- Challenge Online

Publi c Se rvi ce for the 21st Century
⁄
w w w.ch a ll enge.gov.sg
⁄
AUGUST 2007
want to blog?
we survey the cyberscene
bureaucrazy
are we, or aren’t we?
Stepping out
public sector expertise goes places
Contents
August2007
07
Feature
journey into the
blogosphere
Challenge examines how
agencies are reaching out to their
audiences in the blogosphere.
10 Opinion
Blog away
02
04
Proud to go Public
As the only Public-Servicewide magazine, Challenge
hopes to provide a platform for
public servants to bond over.
I Say
Readers share their views
on the role they can play
in World.Singapore.
Short Takes
Public Service news and
happenings at a glance.
11
13
18
Undercover
The MOP report
Our intrepid Member of Public
checks out the service at
three government agencies.
21
Feature
Mired in bureaucracy?
The topic of bureaucracy is
always guaranteed to stir up
a lively debate in Singapore.
Challenge presents two
contrasting perspectives.
Cover Story
Middle East Odyssey
The Middle East is the new
powerhouse of growth,
and is an important focal
point in the strategic thrust
to export Singapore’s
public sector expertise.
Face2Face
The road to Qatar
… and beyond
24
Chill Out
Be Cool
Don’t sweat over the small
stuff, just chill out and take in
the cold at these venues.
26
Travel Tales
views from abroad
Three directors with IE
Singapore’s overseas centres
double up as tour guides.
Commissioner James
Tan talks about the SCDF
engagement with Qatar.
20 Innovations
Tell it like it is
An inexpensive, user-friendly
device enables visuallyimpaired persons to access
information about their
immediate surroundings.
Trivia Quiz
THE
LAST PAGE
01
Given the general enthusiasm
for technology, the Public
Service is being much too
tentative about blogging.
Foreword
Publi c Se rv i c e fo r the 21St c entury
⁄
How Singaporesavvy are you?
Take our test of local trivia.
w w w.ch a ll enge.gov.sg
aUgUsT 2007
⁄
cover
illustration: pixelpastry
Photo: Calvin tan
want to blog?
we sUrvey The cyberscene
bureaucrazy
are we, or aren’T we?
Stepping out
Public Sector exPertiSe goeS PlaceS
1
Foreword
Proud to Go Public
“it is hard to identify with
the service and 109,999 other
officers without knowing the goings-on outside
your cubicle or agency,
much less have common
experiences to bond over.
as the only Public-service-wide
magazine, challenge hopes
PHOTO: darren chang
to change all that.”
“Am I a civil servant, public officer or
just a hospital employee?” A friend
of mine working in a restructured
hospital was pondering the other day.
She was wondering whether she was
bound by Instruction Manual guidelines
(embarking on something dodgy, no
doubt). Despite sporadic marketing
of the Public Service as “One Career,
Infinite Opportunities”, the message
has not sunk in for many, and she is not
the only one with an “identity crisis”.
Many public officers identify with their
professions—whether economist or
social worker—rather than public officer.
We are also more likely to name “PUB”
rather than “Public Service” as our
employer. And this is particularly true
for agencies with strong organisational
cultures— such as the police force or
the teaching service. Being pragmatic
Singaporeans, just about the only time
we consider ourselves to be civil servants
would be when bonus time rolls around.
And indeed, the Public Service is huge
with 110,000 of us doing diverse jobs,
around the clock, all over Singapore and
the rest of the globe. We may be linked by
a common aim of serving the public and
running an efficient government, but with
most of us busy with our day-to-day work,
it is little wonder that we are less than
familiar with what other agencies and
public officers are doing. Needless to say,
it is hard to identify with the Service and
109,999 other officers without knowing
the goings-on outside your cubicle
Rachel Quek
EDITOR
or agency, much less have common
experiences to bond over. As the only
Public-Service-wide magazine, Challenge
hopes to change all that by reporting
on happenings across the Service, and
keeping readers in the know about what
Public Service agencies are doing.
This National Day issue, Challenge
shares how government agencies have
been flying the flag high by selling
Public Service expertise abroad, under
the very hip-sounding Exporting Public
Sector Capabilities (X-PSC) initiative.
Read about how some agencies
have been exporting everything from
firefighting capabilities to landscaping
know-how to training expertise.
And that’s not all they have been
up to. Many public agencies have
set up amazing websites that cater
to everyone from the ravenous
bookworm to the hip-hopping
teenager to the history buff. No
longer can we dismiss government
websites as being plain vanilla
information portals. Discussion
forums and blogs have sprouted as
means of sharing information and
opinions; online communities have
spontaneously formed; and two-way
communication between agencies
and the public has never been easier.
So why not make use of this National
Day holiday to check out what your
fellow public officers are up to? I think
I’m going to get my friend to log on to
the National Library Board’s Ask Blog to
see if they can answer her question!
Public Service for the 21st Century ⁄ www.challenge.gov.sg ⁄ august 2007
.
World Singapore is a growth
PUBLISHER
PS21 Office, Prime Minister’s Office
(Public Service Division)
The Treasury, 100 High Street #02-03 Singapore 179434
Tel: 6332 7251 Fax: 6333 4010
Email: psd_challenge@psd.gov.sg
Website: www.challenge.gov.sg
Editor
formula for Singapore based on the
four fundamental attributes of
Trust, Knowledge, Connectedness and Life.
Readers share their views on the role that
they or their organisations can play
.
Rachel Quek
to support World Singapore.
Editorial Advisors
Calvin Phua, Lee Yoke Peng
PS21 Office Editorial Assistants
Amy Sum, Chieh Hsien Tong, Muhammad
Sholihin, Nadya Chan and Shallyn Leow
For enquiries or feedback on Challenge,
Please write to the Editor at PS21 Office,
The Treasury, 100 High Street, #02-03, Singapore 179434.
Tel: 6332 7251 Fax: 6333 4010
Email: psd_challenge@psd.gov.sg
publishing agent
SPH Magazines Pte Ltd
Managing director
Dennis Pua
Gener al manager
Christopher Tay
Managing Editor
Joanna Lee-Miller
contributing Editor
Tan Ee Sze
Executive sub-Editor
Esther Lew
senior art Director
Alex Goh
Art Director
Bernard Chia
Senior Designer
Ivy Lim
Asst Manager, business development
Kin Leong
Senior executive, Publishing Services
Mustapha Mohamed
CONTRIBUTORS
An adaptive
education
As people in the global village,
we believe that knowledge is
power and that it is stronger
and more urgent than ever.
Singapore’s position as an
education hub will undoubtedly
mean that teachers will work
closely with the Ministry to
develop up-to-date pedagogy
principles and strategies.
We aim to provide a
broad-based education
that is not only relevant
to domestic needs but
also provides a unique
proposition in connecting
us to the rest of the world.
In trying to make lessons
come to life, the Singaporean
educational landscape has
transformed itself from a rigid
one-for-all model to one that
is authentic and related to
our life and surroundings.
Yok Joon Meng
Ministry of Education
A lawyer by training,
Suzanne Ooi began
her journalism career
at The Straits Times.
During her 14-year
stint, she was
feature writer for the
analysis pages of
The Sunday Times
and was also a page
editor. Upon leaving
the paper, she
worked as an editor
for a design house
before turning to
freelance work.
A former Straits
Times journalist,
Tan Ee Sze has
extensive editorial
experience in
developing and
repositioning
magazines to keep
pace with the
changing needs of
readers. She is also
an author of several
commemorative
books and children’s
publications.
A journalist and
wordsmith, Melissa
Heng has worked
for The Straits
Times, Business
Times and TODAY.
Prior to setting up
her own editorial
firm, Melissa was
a senior editor with
Marshall Cavendish
International Asia,
previously known
as Times Publishing
Group.
Anna Yap has been
using the Internet
since she was given
a copy of the first
browser ever - Mosaic
– in 1993, which
became Netscape
in later incarnations.
Since then she has
been writing about all
things IT and Internet.
Enjoys playing
computer games and
reading science fiction
when not writing.
Challenge is published monthly by SPH Magazines Pte Ltd (Registration No: 196900476M)
for PS21 Office, Prime Minister’s Office (Public Service Division). Copyright of the materials
contained in this magazine belongs to PS21 Office. Nothing in here shall be reproduced in
whole or in part without prior written consent of PS21 Office. Views expressed in this magazine
are not necessarily those of PS21 Office nor SPH Magazines Pte Ltd and no liabilities shall be
attached thereto. All rights reserved. Editorial enquiries should be directed to the Editor, PS21
Office, The Treasury, 100 High Street, #02-03, Singapore 179434. Tel: +65-6332-7251, Fax:
+65-6333-4010, Email: psd_challenge@psd.gov.sg Unsolicited material will not be returned
unless accompanied by a self-addressed envelope and sufficient return postage. While every
reasonable care will be taken by the Editor, no responsibility is assumed for the return of
unsolicited material. All information correct at time of printing. Printed in Singapore by Times
Printers (Registration No: 196700328H).
