Understanding Governance
Structure of the Singapore Government
1. Legislature
-Consists of President and Members of Parliament
-Makes the laws of the country
2. Executive
-Consists of President and the Cabinet, which includes the Prime
Minister and the Ministers of the various ministries
-Executes the laws made by the Parliament
-Carry out government policies
3. Judiciary
-Consists of the judges and the law Courts (Subordinate/Supreme)
-Ensures that the laws are carried out justly
-Ensures that the laws passed do not breach the constitution
Principles of Governance
1. Leadership is Key
-Honest and capable leaders are essential in maintaining stability
-Corruption in the civil service will result in the government losing the
trust, respect and confidence of the people, thus making effective
governance difficult
-Leaders must have the integrity and courage to make decisions that
are right and not just popular among the people
-Examples
--Ong Teng Cheong, Goh Chok Tong, Tony Tan
-Thus, government leaders must be selected based on their wisdom,
capability and high moral integrity.
2. Anticipate Change and Stay Relevant (Forward looking)
-A good government must be able to see potential problems before
they become too difficult to handle
-Examples
--NEWater: Millions of dollars were spent developing the NEWater
technologies in response to the expiry of water contracts that
Singapore have with Malaysia in 2011 and 2061
--Integrated Resorts: Means of meeting challenges posted by
competition for tourists from neighbouring countries.
-A good government must also encourage its people to take risks by
coming up with new ideas and innovation as well as upgrade the
people’s skills in order to stay employable and continue contributing
-Examples
--The Productivity and Standards Board was renamed SPRING Singapore
(Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board) in 2002 to reflect the
shift in emphasis from productivity to an innovation-driven economy.
SPRING Singapore is a board responsible for financing and nurturing the
growth of local Small and Medium Enterprises (SME)
--The Workforce Development Agency (WDA) was established in 2003
to enhance the competitiveness of workers in Singapore by
encouraging all to upgrade/enhance their skills to stay employable
3. Reward for work and work for reward (Meritocracy)
-A system where people are rewarded for their abilities, contributions
and performance
-The government is thus able to select the best talent to serve in the
civil service as well as motivate people to be the best they can
-Example
--School: Edusave scholarships and awards
--PROGRESS Package: PROGRESS (Providing Opportunities through
Growth, Remaking Singapore for Success) Package distributes economic
surplus to all Singaporeans, rewards low-wage workers through
Workface Bonus, recognises NS men through NS Bonus, provides Utility
rebates for low-income families and CPF top-ups for the elderly in their
retirement and Medisave accounts
4. A stake for everyone, opportunities for all
-A good government must obtain feedback from the people and the
people must feel that they are part of the nation’s progress
-Example
--The government consulted the people on the proposal to include a
casino in the proposed Integrated Resorts. Some voiced concerns while
some supported. The government took steps to ensure that problem
gambling will be controlled.
Managing Traffic Flow in Singapore
-Rapid growth in Singapore in the 1970s resulted in high traffic volume
in the city centre, hence the government made plans to manage traffic
flow in the Central Business District (CBD)
1. Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) (1975) / Electronic Road Pricing (ERP)
-One measure was the ALS, where motorists had to pay for the use of
certain roads in Singapore
-These roads were bounded within areas known as Restricted Zones
-Gantries were set up at the boundaries of city areas to monitor
motorists who drove into Restricted Zones
-Initially, motorists were unhappy about the increased costs
-Overall, it was successful in ensuring smooth traffic flow in the CBD
-As technology improved, the ALS upgraded into ERP
-It served the same purpose but is more efficient and effective
2. Park-and-Ride Scheme (1975)
-The Park-and-Ride Scheme was introduced at the same time as ALS to
control traffic flow in the CBD
-Under this scheme, motorists could park their vehicles at specific car
parks outside the city area, then use public transport to enter the city
-Although it seemed like a good idea, it was not successful
-Motorists simply switched to the regular bus service or drove into the
CBD before the ALS operation time of 7.30 a.m. They did not think it
was worthwhile to leave their cars parked outside the city all day
-This was a serious oversight as millions of dollars were invested
-Land that was allocated for this scheme was wasted
-Shuttle bus companies set up for this schemes could not survive
3. Vehicle Quota System (VQS)
-In the 1990s, more people could afford to buy cars
-Under the VQS, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) determined the
number of new motor vehicles allowed for registration
-This was done through the Certificate of Entitlement (COE)
-Under the COE system, a specific number of new cars are issued based
on the quota set by the LTA
-Car buyers must bid for the COE before they can purchase the car
-The COE entitles the motorist to own the car for 10 years
-The car owner has to renew the COE after 10 years to continue
Singapore’s Population Policy
Why was there a need to promote population growth in the 1980s
-The government adopted an anti-birth approach in the 1960s due to
post-WWII ‘baby boom’ where many people had large families
-Posted problems such as shortage of housing, jobs, healthcare services
and education opportunities
-Family-planning was introduced to raise public awareness on the
importance and benefits of a small family
-Incentives were introduced to encourage families to ‘stop at two’
1. Unattractive to Transnational Corporations (TNCs)
-With a small population, Singapore would not be able to produce
enough talented people to sustain its development
-TNCs would find it difficult/more expensive to recruit Singaporeans
compared to the huge labour market in countries like China
-Smaller consumer market would also make Singapore unattractive
2. Ageing Population
-With lesser babies born each year, there will be lesser young people
-The number of old people would be proportionately larger
-More resources would have to be used to take care of the increasing
number of senior citizens
3. Defence
-There will be lesser men to recruit for National Service
-This would weaken Singapore’s defence force
How the government promoted population growth after the 1980s
1. Graduate Mothers Scheme (1984)
-It was felt that the education level of the parents had a direct impact
on the performance of their children in schools
-Research showed that parents who were university graduates were
more likely to have children who performed better in schools
-The Graduate Mothers Scheme was introduced to encourage
marriages among graduates and encourage graduates to have children
-This scheme sparked off debate and unhappiness as people felt that it
was elitist, hence it was withdrawn after one year in 1985
2. Three or More If You Can Afford It
-The government encouraged Singaporeans to have three or more
children if they could afford it
-This was due to the government’s fears that low-income families might
find it difficult to cope financially
-This policy was also due to the theory that educated Singaporeans are
less likely to have children than low-income Singaporeans
3. Other Pro-Family Measures
-Introduction of ‘Baby Bonuses’ since 2001 to aid mothers in some
costs of having children
-Is a cash incentive scheme by the government
Introduction of the 5-Day workweek in the Civil Service and Equalised
medical benefits for male and female civil servants
-Since 2004, maternity leave has been extended from 2 to 4 months,
with the government paying for the full 16 weeks’ salary for the third
and fourth child
-Subsidies for children attending childcare centres
4. Attracting Foreign Talent
-The government relaxed its immigration policy to attract foreign talent
with skills that Singapore require
-Easier entry into Singapore, subsidised housing and other ways of
making it easier for foreigners to work here attracted many talents here
to meet our growing demand for skilled people
Preparing for Ageing Population