Understanding Governance Chapter 2 : Governance in Singapore

Guiding Principles of Governance 1. Leadership is key To maintain stability in the government Honest & capable leaders Make right decisions do what is right and not what is popular with the people For example, under the guidance of Mr Liu Thai Ker, Singapore made progress in the arts like The Singapore Youth Festival 2. Anticipate Change and stay relevant Needs of the people should be met Decisions to be forward looking We may get unemployed and we will not contribute to the country much if we dont upgrade our skills and knowledge Open to new ideas, willing to take risks For example, the government ensures self-sufficiency in the water supply by having the NEWater. 3. Reward for work and work for reward A system which rewards hard work and talent A person is rewarded based on abilities and hard work rather than characteristics like race, religion or social position offers equal opportunities For example, a progress package was implemented in 2006 to help more people financially by ensuring that those from the lower income groups are not forgotten

4. A stake for everyone, opportunities for all Government policies introduced at the parliamentary level need to be implemented, enforced and monitored. The policy-making process is important government to respond quickly to concerns from the public. For example in 2004, the government consulted the people on the issue of having a casino as part of an Integrated Resort

Essay : To what extent is the principle of work for reward, reward for work the most important principle observed by the Singapore government in ensuring good governance in ensuring good governance? Explain your answer. [13m] I agree that the principle of work for reward, reward for work is the most important principle in ensuring good governance in Singapore. The duty of the government is to meet the needs of the people and the nation so as to ensure stability in the country and to build confidence among the people. The government does this through making policies guided by a set of principles. Besides works for reward, reward for work, leadership is key and a Stake for Everyone, Opportunities for All are also two other important guiding principles. 'Reward for Work and Work for Reward' is an important guiding principle of government, with meritocracy being a key part of this principle. Meritocracy means a system that rewards hard work and talent. Meritocracy helps to give everybody in society an equal opportunity to achieve their best and be rewarded for their performance, regardless of race, religion and social or economic background. Thus, for example, hardworking students who excel in their studies and co-curricular activities receive in the form of Edusave Scholarship and Merit Bursaries. All Singaporeans also received a share of the surplus from Singapore's growth through the Progress Package. This encourages the workers to do well and will in turn translate to better economic growth for the country as people will have the determination to improve and do better. Moreover, it helps to give everybody in society an equal opportunity to achieve their best and be rewarded for their performance. This is especially important in people limited Singapore where there is a need to develop each of her citizens to the fullest of his ability. However, Reward for Work and Work for Reward is not the only important principle. Leadership is also a key principle of Singapore's progress. Capable leaders are needed to maintain stability in the government and to make the right decisions for the country. These leaders must have moral courage and integrity to do what is right and not what is popular. In this way, they are able to make good decisions that will be good for the country, and not just bend to the popular will. Capable leaders must also be honest and incorruptible so as to win the confidence and respect of the people. Another important principle is a State for Everyone, Opportunities for All. This is achieved by recognising and listening to Singaporeans' views through feedback sessions. For instance, the government listened to the citizen's opinions regarding the Integrated Resorts, addressing the concerns and worries of al Singaporeans. At the hart of this principle is the belief that all Singaporeans have a stake in our country and their opinions are taken into consideration in decision-making, This develops in people a greater sense of belonging to the country. This greatly helps Singapore's progress as it makes the people rooted to Singapore, minimizing issues of brain drain and mobilizing public support for new policies. As such, policies implemented by the government to

develop Singapore would then be readily implemented by the people, thus pushing Singapore into greater levels of development and progress. In conclusion, I think that "Work for Reward, Reward for Work" is the most important principle. This is because while good leadership does influence the policies implemented by the government to read t progress, 'Work for Reward, Reward for Work" directly ensures that the best people are identified and selected into positions of influence. For instance, capable individuals are identified and groomed to take up leadership positions in the government. In other words, it provides the capable leadership in the first place. Only then can a strong leadership exist to guide Singapore's progress. "Work for Reward, Reward for Work" is also more important than a "Stake for Everyone, Opportunities for All". This is because while it is important to allow people to have a say in the governing of the country so as to create a sense of belonging, it does not have that great an impact as "Work for Reward, Reward for Work" which creates a greater sense of belonging for the people as they realise that they are recognised and awarded for their hard work. This three principles are also interlinked as the "Work for Reward, Reward for Work" contributes to the creation of capable leaders and also provides opportunities for all regardless of race, language or religion. Measure to control the flow of traffic 1. Area Licensing Scheme Under this scheme, motorists had to pay for the use of certain roads in Singapore, known as Restricted Zones Where traffic jams in the Central Business District ( CBD ) was a growing problems during peak hours Successful: Ensured smooth traffic flow in CBD, over time, people show support for improved traffic. However, it was labour intensive.

