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june
2004
5
www
.ps2
1.gov
.sg/challenge
www.ps2
.ps21.gov
1.gov.sg/challenge
Public Service for the 21st Century
Lighting the way
Find out what the Public Service is
doing to facilitate public consultation
10
Goodbye to long
queues with
OnePay.Hub
4
“Wow” service
at CMPB
7
Now you can
predict the weather
15
1
Challenge is published monthly by the PS21 Office, Prime Minister’s Office (Public Service Division),
The Treasury, 100 High Street, #02-02, Singapore 179434. Tel: 6835 8345 • Fax: 6333 4010
Email: YEE_wei_zhen@psd.gov.sg • Website: www.ps21.gov.sg
Editor: Yee Wei Zhen, PS21 Office Editorial Advisors: Boo Chong Han and Tan Chee Seng, PS21 Office
Editorial Team: Pauline Mah, Organisational Review Committee • Josie Kang, Quality Service Committee •
Cheryl Lee, Staff Well Being Functional Committee • Inthira Mailvaganam, PS21 Office Publishing Consultant:
Pagesetters Services Pte Ltd Printed in Singapore: Utopia Press Pte Ltd
VOLUME TEN ISSUE FIVE
We would like to hear your views and suggestions on the cover story,
“Building capacity in public consultation”. Please write to the Editor of Challenge
at PS21 Office, The Treasury, 100 High Street, #02-02, Singapore 179434, fax
to 6333 4010 or email to YEE_wei_zhen@psd.gov.sg .
Give your name, ministry, ministry address and telephone number.
Published contributions will receive an exclusive gift from the PS21 Office.
VIEWPOINT
june
3 A LINE FOR YOU
Listen — if you want to see
4 WHAT’S HOT
Goodbye to long queues!
Make an e-donation today
Fostering awareness about the environment
Real learning through virtual games
“Wow” service at CMPB
8 AT THE MINISTRIES
To be the best in the world
Another step towards excellence for DMG
10 COVER STORY
Building capacity in public consultation
Gaining insights into public consultation
A new, hot workshop
Gateway to a wealth of resources
13 AT YOUR SERVICE
Thumbs up for SCT!
On call, on hand, online, 24 x 7
Mystery fountain
Water, water everywhere
Predict the weather
16 INNOVATION IN ACTION
Journey of innovation
17 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PUBLIC OFFICER
Catching up with a trailblazer
18 STAFF MATTERS
A fun-filled date with singles
19 HEALTHY BODY, ACTIVE MIND
Some pointers to prevent injuries to your child
20 CHALLENGE QUIZ
You can savour juicy updates, bite-size stories, fresh tips, choice ideas and
plenty of food for thought. So hurry, don’t miss out!
Log on to www.ps21.gov.sg/challenge now!
2004
CONTENTS
LISTEN — IF YOU WANT TO SEE
There is an Indian story about seven blind men deciding what an elephant looked like.
The first man felt the ear and said, “The elephant is a large leaf.”
The second man took hold of the leg and said, “No, the elephant is a tree trunk.”
The third man had the tail and said, “The elephant is a thick rope.”
The fourth man touched the body and said, “The elephant is a wall.”
The fifth man held the trunk and said, “No, the elephant is a snake.”
The sixth man put his hand in the elephant’s mouth and said, “The elephant is a bag.”
The seventh man felt the tusk and said, “The elephant is a spear.”
Which of the seven men was correct? All of them were right, in a way.
Which of the seven men had the correct picture of an elephant? None of them!
They can each get a better picture of what an elephant is actually like if they listen
to each other, accept their differences in opinion, and agree that an elephant is
quite complicated because it has a whole lot of different parts. But if each blind
man sticks to just his view, he can never get the total picture.
What about us in our work? We will be able to understand things much better if
we work as a team with other people, listen to their views, respect their opinions,
and together come to a more complete picture of what the problem is like. The
better we understand a problem, the more we will be able to work out good
solutions.
So if we want to know the total picture, listen carefully to what others
feel and see and think, and put the parts together.
Lim Siong Guan Head, Civil Service
What’s Hot
4
Goodbye to
long queues!
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proj
ect w y.Hub
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ion
By LTA
magine this: You are standing in line at a
counter at the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
You are waiting to make a payment. Time is
ticking by and you feel that you can make better
use of your time than waiting in a queue.
Have you ever had such an experience? Well,
with the introduction of OnePay.Hub as part of
LTA’s OneMotoring.Com portal, you no longer
have to wait in line to make payments to LTA.
Now you can do so at your convenience — through
a computer or handphone, at anytime and from
anywhere.
I
More convenience for customers
OnePay.Hub came about following an internal
review of the types of payment transactions
in 2002. The review showed that LTA
processes many different types of payment
transactions.
As part of LTA’s e-Services Master Plan to
provide accessible and value-added e-services to
the public, OnePay.Hub was introduced in 2003.
It is a single, integrated gateway that facilitates
payments to LTA through multiple service delivery
channels and payment methods.