Clarification
In the article Tackling
the Talent Crunch
(Challenge June 2007),
Challenge would like to
clarify that the Public
Service gives familyoriented leave benefits
but not allowances. As
for medical benefits, it is
the employer who gives
the additional one per
cent of salary which is
contributed to Medisave.
Strong anticorruption ethos
Through the years, Singapore
has been consistently
ranked low in corruption in
international surveys. The
role and work of the CPIB
support the four fundamental
attributes of the new World.
Singapore growth formula
of “Trust, Knowledge,
Connectedness and Life”
in the following ways:
Trust (why people come
to us?)—the strong anticorruption ethos helps to
build up trust in foreign
visitors and investors that the
rule of law, integrity, quality
and trustworthiness are the
hallmarks of Singapore.
Knowledge (why they work
with us?)—they know that
we are anchored by shared
values of commitment,
fairness, meritocracy, honesty
and honour in our dealings.
Connectedness (why
people team with us?)—
Singaporeans in and out of
Singapore share the same
set of underlying values
that help to prevent the
scourge of corruption.
Life (why they stay with
us?)—among others, the
clean and efficient Public
Service and the intolerance for
corruption are qualities which
have gained recognition and
resonance. These contribute
to a better quality of life.
Goh Eak Kwan
Corrupt Practices
Investigation Bureau
Making a difference
letter of the month
A trusted judiciary
The Supreme Court plays a critical role in World.Singapore
simply because Singapore has a critical role to play in
world affairs. In order for any legal system to cater to the
needs of the business community and, more importantly,
to society at large, it must be one where a high level of
justice is dispensed efficiently and with due speed.
Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong has explained in his speech
at the 12th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the
Pacific that the timely dispensation of justice is linked to a
country’s competitive edge and comparative advantage.
In terms of criminal justice, the goal of timeliness is even
more critical for good government. Criminal cases must be
disposed of in a timely manner if justice is to be done to an
accused person, whether or not he is guilty of the offence
with which he is charged.
According to the 2005 Corruption Perceptions Index
published by Transparency International, Singapore
retained its ranking as the least-corrupt country in
Asia. Cases of corruption are dealt with harshly, swiftly
and publicly. Singapore also offers good protection of
intellectual property rights.
The Supreme Court looks forward to seeking new ways
of connecting to the world, reinforcing our commitment
to international law, building international cooperation
by living up to treaty obligations, strengthening the
community and promoting trust. Just as we find
opportunities in the world, the world finds opportunities in
Singapore.
Fiona Lau
Supreme Court of Singapore
Fiona Lau wins a $100 Crabtree and Evelyn Food Hamper.
Writers of all other published letters will receive $30
“Trust”, as I define it, is the
faith that Singapore will
have a brighter future. And
that is why STB is aiming
to develop Singapore into
an “Entertainment Hub” and
to unearth ways to further
develop tourist attraction sites.
To ensure “Connectedness”,
STB continually fights for
international events to be
anchored in Singapore.
Renewal of “Knowledge”
has to follow if we want
to remain relevant.
For “Life”, there has to be
a consistent drive, passion
and desire among our staff to
serve in the tourism industry.
Although it seems
impossible for an individual
to make any significant
contribution to World.
Singapore, in reality, all it takes
is a small suggestion from each
one of us to make a difference.
Yeo Jing Wei
Singapore Tourism Board
I Say
Cultural re-design
It is important for Singapore
as a whole to rise to the
challenge, especially in the
face of stiff competition and
globalisation. It is essential
to shed the top-down “just
follow the law” mentality. In my opinion, the way
forward is to grant every
valued individual in the
organisation the capacity and
autonomy to encapsulate
his professional aspirations
in workable plans that are
process driven, and for
the management to give
the necessary support
and resources to realise
their contributions.
An injection of creativity and
innovation in the workplace
requires a purposeful redesign of organisational
culture to welcome openness,
humour and collective debate.
John Yeo
Ministry of Education
Have your say...
Is the Singapore public sector mired in bureaucracy?
In an article in SALT, a publication of the National Volunteer &
Philanthropy Centre, Mr Jack Sim, a Schwab Foundation Social
Entrepreneur of the Year and founder of the World Toilet Organisation,
suggests that bureaucracy is stifling the culture of creativity in Singapore.
Yet organisations such as the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy
and the World Bank have ranked Singapore as being amongst the least
bureaucratic in the world. (See Page 21: Mired in Bureaucracy?)
Tell us what you think about bureaucracy in the Public Service. Write
in with your views to “I Say” at psd_challenge@psd.gov.sg. Please limit
your comments to 300 words and include your name, email, agency and
telephone number. Letters should reach us by 27 August 2007.
You can also discuss this at forum.challenge.gov.sg
shopping vouchers.
The Letter of the
Month will receive a
selection of
traditional japanese
delicacies worth $100.
All other published articles
will win shopping
vouchers worth
$20 each.
Photo: Minamoto Kitchoan
ShortTakes
ssc
sla
7,000yearsOf
Innovation
The Singapore Science
Centre (SSC) is holding an
exhibition which features the
scientific discoveries and
technological inventions of
the early Chinese throughout
7,000 years of civilisation.
With over 30 ancient
artifacts, the exhibition
“China: 7000 Years of
Innovation” showcases
innovations in disciplines such
as astronomy, architecture,
mechanics, papermaking,
printing and weaving.
On till 26 August, the
exhibition also highlights
medical discoveries and
achievements in traditional
Chinese medicine (TCM). The
interactive showcase covers
the philosophy, mystery and
misconceptions of TCM. Also held at the SSC is
a celebration of the life
of Leonhard Euler, the
Swiss pioneer of modern
science who lived more
than 300 years ago.
The exhibition offers a
lively insight into his personal
life, work and discoveries in
mathematics and science. The
Leonhard Euler exhibition is
on from now till August 31.
Tanglin Village Sites
nuh
Mother&Daughter The National University
Hospital (NUH)’s O&G
Department has launched a
“Mother & Daughter” medical
and psychological screening
programme. This one-stop
service allows mothers and
daughters to seek medical
and gynaecological advice.
There is also a Junior
Programme for girls aged 1015, and a Senior Programme
for girls aged 16-21, which
focus on their medical,
gynaecological, nutritional and
psychological needs. Each
programme incorporates
fundamental gynaecological
care for the mothers.
The Singapore Land Authority
(SLA) has awarded two
sites at Tanglin Village to
Country City Investment. The
sites —25 Dempsey Road
and 8 Dempsey Hill — total
40,135 sq m and consist of 11
building blocks. Each of the
tenancies is over an initial term
of three years and renewable
on terms up to 2015.
For the former Civil Service
Club which consists of four
blocks at Dempsey Road,
Country City Investment has
proposed plans for a food
and beverage establishment,
a fine-dining restaurant, as
well as recreational and retail
outlets. The new development
is expected to be operational
in the later half of this year.
Similar plans have been
proposed for the second
Tanglin Village site.
The tender award also
comes with good news for
fans of popular Indian food
haunt Samy’s Curry Restaurant,
which has signed a new
sub-tenancy agreement with
Country City Investment.
ndbcs
SayangSingapore
Some of Singapore’s
finest storytellers will
be showcasing stories
dedicated to Singapore in
a unique event organised
in celebration of National
Day. Sayang Singapore will
be held on 24-25 August.
It will feature stories
accompanied by original
chamber music composed
by Wong Kah Chun.
Tickets for the event at
The Chamber @ The Arts
House are priced at $12
for matinees and $15 for
evening shows. Those who
say “I love Singapore” when
placing their orders will get
one free ticket for every
five they buy. Visit www.
bookcouncil.sg for details.
Photo: national university hospital
mom
WoW!Fund Extended
The Work-Life Works! (WoW!) Fund, which was introduced
in 2004 to support employers introducing work-life
measures at the workplace, is now available to public
sector agencies.
The fund has been popular, particularly among small
and medium enterprises, and the first $10 million was fully
committed in April 2007. To continue to encourage worklife initiatives and improve capabilities, the Government
has decided to top up the fund with another $10 million.
The WoW! Fund can be used to help defray the cost
of work-life programmes such as flexi-work measures,
employee support schemes, work-life consultancy and
work-life training. WoW! Fund will co-fund 70 per cent of
approved expenditure, up to a maximum of $10,000 per
project per organisation. Applicants will need to deliver
outcomes on the number of employees benefitting from the
programmes. Visit www.mom.gov.sg/work-life for details.
mica
Invisible Enemy
moh
The New ElderShield
Come September, all Singaporeans turning 40 will be
offered a new basic ElderShield which pays $400 per
month in cash, for up to six years. This is part of an
ElderShield reform which is being introduced to bring
about better benefits and coverage.
ElderShield was launched in 2002 as a severe disability
insurance scheme to help Singaporeans pay for their
long-term step-down care should they become severely
disabled. With the reforms, policyholders will receive
a maximum potential payout of $28,800, which is a
significant 60 per cent improvement over the current basic
ElderShield payout of $18,000. Despite the substantial
improvement in payouts, increases in premiums work out
to be about $2 per month for both men and women.
