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17-06-2013, 02:30 AM
An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:
http://www.cscollege.gov.sg/Knowledg...Reflection.pdf (http://www.cscollege.gov.sg/Knowledge/Ethos/Issue%204%20Oct%202005/Pages/03Reflection.pdf)
Reflections on Thirty-Five Years of
Public Service: From Espionage
to Babies
By Eddie Teo
On 30 November 2005, Mr Eddie Teo retired
as Permanent Secretary (Prime Minister’s
Office) as part of the scheme to renew public
sector leadership. Mr Teo spent most of his
35 years in the public sector in the Security
and Intelligence Division and for several
years he also ran the Internal Security
Department. He was Permanent Secretary
at the Ministry of Defence from 1994 to
2000. He then became Permanent Secretary
at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). At PMO
he tackled a diverse slate of national issues
ranging from encouraging Singaporeans to
have more children to National Education.
What follows is an edited version of Mr Teo’s
farewell address to the Public Service
Division and the Civil Service College in
November 2005. In February 2006, he will
become Singapore’s High Commissioner to
Australia.
....
Population Issues
In PMO, I have also been given jobs that my
previous jobs did not prepare me for. For
instance, trying to persuade Singaporeans to
marry and produce babies. When this was first
announced, a journalist friend, who is single, emailed
me to wish me luck. She said that I would
find it more difficult to raise the total fertility rate
(TFR) than to go to war. She was right. After all
the goodies we gave out in the last five years,
the TFR dropped last year and this year it is likely
to rise only a little from 1.24, well short of the
replacement rate of 2.1. I guess one could argue
that if we had done nothing, the TFR could have
dropped even lower, below 1.24.
Experience elsewhere seems to suggest that we
should temper our expectations. A comprehensive
RAND study on the population problems of
European Union countries concludes that
government policy is likely to slow down the fall
in fertility rates, as opposed to halting the fall or
bringing them back to replacement level.1
The saving grace for Singapore is that unlike
countries like Japan, we can fall back on
immigration as a solution. If Singaporeans still do
not produce the babies we need, we will have to
rely more on foreigners and new citizens to top
up our population. Increasing our population
through immigration is a delicate exercise that
requires deft political handling and public
servants must be aware of the social and political
issues that have to be addressed. But we may have
no other choice as our population continues to
shrink and age.
If we succeed in attracting more foreigners to
become citizens, we have to ensure that they are
properly integrated and share Singapore’s core
values. Otherwise, we may end up with all sorts
of political, social and economic problems which
could tear our nation apart. However, if the
change is well-managed, we must also be
prepared to accept a Singapore which is very
different—a more diverse, vibrant and
cosmopolitan Singapore, enhanced in its creativity
by the richness and depth of a variety of cultures
and individuals.
Israel is one rare example of a society that recently
struggled with absorbing Russian and Ethiopian
immigrants but has survived the traumas to
emerge richer for the experience. Many European
countries have not done so well and are only now
waking up to the need to better integrate their
immigrants.
Another task I have had is to establish a
sustainable structure to get many government
agencies to work together in engaging
overseas Singaporeans—students, businessmen,
professionals—so that the Singapore diaspora can
continue to contribute to Singapore and some will
eventually return. We must stay in touch with
them and show them we care if we do not want
to lose them for good to other countries. We must
put in at least as much effort and resources to
engage Singaporeans abroad as we are in
reaching out to foreigners. I am happy that
agencies have moved from a position of benign
neglect to one of keen interest in this subject.
its political masters. If its reputation is tarnished
as a result of the constant bashing of public
servants whenever things go awry, no selfrespecting,
bright Singaporean will want to join
the public service, no matter how attractive the
pay.
By convention, public servants do not defend
themselves when they are criticized and vilified.
If the complaints against them are fair, they
should own up, apologise, endeavour to do
better, and move on, or move out if the mistake
is very serious. But if they are attacked unfairly,
public servants depend on the politicians to
defend them and speak up for them. Some
younger public servants have pointed out that this
is happening less frequently nowadays than in the
past. Given a more demanding and vocal public,
public servants ought to expect more complaints
than before, and we will have to establish a new
balance which acknowledges the quality of our
public service while recognising its shortcomings
and the need to constantly improve.
Foreigners and new citizens appreciate that we
have a first-class Public Service, one of the best in
the world. It is only Singaporeans who seem to
doubt it. One of the challenges ahead is to
realign perceptions so that our Public Service is
regarded by all—Singaporeans as well as non-
Singaporeans—as first-class.
=> No wonder the FAP Traitors are so fervent in giving FTrash freebies cos the FTrash are able to sayang their lumber 1 ego, unlike the 'ungrateful' SGs that they are actively sabotaging and trying to replace! Any more doubt that Traitors are running the country now?