2. Electronic Road Pricing The ERP was introduced to replace ALS as ALS was not cost-effective. It is based on a pay-as-you-use principle and it used technology to improve the efficiency and scope of managing traffic flow Motorists pay for the use of certain roads in Singapore More effective & efficient uses up-to-date technology to stay relevant with the times

3. Park-and-Ride Scheme Introduced at the same time as the ALS Motorists are to park their vehicles outside the city area and take public transport into the city area which would reduce the number of vehicles entering the city However, this scheme was not successful as people prefer to just take public transport to work and leave their cars at home or drive into city area before the ALS operating time of 7.30a.m Thus, the government lost millions of dollars investing in it. There was wastage of land allocated to build car parks which were not used and shuttle bus companies set up for the scheme closed down

4. Vehicle Quota Scheme To better manage the ownership of vehicles in Singapore The Land Transport Authority ( LTA ) decides on the number of new vehicles allowed to be registered every month The COE entitles the motorists to own the car for 10 years if not, there will be as many old as new cars It also makes owning a car more expensive to discourage people from buying cars This scheme was successful as it was able to limit the number of cars allowed on the road

Conclusion for this essay: That ERP has been used to replace ALS proves that ERP is more effective than the ALS as ERP is more effective and convenient as it uses technology. The ALS was later not as effective due to its labour-intensive inputs. ERP is also more effective than the vehicle quota system it controls the flow of daily traffic effectively due to the charges levied on the use of heavy traffic roads and within the CBD. The vehicle quota scheme only controls the number of vehicles allowed on the roads of Singapore.

Singapore's Population Policy

Control Population Growth

The 'Stop at two' policy was implemented in 1966 to control the country's population growth Under this policy, there is no paid maternity leave given to the third and subsequent children, no priority to be given to large families in the allocation of government flats, no income tax relief to be given for the fourth and subsequent children, delivery charges in hospitals are to be increased with each additional child This policy was successful where the replacement level reached 2.1 in the year 1975 Encourage population growth

1. The Graduate Mothers Scheme To encourage marriages among graduates to have more children highlyeducated women who gave birth to three or more children would receive more tax relief and priority for primary school admission However, it sparked off debate and unhappiness among the peopleThe less-educated felt that they would neglected under the policy Unsuccessful withdrawn in 1985

2. Three or more if you can afford it Wanted Singaporeans to have more children only if they could afford it For example, there were income tax relief for the first, second, third and fourth child, monthly subsidies were given to working mothers who had children in childcare centers priority were given for families with three or more children in public housing Not very successful as even though the number of children born per woman increased, it was due to the year of the dragon which is considered auspicious by the ChineseAfter the year 1988, fertility rates declined again.

3. Pro-Family Measures

Put in place to change attitudes and values towards having families For example, extended maternity leave and equalized medical benefits were given These measures were rather successful as the people felt that they could really benefit from them

4. Attracting foreign talent Foreign talents are welcomed into Singapore to seek employment and work ensure workforce remains strong in Singapore support our economy There were easier entry into Singapore, subsidized housing offered to foreign talent who were willing to work in Singapore This policy is successful as it also helps to create more jobs, increase productivity and boost the quality of our manpower and allow Singaporeans to learn from the foreigners attitude and skills. Conclusion for this essay: Pro-Family measure is more effective as many parents are concerned that there would be insufficient quality work time with their family since most of their time is consumed by work. Thus, married couples would tend to put off having children. By having measures like the five-day work week and increase maternity leave, couples would be encouraged to have more children. Attracting foreign talents would not be as encouraging population growth in Singapore as we may have issues of national identity and loyalty. There is also a question of the foreign talents, leaving Singapore to their homeland.