In addition, a third insurer, Aviva Limited, will also join
incumbents Great Eastern Life and NTUC Income. To meet
the diverse needs of Singaporeans, the three insurers will
be offering ElderShield supplements which can provide
higher payouts and/or a longer payment period on top of
the basic ElderShield.
Existing policyholders can choose to stay with the
current scheme at the old premium and payout rate or
switch to the new one by paying an adjustment fee and the
new premiums. In addition, they can also choose to “top up”
with an ElderShield Supplement offered by their insurer.
A life-sized display of chickens
being culled; a kitchen with
a two-week supply of food;
and a Biosafety Level 3
(BSL3) facility — these were
some of the unusual exhibits
at the recent exhibition
on “The Invisible Enemy:
Singapore’s Encounters with
Infectious Diseases — Past,
Present & Future”.
Taking up 405 sq m at
the Central Lending Library,
the exhibition was aimed
at raising public awareness
of the threat of common
infectious diseases and
demonstrates how the
public can be involved in
preventing outbreaks.
It marked the culmination
of the efforts of the National
Resilience Division of the
Ministry of Information,
Communications & the Arts
(MICA), who collaborated
with several agencies — Agrifood & Veterinary Authority of
Singapore, Defence Science
& Technology Agency, Health
Promotion Board, National
Archives of Singapore,
National Library Board and
the S. Rajaratnam School
of International Studies.
Funding support came
from the National Security
Coordination Secretariat,
Ministry of Health, Ministry
of Home Affairs and MICA.
ltA
VR-10WinsHearts
LTA’s VR-10 egame, an
innovative youth outreach
programme, has won the
inaugural Youth Project
Award conferred by the
International Association of
Public Transport (UITP) under
the category “Improving
mobility of young people”.
The VR-10 eGame is
the first locally-produced
3D interactive game that
educates upper primary
students on interesting
and little-known facts on
Singapore’s land transport
system and on safety when
using the road and rail
networks. VR-10 was originally
developed to mark LTA’s
10th anniversary in 2005.
The LTA team made
a presentation to 2,000
delegates from 470 cities
at the UITP 57th World
Congress and Exhibition in
Helsinki recently. It garnered
the majority of votes to win
the coveted Grand Public
Prize (People’s Choice).
The team beat two other
finalists from South Africa
and the Netherlands, from
a total of 35 entries.
43063#PEP II.ai
63.25 lpi
66.67
70.71
71.57° 6/12/07
18.43°
0.00°
45.00°
6/12/07 2:12:50
2:12:50PM
PM
Process CyanProcess
CyanProcess MagentaProcess
MagentaProcess YellowProcess
YellowProcess Black
Help businesses and entrepreneurs
cut RED TAPE by sending your
suggestions to the
Pro-Enterprise Panel at
www.pep.gov.sg
Quarterly
Annual
$50 voucher for up to three best
suggestions in each quarter of FY07
$200 voucher for the best
suggestion in FY07
Email your queries to mti_pepsec@mti.gov.sg
W HAT IS RED TAPE?
Red Tape are rules that are outdated or over-specific.
They affect public trust in the Government and hinder
economic growth.
An example of a successful PEP suggestion:
Simplifying submission of audited financial
statement for Major Exporter Scheme (MES)
Previously applicants had to submit annually audited financial statements plus
several assurance reports by a certified public accountant.
Through PEP, the requirement for audited accounts was removed. The positive
assurance report is now required only once every 3 years at the point of MES
renewal. This helped to reduce business costs.
Feature
In an increasingly noisy and
contentious blogosphere, it
is important that agencies
continue to reach out and
be engaged in the local
community. By Anna Yap
Journeyintothe
Blogosphere
“Awesome, simply awesome.”
This is the reaction of blogger Natalie
Fern, 16, to Youth.SG, a portal
run by the Ministry of Community
Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS).
Community participation
By far the most successful agency
to have experimented with new
media, MCYS’s Youth.SG averages
60,000 visitors and 500,000 page
impressions per month, putting paid
to the idea that Singaporean youth are
apathetic to community participation.
Key to Youth.SG’s success is its “for
youth, by youth” approach. It is crewed
by two full-time staff and a pool of
young writers who are either interns or
ex-interns at Youth.SG. With common
denominators that include being students,
the worship of fantasy writer Neil Gaiman
and a love of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream,
the writers blog with the spirited sense
of discovery that only the youth have.
Feature
Pay us a visit!
National Heritage Board
www.yesterday.sg
MCYS
www.youth.sg
National Library Board
http://dl.nlb.gov.sg/ask
http://dl.nlb.gov.sg/digitalk
http://dl.nlb.gov.sg/highbrowseonline
http://dl.nlb.gov.sg/victoria
NParks
www.nparks.gov.sg/blogs/
young_gardeners
www.nparks.gov.sg/blogs/garden_voices
www.10000fathers.sg/blog/?cat=4
REACH
http://app.reach.gov.sg/
reach/BlogUs/tabid
/54/Default.aspx
Blogosphere response to Youth.SG
has been pretty positive as well. A
recent blogging festival organised
by Youth.SG attracted over 5,000
youths through blogging and voting
for their favourite blog entries.
“Youth.SG is actually a very fun and
resourceful place,” says Xxingg, 20,
one of the participants. “It’s a very well
organised community for all teenagers.”
Natalie agrees. “I think Youth.SG’s
an awesome place for youth to hang
out at. It provides an avenue for youth
to engage in activities like blogging and
going down to events to write for them.
I’ve personally made many friends who
are crazy fun and I don’t think I’ve really
regretted knowing them,” she says.
Her sentiments are shared by Rainyuki,
17. “They have done their research! They
know how to cater to youths: their likes,
their favourites, and they are always
open to opinions. Hence, everyone
there feels pretty much at home!”
Lively posts and high participation rates
from a blogosphere skewed towards
the youth demographic ensure that
Youth.SG ranks high in agency attempts
at engaging the public through new
media. But it is not alone in its success.
Yesterday.sg, affiliated with the
National Heritage Board (NHB) for
example, ranks 5th out of 111 museum
blogs around the world, according to the
website Museums and the Web
2007 by Archives & Museum
Informatics in their research paper
State of the Museum Blogosphere.
Attributing its success to its
grassroots approach, Mr Walter Lim,
Director of Corporate Communications
and Industry Promotion at the NHB
says, “The idea behind Yesterday.sg
is to provide a platform to connect
ordinary Singaporeans to their heritage
and to build a community of folks keen
to share their heritage and museum
experiences and stories. Such a
grassroots approach may at times be
more engaging and touching than the
official spiel coming from a single source.”
Ground-up approach
The “official spiel”, it would seem
to be, is the worst way to engage
the Internet community. A groundup approach whereby the agency
facilitates (as opposed to directs) the
connection and participation of the
public, remains the most appropriate
technique to reach out to the public.
Yesterday.sg, for example, is “helmed
by a group of enthusiastic and passionate
volunteers who trawl the web for quirky
“We encourage our readers
to engage in active and
constructive dialogue
among themselves and to
share their thoughts
on the posts.”
heritage information, and who also
contribute their own stories and thoughts
on Singapore’s heritage and museums
scene,” says Mr Lim. NHB’s role is to
play the part of a facilitator: to arrange
for gatherings among volunteers that
include a social worker, a biologist, a
librarian and a polytechnic lecturer; to
address their suggestions and feedback
on enhancing the blog in content,
layout or technical specifications; and
to help publicise the blog through
online and offline channels.
Other examples of this “facilitator”
approach are National Parks (NParks)
Board’s blogs—Garden Voices and
Young Gardeners. Although averaging
relatively high visitor numbers, the
weekly posts—article contributions by
gardening enthusiasts including NParks
staff, the public and students—rarely
“They know how to cater to youths: their likes, their
favourites, and they are always open to opinions.”
Rainyuki, 17
á Rainyuki ...
“I think Youth.SG’s an awesome place for youth to
hang out at.”
Natalie, 16
á Nathalie ...
“Youth.SG is actually a very fun and resourceful
place.”
Xxingg, 20
á Xxing ...
elicit comments from the visitors; garden
enthusiasts being even more reticent
than book aficionadoes perhaps.
With not only one but four blogs,
the National Library Board (NLB) is
yet another agency which has made
promising inroads into the blogosphere.
Out of the four blogs, perhaps most
interesting are Ask! and High Browse.
In Ask!, the public gets answers to
questions such as “Why is it called
“love” and not “zero” in tennis?” (Answer:
It is the corruption of the French word
“l’oeuf” which means “egg”; eggs
have a round shape like the number
zero.) The blog receives about one or
two questions a week, which is not
a lot compared to the questions the
NLB gets from walk-ins, for example.
Low response initially at High
Browse, which is meant to provide book
reviews, librarians’ recommendations
and readers’ contributions disappointed
its creators. According to Mr Ivan
Chew, librarian and manager of Adult &
Young People Services at NLB, they had
originally hoped that people who like to
read would send in reviews, alerts and
comments on High Browse on their own.
Then, feeling “desperate” sometime
last year, NLB started offering monthly
coffee voucher giveaways for the best
book review submitted by the public, and
response has been growing ever since.