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://sammyboy.com/showthread.php?154625-FTrashisation-FAP-Traitors-is-Playing-with-Fire!&goto=newpost).
http://www.cscollege.gov.sg/Knowledg...Reflection.pdf (http://www.cscollege.gov.sg/Knowledge/Ethos/Issue%204%20Oct%202005/Pages/03Reflection.pdf)
Reflections on Thirty-Five Years of
Public Service: From Espionage
to Babies
By Eddie Teo
On 30 November 2005, Mr Eddie Teo retired
as Permanent Secretary (Prime Minister’s
Office) as part of the scheme to renew public
sector leadership. Mr Teo spent most of his
35 years in the public sector in the Security
and Intelligence Division and for several
years he also ran the Internal Security
Department. He was Permanent Secretary
at the Ministry of Defence from 1994 to
2000. He then became Permanent Secretary
at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). At PMO
he tackled a diverse slate of national issues
ranging from encouraging Singaporeans to
have more children to National Education.
What follows is an edited version of Mr Teo’s
farewell address to the Public Service
Division and the Civil Service College in
November 2005. In February 2006, he will
become Singapore’s High Commissioner to
Australia.
....
Population Issues
In PMO, I have also been given jobs that my
previous jobs did not prepare me for. For
instance, trying to persuade Singaporeans to
marry and produce babies. When this was first
announced, a journalist friend, who is single, emailed
me to wish me luck. She said that I would
find it more difficult to raise the total fertility rate
(TFR) than to go to war. She was right. After all
the goodies we gave out in the last five years,
the TFR dropped last year and this year it is likely
to rise only a little from 1.24, well short of the
replacement rate of 2.1. I guess one could argue
that if we had done nothing, the TFR could have
dropped even lower, below 1.24.
Experience elsewhere seems to suggest that we
should temper our expectations. A comprehensive
RAND study on the population problems of
European Union countries concludes that
government policy is likely to slow down the fall
in fertility rates, as opposed to halting the fall or
bringing them back to replacement level.1
The saving grace for Singapore is that unlike
countries like Japan, we can fall back on
immigration as a solution. If Singaporeans still do
not produce the babies we need, we will have to
rely more on foreigners and new citizens to top
up our population. Increasing our population
through immigration is a delicate exercise that
requires deft political handling and public
servants must be aware of the social and political
issues that have to be addressed. But we may have
no other choice as our population continues to
shrink and age.
If we succeed in attracting more foreigners to
become citizens, we have to ensure that they are
properly integrated and share Singapore’s core
values. Otherwise, we may end up with all sorts
of political, social and economic problems which
could tear our nation apart. However, if the
change is well-managed, we must also be
prepared to accept a Singapore which is very
different—a more diverse, vibrant and
cosmopolitan Singapore, enhanced in its creativity
by the richness and depth of a variety of cultures
and individuals.
Israel is one rare example of a society that recently
struggled with absorbing Russian and Ethiopian
immigrants but has survived the traumas to
emerge richer for the experience. Many European
countries have not done so well and are only now
waking up to the need to better integrate their
immigrants.
Another task I have had is to establish a
sustainable structure to get many government
agencies to work together in engaging
overseas Singaporeans—students, businessmen,
professionals—so that the Singapore diaspora can
continue to contribute to Singapore and some will
eventually return. We must stay in touch with
them and show them we care if we do not want
to lose them for good to other countries. We must
put in at least as much effort and resources to
engage Singaporeans abroad as we are in
reaching out to foreigners. I am happy that
agencies have moved from a position of benign
neglect to one of keen interest in this subject.
its political masters. If its reputation is tarnished
as a result of the constant bashing of public
servants whenever things go awry, no selfrespecting,
bright Singaporean will want to join
the public service, no matter how attractive the
pay.
By convention, public servants do not defend
themselves when they are criticized and vilified.
If the complaints against them are fair, they
should own up, apologise, endeavour to do
better, and move on, or move out if the mistake
is very serious. But if they are attacked unfairly,
public servants depend on the politicians to
defend them and speak up for them. Some
younger public servants have pointed out that this
is happening less frequently nowadays than in the
past. Given a more demanding and vocal public,
public servants ought to expect more complaints
than before, and we will have to establish a new
balance which acknowledges the quality of our
public service while recognising its shortcomings
and the need to constantly improve.
Foreigners and new citizens appreciate that we
have a first-class Public Service, one of the best in
the world. It is only Singaporeans who seem to
doubt it. One of the challenges ahead is to
realign perceptions so that our Public Service is
regarded by all—Singaporeans as well as non-
Singaporeans—as first-class.
=> No wonder the FAP Traitors are so fervent in giving FTrash freebies cos the FTrash are able to sayang their lumber 1 ego, unlike the 'ungrateful' SGs that they are actively sabotaging and trying to replace! Any more doubt that Traitors are running the country now?
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://sammyboy.com/showthread.php?154625-FTrashisation-FAP-Traitors-is-Playing-with-Fire!&goto=newpost).