OnePay.Hub has enabled LTA to serve its
customers better by providing greater
convenience and accessibility to payment
channels. Payments which can be made online
include those for traffic offences, ERP
(Electronic Road Pricing) fines and purchasing
Learn how
to pay your
LTA fines
via your
handphone
at
OnePay.Hub.
Get access to OnePay.Hub via LTA’s
OneMotoring.Com portal.
One.Pay.Hub is an effective one-stop payment
gateway.
publications. LTA’s customers have the
flexibility of paying with their VISA Card,
MasterCard or eNETS V Card (an electronic Cash
Card from NETS). More information can be found
at https://onepay.onemotoring.com.sg/onepay.
Over 7,000 transactions
The response to OnePay.Hub has been very
encouraging. Since its launch, there has been a
steady and consistent increase in the volume of
transactions. As of May 2004, more than 7,000
transactions have been conducted.
c h a l l e n g e
j u n e
In the future
LTA is working towards providing a one-stop
payment service solution for all motorists. To
achieve that, it is exploring the feasibility of
offering other vehicle-related services such as
payment of fines of other public agencies like the
Housing and Development Board, Urban
Redevelopment Authority and Traffic Police.
0 4
What’s Hot
5
Make an e-donation
today
With the Online Donation Portal (OLDP), you
can now donate to charity from anywhere and
at anytime, so long as you have Internet access.
The OLDP is Singapore’s first online donation
channel to multiple charitable organisations.
By Ms Chan Mei Chern, Planning & Research Department, NCSS
n eCitizen initiative, the OLDP is
administered by the National Council of
Social Service (NCSS). The OLDP aims to
promote philanthropy by making it easy and
convenient for users to make their donations.
The portal will impact many facets of our
society. Beneficiaries of the donations include
charities for social services, health and medical
services, education, youth groups, community
organisations and the arts.
Members of the public have the option of making
a donation via credit card or by converting their allotted
Economic Restructuring Shares (ERS). To help donors
decide, information on the charities and organisations,
A
such as their mission statement, services provided
and financial details, is posted on the OLDP. This enables
donors to make informed choices.
The donations, which are tax-deductible, can start
from $20. All donations will go directly to the respective
charitable organisations chosen by the donors.
Your contributions will go a long way in helping
people in need. To make a donation, log on to
www.eCitizen.gov.sg and select “donate to charities
online” under “Government Services — Do it
Online!”
Fostering awareness
about the environment
hermal imaging
cameras. Digital
mapping system. CCTV
monitoring system.
What do these gadgets
have in common apart
from being high-tech
gizmos? They are actually
part of the ammunition
that the National
Environment Agency
(NEA) deploys when it wages a war against rats.
Now, the public can read more about such
rat-busting efforts and other environmental
issues with the introduction of a new quarterly
publication, milieu, by the Ministry of the
Environment (ENV). The newsletter is a
collaborative effort between ENV, the NEA, the
Public Utilities Board (PUB) and its 3P (Public,
Private and People) partners.
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Splashed with colour, the light-hearted
newsletter provides news and information
about the environment in a fun way. Said
Karolyn Poon, Editor of milieu, “milieu is your
quarterly newsletter about the world we share
and the environment we care for. The
preservation of our shared environment is our
shared responsibility, and through milieu, we
hope to foster greater awareness and
encourage more active participation in caring
for our world.”
The newsletter will be an amalgamation of
varied content. Readers will be able to take a
peek at the often out-of-sight back-end
operations and the services that the public can
rely on. It will also put a face to the ENV family
who brings the services to the public, as well
as highlight people from the private, people
and public sectors who make a difference to
our environment.
What’s Hot
6
Real learning through
virtual games
By Commonwealth Secondary School. This story was first published in Contact, newsletter of MOE
ou are the mayor of a city, and you need to
develop its biomedical, life science
and industrial sectors as well as to meet
various socio-economic needs. To do so, you need
to collect enough revenue to build the necessary
infrastructure, such as hospitals, research centres
and biotechnology plants.
This may sound like a daunting scenario.
However, it is not only a lot of fun but also highly
educational. This is because it is part of the “Virtual
Metropolis” game.
Y
Building the metropolis
“Virtual Metropolis” was the brainchild of a team
of students from Commonwealth Secondary
School. Together with their mentors, they sought
to make use of e-learning platforms to enhance
student learning and assessment. With funding
from Citibank’s CitiSuccess programme, they went
about turning their idea into action.
In developing the system, the team members
considered the importance of making learning
enjoyable, interactive and self-reliant. They
wanted to provide a fun, creative and motivational
learning system that students could build upon to
develop their creative skills and knowledge.