Measuring the success of a blog
however, is not as simple as counting
the number of visitors, page views and
comments. According to the NLB, it
appears in the top 5 or 10 search results
in either Yahoo! Or Google, depending on
the keywords used. Its online presence
has also benefitted from bloggers
who link to their blogs or blog posts.
Successful agency blogs are not
“government-centric”, even whilst they are
government affiliated and/or sponsored.
Mr Lim of the NHB says, “(W)e do not
edit, restrict or moderate the comments
to the posts. We encourage our readers
to engage in active and constructive
dialogue among themselves and to
share their thoughts on the posts.”
Such a belief in people-centricity
is something that agencies already
experimenting with new media, or
those making plans to do so, should
hold fast to. In an increasingly noisy
and contentious blogosphere, it is
important that agencies (as well as civil
servants blogging in their own personal
capacity) continue to reach out and
be engaged in the local community.
You can also discuss this at
forum.challenge.gov.sg
Do you want to blog?
Read this first.
Singaporeans are IT-savvy and take
readily to the Web. Public Service
officers are no exception, says Mr
David Lee, Manager (New Media) at
the Public Communications Division
of the Ministry of Information,
Communications and the Arts
(MICA). However, because public
officers are privy to official information
during the course of their work,
they should not blog about their work
or on issues related to government
policies unless they have the permission
of their Permanent Secretary, he says.
“The idea is not to dissuade public
officers from blogging, but to affirm
the importance of blogging responsibly
and to be accountable to what we
blog about, so that the reputation
and integrity of the Public Service
is upheld.”
Mr Ivan Chew, a.k.a. the Rambling
Librarian, suggests that you ask yourself
the following questions before blogging
about anything regarding your work:
•Is it my job or business to share this
information publicly?
•Should it be made public by
my corporate communications
department before I talk about it?
•If the corporate communications
department isn't going to make this
public, can I still do it? (See question 1)
•How much do I understand my
corporate culture?
•How much do my co-workers and
reporting officers trust me?
”It really depends on the job,” says Mr
Chew. “I work for NLB, Public Library
Services. We provide a service to
(the) public. Most of what I blog about
has to do with what’s already public
knowledge, just that it’s not widely
disseminated, for example, the services
and loan promotions.
“When Public Service officers blog, it
is also important to project a professional
image that fits into the Public Service’s
values of ‘Excellence, Service and
Integrity’,” he adds. “Always remember
that your online conduct will influence
how others view the Public Service.
Seek to be a positive influence, and to
be constructive and helpful rather
than destructive.”
Opinion
10
By jimmy yap
BlogAway
Jimmy Yap has spent
14 years in the media
industry in Singapore,
during which he
pioneered the Internet
beat for The Straits
Times. He was also
the founding editor of
CNET Asia.
Singapore’s Public Service has a proud
tradition of embracing technology. The entire
government is practically online, which is great
for tech savvy (read, lazy) citizens like me. While
in my pyjamas, I’ve filed my taxes, applied for a
passport, renewed licences and of course, happily
accepted Progress Packages; all done online.
Given the general enthusiasm for technology,
I feel that the Public Service is being much too
tentative about blogging. This is a mistake.
I think the Public Service should embrace
blogging, but—and here’s the caveat—
they should do it right.
Blogging can be an effective way to get
your message across and to get feedback
from customers. In addition, blogs could
humanise the Public Service, making
it more warm and approachable.
I would like to stress what blogging shouldn’t
be: it shouldn’t be boring, and it shouldn’t be
propaganda. It is too easy to start a corporate
blog, make it somebody’s job to write it
regularly, and hope that this improves your
communication with citizens. This is a mistake.
Organisations typically worry that their
employees will start shooting his or her mouth
off and embarrass them. The other scenario is
much more likely; the poor unfortunate tasked
to write the blog has no idea what to say, and
very sensibly, wants to keep his job. At best, he
writes mindless pap about what meaningful work
he has and how wonderful his colleagues are.
Alternatively, he finds an unimaginative
way to parrot the government line. So the first
rule of thumb is to find someone with something
to say. Usually this means someone senior
who can articulate policy issues and who
writes well.
The other thing that bloggers need to do is
to loosen up. Blogging is an informal means
of communicating. It allows the blogger to
pen, usually short notes, on something that
takes his or her fancy. The ease of updating
makes it a great way for people to share their
thoughts and ideas, or capture a moment or
feeling. It tends to be spontaneous, warm and
occasionally funny. Herein lies the problem.
Singapore’s senior public servants may be
spontaneous, warm and occasionally funny, but
that is a side only their spouses see. The rest
of us tend to see something very different.
Maybe don’t aim for funny. Let’s set the bar
lower instead and aim for personal instead.
Blog entries should sound like a letter, not a
press release. And by letter, I mean it should
sound like a letter to a distant friend. It should
not, under any circumstances, sound like
a letter to The Straits Times Forum page
written by the Public Affairs Department.
While blogging has its upsides, I would like
to warn potential bloggers that blogging is
a lot of work. Given how busy senior public
servants are, I would suggest instead that
they comment on other people’s blogs.
One of the best examples of this was
written by Bilahari Kausikan, the permanent
secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He
wrote a response to a blog post by a student
about a speech he had made at her school.
In his response, he defended his content
but apologised for his tone. What was also
impressive was his evident concern that his
response not be seen as a heavy-handed
attempt aimed at silencing her, but instead
one designed to stimulate dialogue. A similar
response to a certain Mr Brown, and I’m not
referring to the new British prime minister,
might not have been out of place.
11
Undercover
TheMOPReport
Our Member of
Public files her
latest report on
customer service at
the agencies.
PSD: Outdated
reference
I looked up the
Singapore Government
Directory Interactive on the
Internet and called an officer
at the Public Service Division
(PSD) on his direct line. The
phone went unanswered
two or three times a day
for three days in a row and
a message in the phone
mail went unheeded.
Giving the officer the
benefit of the doubt, that
the silence could be due to
sickness, annual leave or
the fact that he was on a
training course, I called the
PSD’s general line, as listed
in the interactive directory,
to check his whereabouts.
Instead of answering my
question, I was asked for the
name of the officer and, after
a pause, was given a different
direct line to call. The officer
on the line was unwilling or
unable to tell me whether the
officer I wanted to speak to
was in the office or, if not,
when he would be back.
When I expressed my
doubts about the accuracy
of the number I was given, I
was assured it was correct.
I had no choice but to
try the new number. This
time, the phone was picked
up. When I asked for the
officer I wanted, the voice
at the other end of the line
said, “Oh, no more here.”
Verdict: There is something
wrong somewhere when
officers in the Public Service
do not have access to upto-date information about
their own colleagues.
MDA: The saga
continues…
In June, I gave
feedback for MediaCorp to
Media Development Authority
(MDA), which politely agreed
to pass it on. This month, I
phoned the QSM’s (Quality
Service Manager) line again
to find out what was the
fate of my feedback.
Another officer picked up
the phone and could not find
any trace of my feedback and
did not know the officer that
I had spoken to. However,
she helpfully promised to
look into the matter and let
me know the outcome.
After eight working
days of silence, I called
MDA at 10.10am. The line
was engaged for several
minutes, so I left my name
and phone number for
my call to be returned. By
3pm, my patience had run
out and I called again.
A third officer kept silent
when I pointed out that I
was waiting for a return
call. Worse, she again did
not know the previous two
officers nor of my case.
This time, the undertaking
to follow up was coupled
with the advice that if I did
not get a response in a
week’s time, I should call
her personally to find out.
Verdict: If the QSM provides
such unsatisfactory service,
I dread to think what level
of service others provide.
Undercover
12
SPF: VIP treatment
One hot afternoon,
I trudged up to the
Singapore Police Force’s
(SPF) Kampong Java
Neighbourhood Police Centre
(NPC) to make a police report.
I had to show my IC and
have my personal particulars
recorded before I could enter.
The officer was not sure if
this was required at all NPCs
or higher security measures
applied here since it was in the
same building as the Tanglin
Police Division Headquarters,
Once inside, it was a dream.
There was no one ahead of
me, so I was attended to
immediately. I was able to
appreciate the cool air-con
and the hard work of the
officer typing my report—after
translating common English
into appropriate officialese—
into the computer with one
finger while I lolled around
in my seat in front of him.
When it came to the sticky
question of why I wanted to
make a report, he helpfully
suggested “for record
purposes” before I could
sputter a lame excuse.
The agencies reply...
acra
Workmanlike (Challenge June 2007)
We did a check and wish to state that your undercover had mistakenly
gone to DP Bureau instead of ACRA. DP Bureau is ACRA’s appointed
service bureau located at the same level as ACRA, but there are
signages indicating that we are two separate and distinct agencies.
As ACRA has moved to an internet-based online filing system since 2003,
we no longer give out manual forms. In addition, my colleagues went to DP
Bureau to ask for the same information your undercover asked for and were
given the exact same form, which stated that it was from DP Bureau.
We thank you for being given the opportunity to clarify.
Ms Sharon Ng Kuan Li
Head, Corporate Communications
Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)
MDA
Polite but bland (Challenge June 2007),
The saga continues (Challenge August 2007)
MDA regrets that you did not receive a reply from MDA’s licensee, when we
had forwarded your feedback to MediaCorp for its action on 29 May and 7 June.