Prepare for an ageing population

1. 'Many Helping Hands' Approach : By sharing the responsibility of taking care of the senior citizens, the government's burden is reduced. This means that the government can rely less on increasing taxes because `the individual, the family and the community are sharing the responsibilities of looking after the senior citizens

2. Individual responsibility :

The individual continues to play the most important role in ensuring that he ages gracefully through early retirement plans The individual is encouraged to maintain a healthy lifestyle by watching his diet and exercising regularly By attending talks and reading relevant materials on financial planning, individuals can learn about retirement planning

3. Family Support Children are encouraged to look after their aged parents instead of sending them to homes for the aged or letting them stay on their own The government encourages the elderly to stay active in the family and community. For example is the Senior Citizens' week, held annually in November since 1979 it also promotes a positive attitude towards ageing and aged as it reminds everyone of their roles in creating an environment that is socially conducive

4. Community help The community can play an important role in enhancing the well-being of senior citizens Long term medical care for the aged is provided by the voluntary welfare organizations (VWOs) with subsidies from the government. VWOS provide community-based services for senior citizens An example is the Home Nursing Foundation for Elders

5. Government Support The government has made laws and introduced measures to protect the interests of the senior citizens. For example, under the Public housing schemes, first-time buyers of government flats can get a housing grant if they buy a flat in the area where their parents live In addition, to promote filial piety, tax reliefs are given to those who look after their aged parents or grandparents.

Having personal savings is the most effective way for preparing for old age. Do you agree? Explain your answer.

I do not agree that personal savings is the most effective way for preparing old age. They are other factors like maintaining family support and being physically and socially active. Personal savings refer to the savings accumulated by the individual. This includes savings in the CPF as well as other forms of savings. The elderly need to depend on their savings to pay for daily expenses as they have no income. They may also need to spend more on medical treatment. Thus, savings help to meet the financial needs of old age. Apart from having personal savings, another way to prepare for old age is to maintain family support. Grandparents Day is introduced to encourage family support. Building strong family relationships means the family is more likely to meet different needs such as emotional, social and financial needs. With strong family ties, the family is more likely to take care of elderly during old age. Another efficient way of preparing for old age is by being physically and socially active. Community organizations help to plan and organize recreational activities for senior citizens. This enables the elderly to participate in such activities; the elderly can remain socially and physically active, thereby living a fulfilling life. Being physically and socially active, family support and personal savings are important to meet the different needs during old age. However, being physically and socially active is the most important. In the case of family support, not everyone would still have their family with them at old age. In order for the elderly to be self-reliant, I feel that being physically and socially active is the most effective way of preparing for old age.

Chapter 3 : Managing Healthcare

Encouraging self-reliance 1. Medisave saving scheme Encourages Singaporeans to be responsible for their own health. Helps to lighten the governments burden Amount of money can be used to pay hospital bills and others.

2. Medishield National healthcare insurance scheme Make claims from medishield to pay for large medical bills Pay for long-term treatment of serious illnesses Keeping healthcare affordable 1. Government subsidies Direct subsidies are given to ensure basic healthcare services. Ensuring healthcare remains affordable.

2. Medifund People that do not have enough cash for medical bills. People who need apply for fund at the hospital where they are being treated. 3. Restructing of hospitals Hospitals would have more freedom to reorganize to meet the needs of Singaporeans. Government able to reduce the amount of subsidies to hospitals. 4. Means-testing Benefits patients who need them most. Fairly distributed for resources. Promoting a healthy lifestyle One way of coping with rising cost of healthcare Programmes to emphasize the need to maintain good health

Working with organization Community provides some healthcare support services to meet the needs of the people. Healthcare services cater to the needs of specific groups of people.

To what extend is encouraging self-reliance the most important factor in managing Singapores healthcare? Explain your answer. Over the years, Singapore healthcare policies have changed to meet the changing needs of the people. Other than encouraging self-reliance, encouraging healthy lifestyle and keeping healthcare affordable are also ways to manage Singapores healthcare. Examples of measures to encourage self reliance are Medisave and Medishield Schemes where people would be able to receive proper treatment and at the same time, depend on themselves to provide their own healthcare instead of relying on the government. As such, Singaporeans need not be taxed more to fund the healthcare system. There would be an improvement in the standard of healthcare services as there