They were also conscious of developing an
assessment system which could be easily
customised and adapted by teachers across various
disciplines. Scalability of the system to link the
information to different subjects and across
different schools was a consideration. The team
decided that a virtual game would best meet these
objectives.
c h a l l e n g e
j u n e
Potential for learning
In this virtual metropolis, students assume the
role of the city’s mayor. The city is divided into
sectors, and students need to answer the
questions in each sector before they can proceed
with the game. Correct answers earn them
revenue. In order to construct a building in a sector,
students must answer at least 50% of the
questions in that sector correctly.
The questions are curriculum-based and easily
modified by teachers in accordance with desired
learning outcomes. They challenge students to
learn independently, and to explore and review
lessons delivered by teachers. Reference materials
associated with the questions are provided via the
school’s e-learning system.
The team developed a fun, creative and
motivational learning system for students.
Once satisfied with the city that they have
built, students proceed to the Report Section and
summarise in 200 words why they built the city
the way they did. This improves students’ writing
and analytical skills and enables teachers to assess
students’ learning and address areas of deficiency
that require remediation.
A discovery process
After two months spent pilot-testing the prototype,
the final system was rolled out for student use in
January 2004. It met with an overwhelmingly
enthusiastic response from students, who felt that
it had helped to captivate their interest and
motivate their learning in a new way.
While the product was a runaway success,
the process of developing the game system also
proved to be a creative learning experience for
the team members. Besides honing their skills in
multimedia authoring, digital imaging and logic
coding, working together helped foster team
cohesiveness. Every member of the team learnt
the value of cooperation and being open to
opinions from fellow students.
Said Secondary Three student Stanley Ang,
“We spent countless hours brainstorming to
discover possible creative solutions to problems
before acting on them. The process helped us
to enhance and build upon our multimedia,
research and creative planning skills. Through
frequent interaction with our mentors, we
gained confidence and learnt crucial people and
business skills.”
In retrospect, it was a continuous journey of
self-discovery for the team members. It has also
been a lesson for everyone in appreciating the
value of integrating technology with creative and
innovative thinking for learning and teaching.
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What’s Hot
7
“Wow” service
at CMPB
By MINDEF
he Central Manpower Base (CMPB) has once
again garnered a feather in her cap by being
the first organisation in the Ministry of
Defence (MINDEF) to be conferred the Singapore
Service Class.
T
Reaching for service excellence
Since CMPB embarked on her journey towards
total organisational excellence in 1991, there has
been no turning back. CMPB began major reviews
of her business processes to provide the public
with excellent service. From the time CMPB
attained the ISO certification in 1993 to the time
she received the Singapore Service Class in 2004,
she gained much recognition for her relentless
pursuit of customer-focused service.
A quality experience for National Servicemen
In MINDEF, CMPB plays an important role as the
regulatory agency for National Service. CMPB’s
challenge is therefore to strike a balance between
executing National Service policies and providing
a quality experience for the National Servicemen.
CMPB’s approach to service excellence
includes integrating her services and transforming
work processes to reduce human intervention.
This, together with a committed workforce,
provided the foundation to build a customerfocused culture in CMPB.
All levels of staff in CMPB were involved in
this process of change. They began to take a
fresh look at issues and challenged the status
quo when providing service to the public. This
included going the extra mile when called upon.
From the one-size-fits-all approach, CMPB began
Commander CMPB Colonel Toh Meng Soon (right)
receiving the Singapore Service Class award.
to customise her services and worked to “wow”
her customers.
CMPB has a strong belief in questioning the
fundamentals of customer service. Hence CMPB’s
”wow” initiatives were a move towards providing
personalised services for customers. The initiatives
include direct enlistment at Units, e-registration
for National Service, e-application for exit permits,
re-registration of civilian ICs for in-service
personnel, decentralising the resetting of the SAF
Card PIN/passwords, and the provision of gowns
during medical screening.
What’s next
Achieving the Singapore Service Class marked an
important milestone in CMPB’s journey towards
excellence. It is testament to the effort put in by
all staff of CMPB.
CMPB has laid the foundation for
organisational excellence as its people and
processes work together seamlessly. She will not
rest on her laurels but will continue to develop
her people to meet the challenges ahead.
Some of the dedicated staff behind CMPB’s achievement.
At The Ministries
MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
8
To be the best in
the world
By MHA
“
ow can we
work towards
being the best
in the world?” This
was the question
250 officers from
the Ministry of
Home
Affairs
Headquarters (MHQ)
asked themselves as
they gathered for
their 2004 Corporate
Retreat, held on 7 and
8 May.
This theme did
not come about by
chance. The Ministry’s
management has
always placed great
Permanent Secretary Tan
emphasis on the
one of our recipients.
importance
of
organisational excellence. Permanent
Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tan Guong
Ching, had earlier set the goal for the Ministry
to achieve the Singapore Quality Award (SQA),
and directed that the annual Corporate Retreat
focus on achieving excellence.
Following from this, Deputy Secretary
(Security and Corporate Services), Dr Mimi
Choong, suggested the theme “Being the best in
the world”. As one senior SQA Assessor
commented, the key to organisational excellence
is commitment and personal involvement from
the senior management. Here at MHQ, this is truly
the case.
