in company taxes, wages and employers’ CPF contribution. These were done even though they reduced employee’s income.

How Singapore benefited
 Within two years, economy recovered

Example 4: Car Ownership since 1980
What is the situation
 Limited land
 Many Singaporeans could afford to own cars
 Fear of traffic congestion disrupting economic activities

What Singapore has done
 Improved public transportation e.g. MRT and LRT
 Introduced ERP
 Introduced COE – made Road Tax expensive for older cars
 This was done even though many were not happy

How Singapore benefits
 Less congestion on road
 Less disruption to economy



2. Principle of Being Forward-Looking

What is it
 Planning ahead to meet future needs of Singapore
 Being able to anticipate and act accordingly

Example of being forward-looking:
 Water policy
 Agricultural Land Use Policy

Example 1: Water Policy

What is the situation
 Limited water resources
 Heavily dependent on Malaysia for water

What Singapore did
 Plans to build water desalination plants
 Expensive but necessary

How Singapore could benefit
 Be more prepared for possible problems in future

Example 2: Agricultural Land Use Policy

What was the situation
 Environmental pollution in 1960s e.g. water pollution from waste of pig and poultry farms

What Singapore did
 Removed pig and duck rearing in 1970s
 Cleaning of rivers

Hoe Singapore benefited
 More water for water-catchment and cleaner rivers e.g. Singapore River and Kallang River


3. Principle of Meritocracy


What is it
 Reward for hard work and talent
 Encourage individual potential
 No bias based on race, religion or socio-economic background

Example of Meritocracy
 Education Policies

Example 1: Education Policies

What is the situation
 Need to nurture talents to improve self and country

What Singapore has done
 Those who do well are rewarded e.g. government scholarships-special programmes to develop skills like music and art

How Singapore benefits
 Equality, freedom and opportunity to show capabilities leads to harmonious living



4. Principle of Fairness


What is it

 Equal treatment for every community
 No community given increased priority

Examples of Fairness
 Policy of Multi-Racialism
 Policy of Minority Representation

Example 1: Policy of Multi-Racialism

What is the situation

 Need for equal status for every race and religion

What Singapore has done
 English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil as official languages
 Religious freedom

How Singapore benefits
 Absence of racial and religious conflict
 Co-existence of different races and religions

Example 2: Policy of Minority Representation

What is the situation
 Need for sensitivity towards the minority

What Singapore has done
 Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system to ensure minority is represented
 Presidential Council for Minority Rights to ensure that the minorities not disadvantaged due to the passing of a Bill

How Singapore benefits
 Enhances multi-racial understanding
 Allow for minority to voice concerns



5. Principle of Transparency

Reading Materials from the Straits Times
These two articles are example of effective leadership in government. The government in Singapore is not afraid to take unpopular decision that will benefit Singapore.


What is it
 To be open
 Information available to public
 Rules, regulations and decisions made clear


Example of Transparency

 Policy on Community Self-Help

Example: Policy on Community Self-Help
What was the situation
 Lower income groups less educated
 Certain races not doing as well as other races in education

What Singapore has done
 Encouraged setting up of self-help groups – CDAC, SINDA, MENDAKI and EA
 Partial financing by government and partial financing by members of the self-help groups

How Singapore benefits
 Academic performance of all the races improved




What Makes an Efficient Civil Service?

 Practising Meritocracy
 Upholding Honesty
 Encouraging Openness

Practising meritocracy -recruitment based on good academic qualifications
- promotion based on ability and potential
- poor performers given time to improve
- repeated poor performers have to leave the service


Upholding Honesty
-anti-corruption stance
- CPIB directly under the Prime Minister’s Office
- release of contracts to the most capable

Encouraging Openness
-public has knowledge of how policies are made and implemented
- reduce possibility of dishonest behaviour
- regular feedback from public on policies
- decision best for the country taken


SUSTAINING GOOD GOVERNANCE


1. GOOD LEADERSHIP

What needs to be done?

- choose honest and capable leaders

How can this be done?
- choose and train leaders
- choose leaders based on character e.g. honesty
- choose leaders who can work well in a team
- choose leaders who can interact well with people

Good leaders
- earn the confidence and respect of the people
- understand the needs and aspirations of the people; and
- interact well with the people to understand their concern and give clear explanations of government policies.


2. ADAPTABLE AND INNOVATIVE

What needs to be done
- able to innovate and think creatively to solve problems
- identify and solve problems as a team
- give suggestions as to how to improve the quality of work.
- Undergo regular training to upgrade their skills and knowledge

How can this be done
- encourage Work Improvement Teams (WIT)
- principles of meritocracy, honesty and transparency will always have to be upheld.