MDA recognises the lapse in managing the QSM line and extends its apologies to
you. We are tightening our processes to prevent such incidents from recurring.
Mr Tow Joon Lai
Quality Service Manager
Media Development Authority
Verdict: It was a painless,
10-minute exercise in a quiet,
cool and pleasant office.
PSD
Outdated Reference (Challenge August 2007)
We agree that our staff telephone contact numbers should be kept up-to-date.
The lapse was due to a delay in updating the relevant database following recent
staff changes. We are tightening our procedures to make sure that the updating
of information to the database is done as and when staff changes occur.
Mr Chan Heng Kee
Quality Service Manager
Public Service Division
13
To hone its expertise,
the Public Service
ventures forth to
new territories.
illustration: pixelpastry / photo: calvin tan
By suzanne ooi
Working on the export of
Singapore’s public sector
expertise: (From left) Long
Meng Choo, Angela Chong
and Koh Chee Wee from
the External Projects Office,
and Nina Zafar from the
X-PSC working team.
Cover Story
Cover Story
14
The Middle East is the new
powerhouse of growth,
and is an important focus in the
strategic thrust to export Singapore’s
public sector expertise.
Speaking at the forum on “The Middle
East Experience” in May, Ms Lim Soo
Hoon, overseeing Permanent Secretary
of World•Singapore Action Team on
Exporting Public Sector Capabilities (XPSC), said the Singapore Public Service
has to look beyond its boundaries to
explore new opportunities without
neglecting its domestic priorities. “We
receive various requests from other
countries to learn from us. There is a lot
of value that we can unlock,” she said.
Broadening the scope
Another imperative for X-PSC is to
broaden the scope of opportunities
for public officers to continuously
hone their skills. “The only way to do
this is to go outside, to venture into
a bigger market,” added Ms Lim.
The External Projects Office
(EPO) of the Public Service Division
supports the X-PSC team in creating
a conducive environment for the
export of public sector capabilities.
EPO facilitates X-PSC by:
jumpstart
While SCE projects will always have a
foreign government element, it is not
purely a government-to-government
initiative because they typically involve
private sector players as well, explained
Director (Operations) Mr Kong Wy
Mun. Nevertheless, the focus of SCE
is to come in for public sector agencies
that do not have a commercial arm
to help jumpstart the export of their
expertise. SCE also helps coordinate
projects that span different clusters,
as in a township development.
To ensure that their efforts are closely
aligned, a member of SCE works with
the X-PSC team and vice versa. “This is a
new exercise for us,” said Ms Lim. “There
is a lot of learning by doing. We will work
with individual agencies to see what
problems or issues arise. Our objective
is to get a good sense of the ground in
order to address the concerns. We have
to find a model that works for us.”
a Refining policies and structures
b Building relevant capacities
and competencies
c Innovative sourcing and
deployment of resources
d Supporting the formation
of networks and partnerships
e Enhancing sharing of
knowledge, insights and contacts
The X-PSC team complements the
work of the Singapore Corporation
Enterprise (SCE), which was set up
a year ago to lead Public Service
collaboration with foreign governments.
photo:
Gopakumar ravindran
The Al Salam City project in United Arab Emirates.
A government gave the permit
to build a particular project,
and then rescinded it. Contracts are
sometimes changed halfway through
the deal. And there is always the
possibility that a change in government
will mean the cancellation of a project.
Having had personal experience or
knowledge of these scenarios, Mr Louis
Tay of building consultancy Surbana easily
picks the ability to take risks as one of
the keys to success in securing projects
overseas. “It’s very scary but there is
money to be made,” he said simply.
Surbana is a spin-off from the Housing
and Development Board and a wholly
owned subsidiary of Temasek Holdings.
Er. Tay is the Deputy Regional Director for
Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa.
Since its inception in 2003 and entry
into the Middle East market in 2005,
Surbana has garnered an impressive
list of consultancy projects in master
planning and architectural and engineering
consultancy work such as the massive
Master Planning Projects of Al Khor
and Al Wakra covering an area of about
4,000 sq km; the Al Salam city project
in Emirates of Umm Al Quwain in
United Arab Emirates (UAE); and the
development of buildings such as the
Grand Corniche Hotel in Abu Dhabi, UAE
and the headquarters of the Tourism
Development Investment Company of
Abu Dhabi. In UAE alone—Surbana is lead
consultant for projects with estimated
construction value of $1.3 billion.
Abu Dhabi’s Grand Corniche Hotel.
iq and eq
“We were unknown in the Middle
East and we had to compete against
the best global consultants. We have
developed our strategy. We lost a few
rounds but now we’re doing fairly well,”
said Mr Tay. “We have to think like
businessmen and not be risk adverse—of
course there is a thin line between
being gutsy and being reckless.”
“You need to have a few good and
visionary drivers. You must send in the right
men with the right IQ and EQ; people who
can sell fridges to the Eskimos,” said Mr Tay.
These “drivers” will need support
from the bosses. “You must empower
them—give them responsibility
and with that the authority to make
decisions in the field. You must also be
prepared for them to make mistakes
in the first few years,” he said.
“At Surbana, we take the long-term view;
we pump in money with no guarantees
of return in the short run. If two out of 10
leads are successful, it’s already very good.”
Right mindset
Once this mindset is in place, patience
is required. “You have to sift through the
contacts you make. Once you decide,
stay with him,” said Mr Tay. “If you invest
in a relationship, there will always be a
payback. It is not easy to break into the
inner circle in the Middle East, but once
you do, they will always include you in all
their deals. Building good relationships
is thus another key to success.”
Cover Story
16
An unannounced visit to
Singapore by a high-ranking Qatari
official in 2004 had an unexpected
impact on the life of Colonel Chris
Tan of the Singapore Civil Defence
Force (SCDF) and his family.
The visit led to an invitation to the
SCDF to help develop the country’s civil
defence department. Study missions
were organised by the Qatar Ministry
of Interior and the Singapore Ministry of
Home Affairs. And in November 2005,
Col Tan and another colleague were
seconded to Qatar as resident senior
consultants to the country’s Civil Defence
Department for two years to help develop
a fire safety regulatory framework and
a basic fire investigation capability.
The Tan family was informed about
eight months before the eventual
posting took effect. “As I had intended
to relocate my family with me, I flew
my wife and daughters to Doha for a
site recce to get a feel of the place. We
checked out the amenities, health and
educational systems, general level of
safety and security and the environment,”
recalled Col Tan. “Once we sorted
out a few key issues and concerns,
we decided to take a leap of faith and
put our relocation plan into motion.”
The big move
The remaining five months were spent
preparing their pre-teen daughters
and aged parents psychologically and
emotionally for D-Day. The impending
separation from loved ones and friends,
and concerns over adjusting to a culturally
and ethnically different environment and
a politically volatile region made this the
most challenging aspect of the move,
even more so than the logistical operation
involved in coordinating and shipping
“half our house” to Doha, said Col Tan.
In Qatar, Col Tan experienced “both the
highs and the lows” of expatriate living.
There was the language barrier to
overcome. “As Arabic is the main
language in daily life, government and
businesses, communication—verbal and
written—frequently poses problems,” he
said. “This affects our efforts in knowledge
transfer to bridge the competency divide
and to help to institute the necessary
organisational changes and reforms.”
The unique style of “tribal”
organisational leadership and work culture
were other aspects that the Singapore
consultants had to manage, he said.
The experience has made him more
realistic about what can be achieved
and to be more flexible about how to
achieve it. “Be prepared to change
course along the way whilst keeping
your mission-critical targets in sight.
It is easier for us to adapt to the
environment, in the broad sense, than
for the environment to adapt to us.”
Work-life balance
Work-related challenges aside, the best
part of expatriate living for the Tans
has been the good work-life balance
that the family has been able to enjoy.
“We have more quality time with our
daughters: at the dining table, watching
TV together,” he said. And his wife
Siew Bee has learnt to bake cakes and
bread, make noodles, jam and kaya,
and do silk paintings. “We can run a
B&B when we retire,” he quipped.
Col Chris Tan (left) having a very
Singaporean lo hei in Qatar.
SCDF shares its expertise
with the Qatar Civil
Defence Department.
SGC’s concept plan for a
roof garden in Dubai.
Ups and downs
But exporting expertise has been hard
work, with its ups and downs. It has been
an exhilarating experience but Mr Chuah
has also had to work smart and move fast.
In the 1990s, Mr Chuah Hock Seong,
a fluent Mandarin speaker, often took
on the role of guide to visiting Chinese
officials by showing them around
the Botanical Gardens. Little did he
know that these tours would lead him,
indirectly, to projects in the Middle East.
Mr Chuah is Director (Parks Business)
of the National Parks Board (NParks) and
Chief Executive Officer of its commercial
arm, Singapore Garden City (SGC).
In 2002, he was playing his usual
role as guide when the visiting Mayor
of Guangzhou asked if he could
tap on NParks’ landscape design
and plant management services.
“He was pro-Singapore, liked the
greenery here and asked if we could
provide a service,” he recalled.