H
c h a l l e n g e
j u n e
MHA’s senior management viewing one of the
many divisions’ work plan booths.
Guong Ching putting the Phoenix Award blazer on
At the Corporate Retreat, the staff
brainstormed three pivotal questions:
• Who are we?
• Who do we serve?
• How do we serve them?
These questions were in keeping with the
Organisational Profile, Customer and Processes
segments of the SQA Report. Participants also
discussed the desired culture that would support
the Ministry’s drive for excellence. MHQ staff
agreed that they wanted a “united, open and
people-centred culture”.
To wrap up the retreat, Mr Tan presented two
of the Ministry’s outstanding staff with the
inaugural Phoenix Award. This award was
introduced to recognise staff who have
contributed significantly to organisational
excellence initiatives, and have displayed the
Home Team values of honour and unity in their
daily work.
Said one of the award recipients, “I was
surprised to receive such an award, and I feel
greatly honoured by this accolade.
Organisational excellence is something I believe
in passionately, and I believe that it is an integral
part of an organisation’s development.”
With staff like these, the Home Team is
well on its way to achieving its goal of
excellence.
0 4
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
At The Ministries
9
Another step
towards excellence
for DMG
Staff of DMG celebrating their ISO 9000 certification.
By MINDEF
n June 2003, the Defence Management Group
(DMG) marked a milestone in its exciting
journey towards organisational excellence
when it attained the People Developer Standard.
As of April 2004, there was cause for yet
another celebration when all 32 departments in
DMG received the ISO 9000 certification.
I
A proactive approach
Faced with increasingly sophisticated customers
with ever-rising expectations in a dynamic, highly
competitive business environment, forwardlooking service providers are always striving to
exceed the expectations of their customers by
consistently providing value-added services.
DMG is always eager to improve the way it
does things and to do things right. Attaining the
ISO 9000 certification serves as validation of what
the organisation had already been doing.
DMG’s success is largely attributed to its
proactive approach called “customership”, which is
the constant anticipation and pre-empting of
customer requirements, as well as the relentless
drive for continuous process improvements to ensure
the highest quality in all her products and services.
Common goals, measurable targets
With a strong customer orientation and a genuine
desire to involve people at all levels in its pursuit
of organisational excellence and effectiveness,
DMG continues to forge ahead with clearly
defined goals that are made known to all staff.
The staff in turn ensure that the measurable
targets aligned to these organisational goals are
met in a timely manner.
Said Mr Bernard Chung from the DMG
Corporate Office, “The ISO standard is used as a
foundation upon which DMG’s quality system is
developed. Through the use of internal and
external audits against the standards, DMG can
identify shortfalls or ‘non-conformances’ in the
process. This helps DMG to find opportunities to
close the gaps and improve further.
“During the entire ISO certification process,
everyone in my department exhibited teamwork
and ensured that we had a strong and robust
system in place to achieve our quality objectives.”
The future in view
Having attained the ISO certification, DMG is
not resting on her laurels. Its staff have been
encouraged to be part of a Learning Organisation
by constantly enhancing their work processes
to improve the way things are done so that
customers can be served even better. This way,
DMG may qualify for the Singapore Quality
Class and ultimately the Singapore Quality
Award!
Cover Story
10
Building capacity in
public consultation
By Feedback Unit and Civil Service College
“DPM Lee…argued that the government needs to
consult others because it is not infallible. Public
consultation not only enables the government to
refine and improve its policies, it also gives
Singaporeans a greater sense of ownership towards
Singapore and strengthens the bond between the
Government and the public,” said Mr Eddie Teo,
Permanent Secretary (PS) of Prime Minister’s Office
(PMO), in his opening address at the Public
Consultation Forum on 28 May 2004.
ublic consultation is a key component of the PS21
strategic thrust “Openness, Responsiveness
and Involvement”. To encourage public
officers to be more consultative, a slew of
measures have been taken to build up the capacity
of public officers to conduct effective public
consultation exercises.
In this issue of Challenge, we feature the newly
launched Public Consultation Resource Portal, the
Public Consultation Workshop and the Public
Consultation Forum.
P
Gaining insights into
public consultation
• “If the government listens only to those who shout
the loudest, it will suffer from an affliction which
many western democracies suffer from, viz capture
by lobbyists and pressure groups.” – Mr Eddie Teo
• “Like civil servants, citizens are relatively new to
this game of public consultation, so we should be
The Public Consultation Forum held on 28 May 2004
was attended by more than 200 public officers.
Jointly organised by the Civil Service College,
the PS21 Office, the Feedback Unit and MITA’s
PR Academy, the forum covered wide-ranging
issues and provided many learning points for public
officers. Challenge reports the highlights.
tolerant, and not dismissive, if the quality of
feedback is sometimes poor.” – Dr Wang Kai Yuen
• “We have to want to listen to feedback because of
what it does to the person giving the feedback. It
gives a sense of ownership, a sense of belonging, and
a sense of participation in being a responsible and
committed citizen in this country… At the end of the
day, getting the public engaged in the consultation
process is more about the heart than it is the head.”