3. STRENGTHENING A SENSE OF BELONGING AND ROOTEDNESS

What needs to be done
- Singaporeans going overseas should not lose sense of
belonging
- younger Singaporeans should not become complacent
- social cohesion needs to be strengthened



A. CONSULTING THE PEOPLE
greater say in government policies
- numerous feedback channels e.g. Feedback Unit
- decisions based on public’s overall best interest
- the government strongly encourages feedback from the public, but is not easily swayed by public opinion. Policies are based on public’s interest though they are unpopular.
.

B. WORKING TOGETHER WITH PEOPLE
- allow for volunteers to contribute to country
- parents, community involvement in schools
e.g. Parent-Teacher Associations, School Advisory or Management Committees
- public involvement in keeping check on crime
e.g. Neighbourhood Watch Zone Scheme
- promotion of social cohesion through Community
Development Councils (CDCs)

C SHARING THE FRUITS OF SUCCESS
- Everyone in Singapore feels that they have a part to play in the country’s economic success.
- Social cohesion can weaken if one racial group is unable to progress economically and socially well with other racial groups.
- The government periodically redistributes the country’s economic gains to the people to strengthen social cohesion.
- Topping up CPF Account in 2001 and 2002.
- 2001, Singapore Shares - $200 to $1800 in their CPF ordinary account.
- 2003- economic restructuring shares

CONCLUSION

Citizens have very important roles to play in providing good governance. Singapore’s success is due to an effective, pragmatic and honest government; and the hard work of the people who supportive of the government’s policies.

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1. To what extent is upholding honesty an important element to ensure an effective civil service in Singapore? Explain your answer

Upholding honesty is important in ensuring an efficient civil service. Dishonest practices have been effectively curbed due to the government’s anti-corruption stance. The government depends on its anti-corruption laws & the CPIB to carry out its anti-corruption stance. The government awards contracts for certain jobs to private contractors through a tender system, whereby the most competitive bidder who can deliver their services is awarded the contract. Hence people are always reminded of the consequences of corruption & the benefits of upholding honesty.

Furthermore, the government must have access to accurate information from the public in order for it to make effective decisions and policies. Government ministries receive regular feedback from the public concerning various policies. Public feedback helps the government understand how the people feel about its policies. These feedbacks from the public will served as valuable information on the effectiveness of government policies and hence, served to improve the efficiency of the civil service.

Enncouraging openness is also important in ensuring an efficient civil service. Open communication between the ministries and the public is encouraged. Full and accurate information is necessary so that the public can understand how the different ministries function, why policies are made, and how policies are to be implemented. In addition, the public will have knowledge about how public services are administered, how much the services cost, and how the services are to be delivered. Since information is readily available, it is difficult for people in authority to act dishonestly. With such a transparent system of open communication and access to public information, an efficient civil service can be ensured.

Besides encouraging openness and transparency in the civil service, practising meritocracy is also important in making the civil service efficient in serving the public. Officers in the civil service are recruited mainly on the basis of good academic qualifications. Promotion depends on one’s ability & potential. Those who perform well are rewarded for their hard work & dedication through promotions & performance bonuses. Poor performance is not tolerated – those who perform poorly will be advised when their work is not up to the standard & will be given a reasonable period of time to improve. This reminds people to improve their performance, work hard & reap the rewards.



This is a goldilock question. (remember goldilock and the three bears)
There are three factors that you have to consider for this question.
What are they?

Use TCNS to choose which one is the most important

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Is social cohesion more important than effective political leadership in ensuring that good governance will continue in Singapore? Explain your answer.

Social cohesion is still a fragile concept in Singapore. Singaporeans are still aware of their immigrant background. There is also an unspoken awareness of differences in race, language & religion among citizens. In fact, memories of the painful race riots that occurred in Singapore in 1964 still remain & can be easily stirred up from outside the country. This may lead to social instability. Thus, the government strives to build strong social & community ties among the people. The settting up of CDCs also encouraged many people to participated actively in community service, which helps strengthen community bonding & social cohesion. If we do not have social cohesion, people will not support the government & therefore good governance cannot continue.

On the other hand, good governance can be maintained through effective political leadership. In order for Singpore to continue with its economic success & social harmony, its leades must be able & honest. Leaders who are good team players are crucial so as to avoid struggle for power among them. Those talented are identified early in their careers & are then groomed to take on leadership roles. Good leadership wins confidence & respect of the people & ensures good governance will continue in Singapore



This is a see-saw question. Thre are two factors given. What are they?
USE TNCS to choose which one is the most important.