That led to the setting up of the
SGC to carry out the project. It proved
to be fortuitous. In 2004, when a
Dubai sheikh visited with a plan
to build a hotel with a roof garden,
NParks had a ready-made vehicle to
take on the private sector project.
Putting a price
There were a few interesting lessons
from that early Middle East engagement.
For one thing, while SGC was confident
of its core capabilities, it was less sure
about how to price its services.
“We knew what we could do but we
didn’t know how much to charge,” said
Mr Chuah. It turned out that his quote to
the Dubai sheikh was off the mark—the
final bill was triple the projected cost
due to additions and changes.
One-stop shop
But SGC did a quality job that has
endured. Mr Chuah recalled that his client
was using plants which were of poor
quality and had a survival rate of only four
out of 10. “We were able to do quality
control. As is our custom, we bought
our trees from neighbouring countries
and went to the nurseries to select the
trees ourselves. Then, we trained the
staff to look after them,” he said.
SGC’s main selling point is that it
was a one-stop shop. “We can do
landscape design, select the plants,
advise on their care and train the
staff to maintain them,” said Mr
Chuah. “Most firms cannot do that.
We can because we can buy inhouse service from a Government
department of experts.”
“all we have is our experience
and we have been successful
because we have been
systematic in our learning.”
As the Dubai sheikh is an expert on
plants, Mr Chuah needed staff who
were technically competent, willing
to go the extra mile and were used
to dealing with VIPs. To meet this
requirement, he selected staff who
had worked in the Istana and were
able to converse confidently with
Ministers and other dignitaries.
SGC’s projects in Dubai include a
greenery masterplan for Al Reem Island
and another for the waterfront, both in
Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.
Mr Chuah is prepared to share NParks’
expertise without fear of divulging
trade secrets or giving away intellectual
property rights. “There are no secrets in
project management within my field,” he
said. “All we have is our experience and
we have been successful because we
have been systematic in our learning.”
Face 2 Face
18
The Singapore Civil Defence
Force was one of the first
public organisations here
to export its expertise
overseas. Melissa
Heng catches up with
Commissioner James Tan.
TheRoadto
…
How did the opportunity arise for
SCDF to export its expertise?
Singapore sent a search and rescue
team down to Taiwan following its
earthquake in 1999. We did very well
there and several foreign teams took
notice of us. Gradually, our involvement
in regional disaster-relief projects earned
Singapore praise and we started getting
requests from overseas organisations
asking us to help train their men or
inviting us over to their home countries.
So far, cadets and officers from 56
countries have passed through the civil
defence academy here in Singapore.
But Qatar was our first real overseas
“assignment”. That was the first time
we sent top officers abroad with the
purpose of helping another country
build up their firefighting capacities.
How it came about was quite
accidental. An official team from Qatar
visited Singapore in early 2005 and
we hosted a tour of our premises and
equipment. They were so impressed
that a few months later, the Crown
Prince of Qatar himself paid us a
visit. We were invited to help develop
their fire-safety-related systems.
Photo: kelvin chia
oQatar
…andBeyond
What were some of your
thoughts at that time—were
there any reservations?
We decided right from the start that
if we were to take on this challenge,
we must put in all our commitment to
make the venture a success. Failure
was not an option, given the personal
interest of Qatar’s Heir Apparent
then. The example of the Qatar-SCDF
cooperation was also meant to pave
the way for other agencies to follow.
The challenge for us was to
select the right personnel. We
needed someone sufficiently senior,
professional, experienced and up to
the task of operating independently
in a totally foreign country.
What were some roadblocks that SCDF
faced and how were these overcome?
Two difficulties surfaced. The first was
the language barrier and the second
was figuring out how to manipulate
manpower deployment. As you may
imagine, Arabic is not a commonly
spoken language in Singapore, and none
of our officers can speak it. Helping Qatar
with their syllabus meant going back
and forth with translators and hoping
that nothing was lost in the transition.
Also, SCDF is a small and tight outfit.
We only have about 400 senior officers
and even sending a few abroad for
maintain standards. To date, more than
70 Qatari have been trained by us.
Besides firefighting training, there
are presently three of Qatar’s officer
cadets attending SCDF’s eight-month
Basic Officer Course. In fact, they will
be graduating next month. This is a
natural extension of the plan to build a
critical mass of personnel imbued with
SCDF’s values. They can then return
to lead and effect change in Qatar.
We are presently also involved in
a project to design and build Qatar’s
civil defence academy, to be modelled
after the academy in Singapore.
This academy is to be the centre of
more than a few weeks meant we had
to “tighten our belts”. The fact is that
we had to appoint covering officers at
the stations and stretch the ground.
What did the actual overseas
engagement involve?
Under the framework of cooperation,
SCDF seconded two officers to Qatar
as resident consultants in operations
management, fire safety regulations
and fire investigations. This, of course,
was a new experience for us and we
were on a steep learning curve.
We also had to work out a joint plan
to improve the operational capabilities of
Qatar’s personnel. This involved designing
a cutomised seven-week firefighting
programme in our academy. We felt
that once a critical mass of Qatari had
been trained in Singapore, the upgrading
of professionalism and operational
capabilities would naturally take off.
The first batch consisted of 23 Qatari.
After their training, all of them were
posted to the newly-built Aziziya Fire
Station in Doha, which was provided
with brand new fire engines and
equipment. Also, four of our officers
returned to Qatar with them, to help
establish training routines in order to
His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani
Qatar Heir Apparent, with Commissioner James Tan
during his visit to the Civil Defence Academy.
“We are presently also
involved in a project to
design and build Qatar’s
civil defence academy...”
excellence for civil defence training
in the entire Gulf region. We have
submitted our proposal and we expect
developments to move fairly quickly.
What was the greatest achievement
to come out of this?
It represented the first concrete
cooperative project between the
government agencies of two countries.
The greatest achievement was that
we managed to build a high level
of trust such that other cooperative
ventures could follow. We are trying to
put Singapore on a global stage.
Innovations
20
TellItLikeItIs
By Anna Yap
Struck blind after a high fever
at age nine, Rosie Wong
hasn’t let that stop her from
living an independent and full
life. Now 58 and a married
mother of two, Rosie works
as a masseur, going about
her job and daily life aided by
assistive device Tellmate.
However, this independence
was not always so easily
achieved. She was in her
20s when, alone at home
and suffering from rashes
and a cough, she mistook
calamine lotion for cough
syrup, drank it and ended up
in the hospital. Not only that,
she had to explain to police
officers who interviewed her
afterward that she had not
been attempting suicide.
Today, the portable
device Tellmate reads out
the information she has
included on the bottle labels
of aromatherapy oil that
she uses in the course of
work, identifying them as
lavender or rosemary, and so
photo: Sph - the straits times
The Idea: To create
an inexpensive, userfriendly way for
visually-impaired
persons to access
information regarding
their immediate
surroundings.
Ron Chandran-Dudley, one of the creators of the Tellmate device.
on; her heart medication is
labelled accurately; and even
her photographs have been
labelled to give her information
on who is in the photograph,
where it was taken and
what the occasion was.
The technology
The brainchild of local
homegrown GaiShan
Technology’s Chin Swee
Jeen and the president of the
Disabled People’s Association
of Singapore, Ron ChandranDudley, Tellmate is based on
radio-frequency identification
(RFID) technology. The
portable device (about the
size of a mobile phone)
receives information from
surrounding objects that have
been electronically labelled
and “reads” it out. This allows
the person to make full use
of his/her auditory sense to
complement impaired vision.
The benefits
can be programmed to give as
little or as much information
as applicable. For example,
for a bottle of eye drops, the
Tellmate device is able to
read out the equivalent of
a full A4 page—describing
dosage requirement, expiry
date, side effects and cautions.
Other applications include the
labelling of: food and drink
packages and types of cards
in a wallet. It can also be used
to complement the use of
Braille teaching materials in
mainstream or private schools.
Market potential
There are an estimated 40
million blind people in the world,
and another 100 million who
are partially sighted. Only an
average of 20 per cent of these
blind people have Braille literacy.
Tellmate hopes to fill this gap in
the ability of visually-impaired
persons to access information
in their surroundings, thus
increasing their independence
and quality of life.
“Originally created for the
visually-handicapped, Tellmate
has become a piece of
For more information on
equipment that can be useful
Tellmate, email: sjchin@
for everyone,” says Mr Dudley. gaishantech.com.
Tellmate’s electronic labels
The Disabled People’s
provide information in different Association of Singapore is
languages and dialects and
at www.dpa.org.sg.
21
Feature
Miredin
Bureaucracy?
The topic of bureaucracy is always guaranteed to stir up a lively
debate in Singapore. Writing in the May/June 2007 issue of SALT, a
publication of the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre, Mr
Jack Sim, a Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year and
founder of the World Toilet Organisation, suggested that bureaucracy
is stifling the culture of creativity in Singapore. Yet organisations
such as the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy and the World
Bank have ranked Singapore as being the least bureaucratic in Asia,
if not the world. So is the Singapore Public Service really mired in
bureaucracy? We present the two perspectives.