– Mr Han Fook Kwang
• “Treat responsible media as partners. Trust them.
Take their feedback seriously. Understand that
their responsibilities include reflecting public
c h a l l e n g e
opinion, no matter how negative they are, so don’t
shoot the messenger. Be seen as sincere in
wanting to consult the public.” – Mr Lim Jim Koon
on how the government can play a constructive
j u n e
role in the public consultation process
Honing the art of public consultation
“Public consultation is new to the Public Service,”
said Mr Eddie Teo, Permanent Secretary of Prime
Minister’s Office. Hence, “conducting effective public
consultation is not easy for many public servants.”
He elaborated that as many do not have experience
handling the media or the public, it is imperative to
provide public officers with proper training and tools
before they are sent to consult the public.
However, he cautioned against accepting all
suggestions and feedback indiscriminately. “While the
government must actively listen and consider all
suggestions, it must also be prepared to reject demands
that are against the public good. This calls for public
servants to be more savvy in managing expectations and
more able in communicating our thinking to the public.”
To signal its resolution to build tools for consultation,
the government has allocated more than $6 million to
develop IT tools to achieve the outcome of “Connected
Citizens” in the eGovernment Action Plan II.
0 4
Cover Story
11
Panel members fielding questions from the audience at the Public Consultation Forum.
Mr Teo invited public agencies or others with ideas on
how to leverage on IT to conduct better public consultation
to come forward and propose the ideas to PSD.
Expectations about public consultation
Dr Wang Kai Yuen, Chairman of the Feedback
Supervisory Panel, drove home a strong message when
he spoke about what the public expects of the
government feedback process.
“First, Singaporeans want to be consulted. Second,
they want to know what happened to their
contributions. Third, they want quality responses.
Fourth, they want an open and transparent feedback
process.” Dr Wang urged government ministries and
agencies to institutionalise public consultation and
make it a routine part of the policy-formulation process.
When public consultations are being conducted,
government organisations should also realise the
importance of closing the feedback loop. “It is a common
perception among feedback contributors that their
feedback ends up in a dark and bottomless pit. I call this
the ‘Black Hole Syndrome’,” he said.
Even when ministries and agencies respond to
feedback, they have to “package and communicate
their replies effectively, in a manner that suggests that
they have listened seriously to the people’s voices.”
Dr Wang said that openness inadvertently allows
poor quality public discourse to seep in as not all people
will provide relevant and useful feedback. Dr Wang
advised that “public officers will have to be prepared to
live through the teething problems and growing pains
as our society matures.”
Role of the media in public consultation
The media undoubtedly plays a vital role in public
consultation. Mr Han Fook Kwang, the Editor of The Straits
Times, shared with the audience the three basic roles the
media plays in public consultation — as a platform to
disseminate information about government policies, a
platform to reflect the views of different stakeholders, and
a mouthpiece for the public to voice opinions about issues.
Mr Han expressed concern about how some public
officers view feedback from the public. “I sometimes get
very worried when I hear civil servants say that they dread
reading the Forum page of The Straits Times but it’s the first
thing they read every morning because that will tell them
what sort of day it’s going to be, whether they’ll get a call
from the minister asking them to look into the complaints.”
He urged public officers to welcome feedback as it
gives the public a sense of ownership and belonging
when Singaporeans are able to participate in the process.
Feedback channels for different communities
Mr Lim Jim Koon, the Editor of Lianhe Zaobao, spoke
fervently about the need to include all stakeholders in
the consultation process. He brought the house down
when he asked “E-government and e-services have
been actively promoted and they’re laudable efforts,
but what does the ‘e’ stand for? English?”
Through the laughter, a serious message was sent
— that public officers should not inadvertently leave
out certain communities during the consultation
process. He asked that public agencies do more to reach
out to communities which may be less proficient in
using English to provide feedback.
Participants enjoying the Forum.
Cover Story
12
A new, hot workshop
The two-day Public Consultation Workshop
is organised by the Civil Service College to
build the capacity of public officers to conduct
effective public consultation exercises. The
first workshop was held on 14 and 15 April
2004, and attended by 23 public officers.
he workshop brought participants through a
range of issues about public consultation.
Apart from finding out the meaning of public
consultation and Singapore’s model of public
involvement, participants learnt about the “why”,
“when”, “who” and “how” of consultation.
The workshop was conducted in a fun-filled,
interactive and practical way. Participants
walked away with a better idea of why it is
important to consult and how they can benefit
from it. They also examined the reasons why
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The workshop
was conducted by two public officers with
extensive experience in public consultation —
Mr Tan Yew Soon, Director of the Feedback Unit
and Ms Sulosana Karthigasu, Managing Director
of MITA’s PR Academy.
The workshop was a great hit and received
rave reviews. If you are interested to learn about
public consultation, you can apply to attend this
workshop via TRAISI.