would be less reliance on the government and it can improve the giving quality care since there is no abuse of the services. Another approach to managing healthcare is by encouraging individuals to adopt healthy lifestyle as a way of coping with the rising cost of healthcare. National campaigns such as the National Healthy Lifestyle Campaign are often used to encourage people to lead healthy lifestyles. Thus , if everyone adopts a healthy lifestyle, people would not fall sick easily and there is no need to incur any unnecessary medical expenses. This will help everyone cope with the rising cost of healthcare. The promotion of a healthy lifestyle ensures that people dont abuse the medical services due to their ill health and hospitals can operate at any efficient level. The government provides safety nets to ensure that healthcare remains affordable so that we can cope with the rising cost of healthcare. For example, Class C wards receive 80% subsidy from the government. Thus, the government ensures that healthcare remains affordable for most Singaporeans, especially the lower-income group. Hence, the government place an important role to help everyone especially the lower-income group so that no one is left behind in the society. In conclusion, self-reliance is the most important factor in managing health care because it ensures a motivated and independent workforce. People would take responsibility for their health and the government would not be burdened with a huge expenditure in order to provide health care services. Without self-reliance, people would want more from the government, and this would result in the increase of taxes. If all the people relied solely on the government to provide for healthcare services, there would be insufficient funds. This may then result in the overlooking of medical care for some senior citizens and lower-income group. Also if the government provided medical service for everyone, people would not be bothered to adopt a healthy lifestyle since they could get free medical service anytime when they fell sick. A healthy lifestyle is also more important than community support as it is essential to have healthy, robust and productive people in the workforce. How much can people depend on the community support for their healthcare?

Managing healthcare in British Managing government spending Healthcare costs increase, government has to collect more axes to pay. Increasing efficiency Experienced an increase in demand for healthcare. Not enough resources to cope with the demand.

Introduced policy of privatization. Reduce government subsidies. Save costs. Make NHS more efficient.

Providing quality service British government put more money, yet cannot meet the needs of people. Improvement patients are given more information about their illnesses Continued to make plans to improve NHS Made changes based on feedbacks from people involved in healthcare a. Planned to work towards offering patient faster and more convenient services. b. Make use of facilities in private hospitals without having the patient pay for it. Patients would have the right to choose from four different healthcare providers and the NHS would pay for the treatment. a. Patient would access to their own personal health space on internet to see records

Conclusion for this essay: Quality service is the most important because it leads to increasing efficiency. When service improves, costs and time are saved and thus, the NHS becomes more efficient. Even though the government managed their health expenditure by putting in more money into the NHS, it was not enough to meet the needs of the people. Thus, quality service is more effective than managing government spending as there is a limit to government expenditure.

Managing government spending

Cutting In

back on government spending on welfare benefits.

order to create a system to make the individual more responsible for his own healthcare & Welfare.

Impact of Measures(Managing government spending)

However.this

was difficult as it was impossible to remove free

healthcare without losing government support.

 reduction The

of government spending would also mean the inability to provide free healthcare services. British government has tried to manage government spending while meeting the people's needs at the same time- BUT NOT VERY SUCCESSFUL as increase in government spending would mean increase in contributions to National Insurance to finance the NHS.

Increasing Efficiency
Privatisation To

within the NHS-e.g. contracting out non-medical services e.g. laundry , cleaning and catering in hospitals. reduce government subsides, save costs and make the NHS more efficient. privatisation, patients would have more choices and hospitals would have to improve services to meet the people's needs.

With

Impact of Increasing efficiency

British

citizens were encouraged to take responsibility for their own

welfare and health.

Medical

treatments were no longer free except for a few group of people.

Providing Quality Service

NHS

needed to modernise to meet the demands of the public. on providing quality service for patients.

Focus

Patients

were given more information to help them decide their own treatment and care.

Other Improvements
NHS It

Plan 2000 where changes were made based on feedback from

staff and patients. also planned to work towards offering patients faster and more convenient services-by letting NHS make use of facilities in private hospitals without having the patient work for it.

 NHS

Improvement Plan 2004 where patients have the right to choose from 4 different healthcare providers and NHS would pay for the treatment. patient has access to their own personal healthspace on the Internet where they can see their own care records. Direct-a service to provide medical care over the phone to patients with minor illnesses so that they can save a visit to the doctor.

Every NHS

Impact of Providing Quality Service.

Changes This

were aimed to deliver quality service by putting the needs of

the patients as top priority. would also not strain the resources of the NHS.