Feature
22
If you are an innovator and
you require government help (it is
easier if you don’t), you may first need
to prepare and train yourself to master
“The Fine Art of Vomiting Blood”. You
know what I mean. But don’t get angry
with the bureaucrat. Here’s why.
Singapore is a model of how a
non-corrupt bureaucracy with good
leadership can efficiently transform a
developing country without any natural
resources (except its citizenry) into
the prosperous and modern city-state
that it is today. As one of Asia’s most
important economic powerhouses,
we are the envy of the world.
Yet, you soon realise that while
efficiency is our strength, creativity is
not. Our top leaders in government
set the direction and the bureaucrats
translate these directions into
simplified boxes and game-rules that
are fair to all and which are easy for
everyone to understand because they
adopt the common denominator.
Everything works well if events unfold
according to the system. However, if an
idea is innovative and original, it becomes
a problem. In such cases, the bureaucrat’s
mind works something like this:
Step 1: Does this fall into any of my
existing boxes?
If Yes: Process.
If No: Step 2
Step 2: Can I not handle this?
Some options include giving FAQ
answers: saying this is the wrong
department; refer the matter to a superior
who will then refer it to his superior who
is usually not available; drain applicant’s
patience; and if the applicant persists and
insists that I take action, go to Step 3.
Step 3: What will my boss think?
And even if my boss agrees, what will
his boss think?
To be fair, we have to empathise with the
bureaucrat in that we cannot expect him
to work according to his organisation’s
mission. He works only on policies and
procedures which have little built-in
flexibility. And at the risk of sounding
cynical, the bureaucrat is keenly aware
that to keep his job, he can’t rock the boat.
When dealing with bureaucrats, lots
of patience is needed. Otherwise, you
should look for your own solution and
not wait for their answers. This is where
many people with great ideas give up.
The point is that you need to care
enough about your country and the
people not to care what the bureaucrats
say or do to you. State the facts
and do it for the sake of the nation’s
progress. Besides, bureaucrats like
to support winners. Show them
early signs of success, and they’ll
feel it’s safer to support you.
Meanwhile, ministers and politicians
tend to be mission driven, but they too
are limited by their senior bureaucrats’
interpretation and implementation of their
intention into policies and procedures.
The result is usually a compromise where
the main body of problems is solved
efficiently, while unique and innovative
solutions and ideas get lost in the lalang.
As we do not have a culture of
creativity, foreign talents fill in the gap.
We pay (because we can afford to) the
world’s best brains as our consultants
to design our IRs and monumental
buildings and teach us best practices.
Yes, the job gets done but we continue
to lament that we lack local talents.
Innovators have to understand
they might be partially-helped and
partially-obstructed by bureaucrats.
The ratio is directly proportionate to
how innovative your idea is. The more
out of the box your idea is, the more
uncomfortable the bureaucrat becomes.
Ultimately, you have to survive by your
own determination and belief. And tell
yourself, at the end, that you survived
despite the bureaucracy. There’s just
no point trying to judge bureaucrats as
being good or bad. They are neither.
In their personal life, they are just as
creative as you or me. It’s just that
he is often frustrated: he may agree
with the proposed innovation, but he is
restricted from doing so. Once he arrives
at the office, he follows procedure.
That said, surely there must be a
better way to give the bureaucrats
some space for innovation?
I would like to suggest “The
Right to Mistakes” policy.
This practice by large French
corporations assumes that the only
person who doesn’t make mistakes
is the one who does nothing new.
Perhaps, we should learn from
the foreigners again. But the big
wave has to be government-led.
Will this article create repercussions for
me? No. It’ll only make things better.
Bureaucrazy
By Jack Sim
This article first appeared in the May/June
2007 issue of SALT, a publication of the
National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre.
EasiestToDoBusinessIn
Have your say
What are your views on the state of
bureaucracy in Singapore? Write in to
“I Say” at psd_challenge@psd.gov.sg. You can
also discuss this at forum.challenge.gov.sg.
See page 3 for details.
In a recent study on
Bureaucracy in Asia, the Political
and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC)
rated Singapore as the country with the
highest level of bureaucratic efficiency
in the region. Information was measured
by gathering the perceptions of over
1,000 expatriates working in Asia. In
another survey done by the World Bank,
Singapore was also ranked above every
economy in the world as being the
country that is the easiest to conduct
business in. The World Bank’s study
was based on information from its Doing
Business 2007 database and covers
indicators such as the time and obstacles
encountered in starting a business,
dealing with licences and registering
a property.
According to the PERC report,
Singapore and Hong Kong are the least
bureaucratic economies in Asia.
“One of the bigger paradoxes of
this report is that Singapore rates
better than Hong Kong in terms of
bureaucratic efficiency,” said the report.
It noted that Hong Kong prides itself
on its laissez faire reputation—keeping
the government out of the way of
business. Singapore, in contrast, has a
reputation for being a very interventionist
government “with almost a big brother
approach to running the island”.
Despite this, the PERC survey has
consistently ranked Singapore above
Hong Kong for the lack of bureaucracy,
while the World Bank’s latest Doing
Business survey ranks Singapore above
Bureaucracy index
Starting a business
Singapore
Number of procedures
6
5
8
Duration (days)
6
11
48
Cost (% of GNI per capita)
0.8
3.3
4.6
Hong Kong
Taiwan
Dealing with licenses
Number of procedures
11
22
32
Duration (days)
129
160
206
Cost (% of income per capita)
22
23.3
231.9
3
Registering property
Number of procedures
3
5
Duration (days)
9
54
5
Cost (% of property value)
2.8
5
6.2
Ranking in terms of total ease of doing business
1
5
47
(out of 175 economies)
Source: PERC
every other economy in the world in
terms of the ease of doing business.
According to the World Bank, it is
much easier dealing with licences in
Singapore. Starting a business here, for
example, involves about six procedures,
and can be done in six days.
“The implication is that what impresses
businessmen is not so much the
activeness of the public sector as the
efficiency with which civil servants go
about their jobs,” said the PERC report,
which draws attention to similarities
between the two countries. Singapore
is about the same size as Hong Kong,
and has a smaller population. Both
countries have very few layers of
bureaucracy compared with, say,
Indonesia or China. “The distance
between those making the rules and
those implementing them is very short,
which improves efficiency,” said PERC.
A separate study by the World
Bank—Governance Matters 2007:
Worldwide Governance Indicators
1996–2006 —has also placed Singapore
amongst the top countries in terms of
government effectiveness and regulatory
quality. The study, which covered
212 countries and territories, ranked
Singapore in the top percentile in five
of six measures of governance, with
near-100 per cent scores in government
effectiveness and regulatory quality.
Chill Out
24
It’s hot, no doubt about it. So how do we cope?
Well, let’s just say, temperatures at most office
buildings and shopping centres ensure that we
are not hot and bothered. But short of escaping
into the cool confines of offices and malls, what
else can we do to stay cool? Check these out.
PHOTO: SPH - the straits times
By Nazir Keshvani
Fuji Ice Palace
A good-sized ice skating rink
suitable for professionals
and amateurs, with enough
space to practise, be it
baby steps or pirouettes.
If you are a novice, you can
pick up the basics yourself, or
sign up for ice skating lessons.
Classes are conducted for
children (aged three and above)
as well as adults. Teacher to
student ratio can be as high as
1:10, so children may want to
train under a personal coach
instead. Admission price
includes rental of skates.
www.fujiice.com.sg
PHOTO: CHARLES CHUA
Eski Bar
Head on down to Boat
Quay or Holland Village (top)
to literally “chill out” in a
groovy environment while
sipping a frosty mug of beer.
The highlight is the freezer
room—with a decor that’s
cool-white and icy-blue and
with temperatures ranging
from -5°C to just above zero. If
your nose starts getting a tad
too frosty for the vodka to keep
warm, head to the back room
where it is not so nippy and
the seating is cosier. Show up
in winter wear and you’ll get a
10 per cent discount off your
bill. But don’t worry if you’re
travelling light, they provide
parkas you can wear during
your stay, uhh…, up north.
www.eskibar.com
Florists’ cold rooms
Even if you’re not a big fan of
flowers, you have to admit that
they make a pretty picture. If
you do happen to be around
Thomson Road on a hot,
muggy day, visit the cold room
of the plant nurseries along
that stretch. This is where the
more delicate blooms are kept,
and where the temperature
is a cool 10ºC. You’ll find
roses, hydrangeas, carnations
and the like—flowers from
more temperate climes that
would otherwise wilt in
Singapore’s tropical heat.
Ji Mei (right) is said to have
the biggest cold room, but
Far East Flora and Goodwood
Flora have big ones too.
PHOTO: CHARLES CHUA
PHOTO: SPH - the straits times
Snow City
Summon your inner child
and head for this man-made
winter paradise offering fun
snow sports and games for
kids of all ages. With the help
of 150 tonnes of snow and
temperatures maintained at
a constant -5°C, the themed
park takes an edu-tainment
approach to introducing visitors
to sub-zero temperatures.
In the Snow Chamber, you
can build a snowman, have
snowball fights or just breathe
in the crisp, cool air. There’s
even an igloo to crawl into.