Gateway to
a wealth of
resources
The Public Consultation Resource Portal
developed by the Feedback Unit is the latest
addition to the government intranet. The portal
was launched by PS (PMO) on 28 May 2004.
his website on the government intranet
contains rich and comprehensive materials
public officers would need to conduct effective
consultation. The materials in the portal dwell on
the concept of consultation and the “why”,
“when”, “who” and “how” of consultation.
The portal is also a window to learning best
practices from other countries such as Australia,
Canada, the United Kingdom and United States.
Public officers can find useful hyperlinks
to consultation websites of
Send an
these countries.
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also posted on the portal. Currently, there are
three case studies — the Body Worlds Exhibition
by the Media Development Authority, the junior
college/upper secondary education review by
the Ministry of Education, and the Amendment
of the Human Organ Transplant Act by the
Ministry of Health. The case studies highlight
useful lessons for public officers. There are
pointers about scoping the objectives of public
consultation, the selection of stakeholders and
the tools used. These agencies also share the
challenges they faced when consulting the
public and the lessons learnt.
“The resource portal should be a living portal,
vibrant and up-to-date, as we explore the art of
public consultation together,” said PS (PMO) during
the launch of the portal. Indeed, there is much to
learn about public consultation. Start honing your
skills and enhancing your understanding of public
consultation now, by logging onto the Public
Consultation Resource Portal on the government
intranet!
At Your Service
13
Thumbs up for SCT!
By SCT
ingapore is a well-known shoppers’
paradise. Tourists from the Western and
European countries are especially enticed
by the very competitive prices of electrical goods
sold here.
However, as with all products, there will
inevitably be defects in some. Apart from defects,
tourists are sometimes misled into purchasing
products by retailers hoping to make a fast buck
in the belief that they can escape from liability as
the tourists would not discover the
misrepresentation until they are well
away from Singapore. Or even if the
ore
m
n
r
a
tourists do, they do not have the
To le the SCT,
t
//
:
u
luxury of time to pursue the matter
p
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t
a
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n to laims.
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through legal proceedings.
o
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.sma
If there is no avenue for
www .
sg
gov.
tourists to quickly seek redress
against unscrupulous retailers, Singapore’s
economy as well as her reputation for excellent
service standards could be severely damaged.
S
Swift service delivery
Established in 1985, the Small Claims Tribunals
(SCT) aims to provide a speedy and inexpensive
machinery to handle small claims by consumers.
In response to a growing number of tourists seeking
redress for defective goods or misrepresentation by
retailers, the SCT introduced a 24-hour timeline
for urgent local cases or those involving tourists. A
mediation session, and if necessary a hearing within
24 hours upon the filing of a claim, will be fixed for
such cases. This 24-hour timeline was launched
soon after the SCT was formed and is a distinctive
feature of the SCT.
In addition, each claim is served personally
by an SCT officer. The tourist accompanies the
officer to the retailer’s premises. This provides
an opportunity for the tourist to negotiate
a private settlement directly with the
retailer. If a private settlement is
reached, the parties need not seek
mediation at the SCT. In most cases,
faced with the prospect of having to
attend a mediation session at the
SCT, retailers are more inclined
towards having a private
settlement.
However, if a settlement
cannot be reached at this
juncture, the tourist and the
retailer will have to attend a
mandatory mediation session
conducted at the SCT. If
SCT launched the 24-hour timeline for urgent
local cases or those involving tourists.
settlement negotiations are still unsuccessful
after the mediation session, a hearing will be fixed
for the case.
In the event that despite the 24-hour timeline,
the tourist is unable to personally attend the hearing
conducted at the SCT, there are provisions for the
tourist to be represented by the Singapore Tourism
Board or by a friend or relative residing in Singapore.
Playing a critical role
Mindful of the ever-changing needs of its
customers, be they locals or foreigners, consumers
or suppliers, the SCT always strives to improve its
procedures to fulfil the Subordinate Courts’
objective of enhancing access to justice. The 24hour timeline is just one of the features that the
SCT has introduced to meet customers’ needs.
By proactively responding to changing
consumer/retailer behavioural patterns, the SCT
not only meets the needs of its customers, but also
contributes positively to the image and reputation
of our country as a safe haven for consumers.
At Your Service
14
On call, on hand,
online, 24 x 7
The next time you turn on a tap or flush the
toilet, take a moment to consider what it takes
to supply water-on-demand to a nation of
four million people.
By Tony Soh, Water Department, PUB. This story was first published in milieu, newsletter of ENV
magine the complex systems needed to
transport water from reservoirs through
kilometres of pipes and up multi-storey office
and apartment blocks, not to mention the
drainage system that collects water from all over
Singapore and deposits it into our reservoirs. And
there’s also the sewerage reticulation system that
carries used water away from your home and
into water reclamation plants for treatment.
Keeping watch over such a complex,
integrated network and ensuring that any
problems are quickly corrected is the responsibility
of the Public Utilities Board (PUB). The Board
maintains a team of engineers and experts on a
24-hour watch. If residents encounter water,
sewerage or drainage problems, they can turn to
PUB’s 24-hour help centre — PUB-One.
PUB-One is not only accessible 24 hours a
day and 365 days a year, it is also accessible
through a variety of media: toll-free hotline (1800-
I
Good service with a smile is just a phone call away.
284 6600), email (pubone@singnet.com.sg), SMS
(9034 3430), fax (6284 0363), webchat
(http://www.pub.gov.sg/cindy/Pub-One.htm) and
even Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
Computer systems, intelligent software,
sophisticated databases and even handheld
communication devices are tools the call centre
uses to investigate and solve customers’
problems.
The calls concern a whole array of issues and
problems ranging from low water pressure and
blocked sewerage pipes to more unusual incidents
and issues. For a look at two recent cases handled
by PUB-One, read the following stories.
Mystery fountain
On 17 December 2003, PUB-One received a
rather unusual report. Read all about it here.
1524 hours: A caller, Amy, reported to PUB-One
that there was a very tall “fountain of water”
shooting out from the ground in front of her block
at West Coast Road. She was worried that her
water supply might be affected.
c h a l l e n g e
1526 hours: A PUB-One officer jumped into
action. He cross-checked information in the
database, raised the job ticket and simultaneously
alerted the technical staff to conduct field
investigations. Information from the PUB-One
“nerve-centre” was transmitted to the field crew’s
personal digital assistant. The operations staff
were alerted and activated.
j u n e
1600 hours: Within 34 minutes, a team from
the Water Service and Operations Centre, assisted by
related technical staff who were simultaneously alerted,
arrived at the site and proceeded with investigations.
The officers were quick to observe that the water coming
out from the ground was not a tall “fountain of water”
as reported. Instead, the water flow was weak and
irregular. Further checks showed that the spot was
also in the vicinity of a nearby gas mains. For safety
reasons, the officers barricaded the area and alerted
the gas company. The integrity of all the water mains
in the vicinity was checked. It was confirmed that
there was no leak in the water mains. PUB officers
personally explained to Amy that the water mains
were not leaking and that her water supply was not
affected. On hearing that, Amy heaved a sigh of relief.
1700 hours: The investigations ended and the
case was closed.
0 4
At Your Service
15
Predict the weather
Mr Sim was part of the team that implemented
Nowcast.
e have all had picnics, golf games, and
trips to the zoo ruined by the weather.
Experience tells us that sunny skies
early in the morning are no guarantee that a storm
would not brew a few hours later.
All this will be a thing of the past. We are now
in a better position to beat the weather with the
National Environment Agency’s (NEA) Nowcast
system, which gives current, localised weather
forecasts of up to three hours via your phone or
the Internet. The forecast is close to 90%
accurate.
Developed by the NEA’s Meteorological
Services Division (MSD), this weather forecast
service has been made available to some 2 million
SingTel and Starhub subscribers since last year.
With a 90% accuracy rate, users would be better
able to plan their business and social activities.
W
Said Mr Sim Choon Siong, a Senior
Meteorological Officer from the MSD, “In
Singapore, weather can and does vary over a short
time and distance. Thus my colleagues and I
decided to develop this service so that the public
will be able to get location- and time-specific
weather forecasts.”
Mr Sim, who has been working with the MSD for
10 years, is on the team that made Nowcast a reality.
He was a key member who implemented the Nowcast
service and worked with the telecommunication
companies to define their requirements.
Seeing Nowcast as a valuable and efficient service
for the public, he said, “In fact I use it myself to decide
where I should bring my kids for an outing.”
GET EASY ACCESS TO NOWCAST
The next time you want to arrange a barbecue or
a relaxing stroll on the beach, access Nowcast
through the following channels:
• Website: www.nea.gov.sg/nowcast
• Weather hotline: 6542 7788
• M1 subscribers: Go to MiWorld Mobile,
select <News and Info>, followed by <Weather>.
• SingTel subscribers: Key in *109 and
send it. Immediately, you will receive
an SMS. You can then reply with the
location you want the weather forecast for.
• Starhub subscribers: Go to StarHub Gee!,
select <News and Info>, followed by <Nowcast>.
Water, water everywhere
ew events in Singapore triggered as many calls
to PUB-One as the flash floods that inundated
parts of the island on 8 and 11 March this year.
More than 500 enquiries flooded PUB-One, clearly
showing that the call centre is a major source of
information and help to citizens, especially in
times of crisis.
The call centre kept the public informed by
providing constant updates about the situation.
With information provided by the Drainage
Department, PUB-One launched an Interactive Voice
Recording (IVR) broadcast as part of the service
provided by the toll-free phone line, so that callers
could receive the latest updates immediately.
When the Meteorological Services warned that
heavy rains might cause more flooding between 21
and 23 March, PUB-One broadcast the flood advisory
F
A PUB officer explaining a flood advisory to a
shopowner.
and tended to calls from the public.