Skiing and snowboarding
lessons are available.
Winter wear and boots are
provided, so don’t worry if
snow boots didn’t make it
into your suitcase.
www.snowcity.com.sg
Travel Lifestyle
Tales
26
Get insightful travel
tips from three
men who are based
at IE Singapore’s
overseas centres.
ViewsFrom Abroad
You have a day off and you
want to hang out with visitors from home. Where will you take…
Your mum—To Liberdade,
the “Japantown” (instead of
Chinatown) that has many
Japanese, Chinese and Korean
restaurants and supermarkets
for Asian cuisine and groceries.
What was the first local
phrase that you learnt?
These were the first few
phrases that I picked up
when I first came here:
“Ta-bom”, or short-form
“Ta”, means “it’s ok”; “Oi”
means “hi” and “Tudo
bem” means “everything’s
fine”­— usually a salutory
remark, to be responded
to in the same words in a
slightly different tone.
Describe the city in three sentences.
Sao Paulo is somewhat
like the New York of South
America; except that the
‘Paulistanos’ (people from the
city of Sao Paulo) are generally
more friendly and polite. It is
big (18 million), cosmopolitan
(comprising migrants from
Europe, Asia, Africa and
Middle East) and always
busy. The city bustles with
energy and is vibrant from
dawn till way past midnight.
Your girlfriend/wife—To the
Skybar at the Unique Hotel, a
boutique hotel shaped like a
watermelon, with a wonderful
rooftop bar/restaurant that
has a breathtaking view
of the city by night.
Your army buddy—To
the Ibirapuera Park; if it’s
a weekend morning, for a
jog, some fresh air and to
witness the many physiqueconscious city-dwellers
running and exercising in
the beautiful city park.
What do you like most
about this city?
The energy and warmth of the
‘Paulistanos’, as well as
the opportunities that are
characteristic of a large
vibrant city like Sao Paulo.
Survival tips?
Smile, be polite and
don’t show off.
Ter Yeow Ming
Area Director
Sao Paulo
What was the first local
phrase that you learnt?
“Eezveeneetye, ya hachoo...”
This means “Excuse me, I
would like to have...”
Of course, if you don’t
get the pronunciation
right, you’re bound to be
greeted by “Shto?”, or in
Singlish, “Whaaat???”
Describe the city in three sentences.
Three words —“Young”,
“Mysterious” and
“Paradoxical”.
Young — Russia really only
became Russia in 1991, after
the fall of the Soviet Union.
Because of this, something
new is being done or being
built every day. In this respect,
Moscow is a vibrant city with
a lot of room for development.
Adrian Tan
Centre Director in Moscow
Russian Federation
Mysterious—There is a
difference between the
Russia portrayed by the media
and the Russia in the hearts of
its inhabitants. For those who
spend enough time here, they
are rewarded with the ability
to understand and appreciate
Russia for what it is. I know
many folks who came for a
week, fell in love with the
city and stayed for years.
Paradoxical—The rapid
transition from Socialism
to Capitalism (in the last
15 years) also brings with
it a confluence of old and
new rules that foreigners
find puzzling and often
contradictory. These
paradoxes are frustrating
for businesses, but at the
same time, they present
opportunities for keeneyed entrepreneurs.
You have a day off and you want to hang out with
visitors from home. Where will you take…
Your mum—The Izmailovsky
outdoor market. It’s a large
Russian pasar malam with
handicrafts, trinkets and
wet markets. Good place to
practise your bargaining skills.
Your girlfriend/wife—
Turandot. Opened by Russian
restaurateur Andrei Dellos,
the restaurant is a 65,000 sq
ft US$50 million recreation
of a Baroque palace. You
can imagine the bill at the
end of the day. But for the
price, you get good Chinese
cuisine and hey, a chance
to be caught dining with
a Russian billionaire.
Your army buddy—The
infamous Russian “banya”
or Russian bath. Start by
warming up in the sauna
(heated to between 100° and
120° C....yikes!). Take a small
break to cool down, either
by dipping yourself in cold
water or rolling in the snow.
Then proceed to the steam
room (parilka), where you
will be “beaten” with dried
branches (venik). This combo
of heat, steam and physical
abuse purges your body of
impurities, or so they say.
After all this, you’re free to sin
by downing more beer and
shashliks. Sorry...no pictures.
What do you like most
about this city?
The energy! Something is
always happening round
the clock because there are
many 24-hour bookstores,
supermarkets, cafes... Even
in winter, the streets are alive
with people going about their
routines. So, who says you
can’t visit Russia in winter?
Survival tips?
Always carry your passport,
in case the policeman on the
street decides he needs to
examine your documents.
Leave your Singapore
dollars at home. Bring USD
or Euros, which you can
change to Roubles at a bank
or money changer around
almost every corner.
Travel Lifestyle
Tales
28
Feroz Siddiqui
Centre Director in Doha
Qatar
What was the first local
phrase that you learnt?
In Qatar the phrase “Inshallah”
is more often than not what
you will hear as a response
to any request. It’s Arabic for
“God willing” and is probably
the most used phrase in the
Middle East. And at times
when administrative red-tape
makes progress frustratingly
slow, it does seem that
the job will get done on
time ONLY through divine
intervention! You’ll therefore
be wise to catch on as quickly
as you can to the different
contexts in which it is used!
Describe the city in three sentences.
Actually three words are
enough­ — it’s a “giant
construction site”! You can’t
go 100m in Doha without
encountering a development
project. There’s a new
apartment block, commercial
complex or shopping mall
being built around every
corner. With the ubiquitous
construction machinery
rising high above the skyline,
you wouldn’t be faulted for
thinking that the “crane” is
Qatar’s national bird! But
once you get used to the
noise and dust, you can only
watch in awe at the amazing
pace of urban development
and the transformation of
what was once a sleepy city
into a vibrant commercial hub
right before your very eyes.
You have a day off and you want to hang out with visitors from home. Where will you take…
Your mum—I’d take her
to the olden-day bazaars
of the Bedouins so she
can explore the labyrinth of
alleyways of the souks and
the shops that sell everything
from gold to spices, sacks
of nuts to bolts of fabric
and exotic Arabic perfumes
to pedigreed falcons!
Your wife —A full day
of pampering at the ultraluxurious Sharq Village and
Spa. The treatment rooms
may be modelled after
traditional Qatari houses but
the facilities are completely
state-of-the-art. But perhaps
one day won’t be enough after
all. It’s said that the spa offers
so many treatments that you
could experience a new one
every day for an entire month!
Your army buddy—We’ll put
the skills we learnt in Tekong
to the test on the sand dunes
of Qatar! It’s a roller-coaster
ride, but on a four-wheel drive.
Racing up a dune that rises
50m and defying the laws of
gravity with an almost vertical
drop on the other side­ — it’s
enough to test the combatreadiness of any soldier!
What do you like most
about this city?
Despite the aggressive
development drive, Doha is
not wiping out the old to make
way for the new. There are
still plenty of quaint corners
to discover even as modern
buildings continue to rise over
ancient forts, traditional souks
and beautiful mosques. Pet peeve?
The crazy drivers on the
roads­ — some of them
secretly think they’re Michael
Schumacher while others
attempt to “fly” their Land
cruisers on the roads or the
pavements.
Survival tips?
Learn to relax, smell the roses
(if you can find one first) and
enjoy the experience of a
slower pace of life. Leave
the “it has to be done now”
mentality back at home. In
short, it is perseverance, not
patience, that will take you
through the desert here.
25 The
Short
Takes
Last
Page
Woivn
ie
M hers!
vouc
How
Singapore-savvy
are you?
Be the first three to submit all-correct entries, and
you could win yourself a pair of movie vouchers.
Send in your answers today!
Online: www.challenge.gov.sg
Email: psd_challenge@psd.gov.sg
Fax: 6333 4010
Post: PS21 Office, The Treasury, 100 High
Street, #02-03, Singapore 179434
Include your name, email, agency and telephone
number. All winners will be informed via email.
Deadline for submission: 25 August 2007
Susan Tsang, who developed the questions above,
was one of the writers who worked on Singapore: The
Encyclopedia. She has also completed a book – Discover
Singapore –and reckons these two experiences
have turned her into a fountain of local trivia.
1
Singaporeans are the world’s fastest in what activity?
a Eating d Talking
b Drinking e Dialling phones
c Walking
2 With which animal was artist Chen Wen Hsi
associated?
a Snakes d Dogs
b Gibbons e Cats
c Spiders
3 Which of the following was not a name for Fort
Canning Hill?
a Raffles Hill d Residency Hill
b Government Hill e Bukit Bendera
c Bukit Larangan
4 How many strokes of the cane did Michael Fay receive?
a One d Four
b Two e Five
c Three
5
In which hotel was the Singapore Sling invented?
a Goodwood Park d Hilton
b Mandarin e Raffles
c Hyatt
6Who was the first Singapore Idol?
a Taufik Batisah d Hady Mirza
b Sylvester Sim e Joakim Gomez
c Jonathan Leong
OBC_Aug Ad.indd 1
7/23/07 2:26:38 PM