The cooperation and connectivity between PUBOne and the Drainage Department enabled
information to be communicated to the public as
quickly as possible.
Innovation In Action
16
Journey of innovation
In May’s issue of Challenge, we featured the
Singapore Police Force (SPF), a leading TEC
(The Enterprise Challenge) innovator. The
partnership between SPF and TEC has been a
dynamic and enriching experience, with the
former continually surfacing and piloting TEC
proposals, and the latter providing support and
various resources. The following story is an
excerpt from the SPF-TEC video, a
collaborative effort between SPF, TEC and
technology partners. It illustrates how SPF’s
TEC innovations* will bring about quantum leap
improvements in SPF’s operational capabilities
and delivery of services when fully
implemented.
By SPF and TEC
S
cenario: Kim Tan, a patron at XC KTV Lounge,
was found unconscious in a KTV room at
10.17pm on 18 February. SPF was alerted.
18 February, 11.04pm. Crime scene.
Investigation Officers (IO) Ravi and Eve searched
for clues in the KTV room. Ravi found an empty
plastic bag on the floor. Eve noticed an extra mug
of beer and microphone. The lounge manager said
he saw Kim with a man.
Through mPOD, a PDA device which enables
the screening of people and vehicles wirelessly
via GPRS, the IOs were alerted to a car break-in at
the car park. The car belonged to the victim and
the break-in was detected by the car park’s
Intelligent CCTV (iCCTV). The iCCTV analyses
human behaviour and automatically alerts the
Police on suspicious incidents. The IOs were also
informed of a red light violation nearby. The Vision
Based Red Light Enforcement System had
captured the offender’s vehicle licence plate. The
offender was traced — Vincent Rajoo.
Meanwhile, Forensic Officers used the Rapid
DNA Fingerprint Sensor, a portable DNA device to
c h a l l e n g e
j u n e
Police officers using the mPOD on the job.
analyse the saliva found on the microphone. Hair
follicles were also collected from the victim’s car.
The DNA profile obtained from the saliva sample
was found to match that of the hair follicles.
19 February, 8.17am. Office.
The IOs found that Kim had recently lodged a report
on missing accounting files through ePC, a virtual
police service point where the public can lodge nonurgent reports and feedback on police services over
the Internet. Using the Rapid Automated Computer
Examination Systems (RACES), the Computer
Forensic Team gathered evidence on the
misappropriation of company funds by Vincent Rajoo.
A Home Team colleague accessed SPF’s RealTime Operational Information System (RTOIS) and
learnt that a pusher was nabbed in a drug bust
relating to Ecstasy. RTOIS is a collaborative system
using Microsoft Excel/Word on a real-time basis,
which reduces error from multiple sources of data
entry. His fingerprints matched the ones on the
plastic bag found at the KTV Lounge. The pusher
and Vincent were brought in for questioning.
3.25pm. Interview room.
Vincent insisted he was innocent. His DNA sample
was taken for analysis. His fingerprint DNA
matched that from the microphone, which meant
that he was at the KTV lounge and was involved
in the car break-in. Separately, the pusher
admitted selling Ecstasy pills to Vincent.
Some time later. In court.
Faced with concrete evidence, Vincent Rajoo
pleaded guilty and was sentenced accordingly.
We can see that SPF has indeed come a long
way in its innovation journey. Without officers who
can think out of the box and come up with creative
ideas to implement technology available
commercially, SPF could not have come as far and
surely with less success than what we see now.
If you need to find out
more details of SPF’s TEC
projects, you may contact
DSP Lawrence Tham,
Assistant
Director
Planning and Monitoring,
Police
Technology
Department,
Police
Headquarters, via email at
Lawrence_Tham@spf.gov.sg.
*The products featured are
either in use or on trial
0 4
A Day In The Life Of A Public Officer
17
Catching up with
a trailblazer
Jean Tan is a Singapore Sports Council (SSC)
officer who is always on the go. Bubbly,
exuberant and zealous about her work, she is
continually seeking out new and better ways
of getting things done.
hen Jean joined SSC as a Centre
Assistant Manager in 2002, she was
posted to the Yio Chu Kang Sports For
Life Centre (now called Sports and Recreation
Centre). In a year, she learnt the ins and outs of
running a sports centre.
So when the Hougang centre opened in
February 2003, she was all ready to take up the
challenge of getting a new centre going.
W
Leading the way
Jean said, “I worked with my manager to start the
centre from scratch. Given only the bare facilities,
we had to organise programmes and get people to
come. Because we were dealing with a young
and rather ‘hip’ population living in Hougang, we
had to constantly brainstorm for new ideas to
attract them.”
The Hougang centre was the first to offer
Ashtanga yoga classes and the take-up rate was
good. This sparked a trend in other centres. Jean
also piloted several other first-time projects in
Hougang like The Gym Patron Tracking System,
CardioMix and Linedance Jam.
To keep up with current trends, Jean even went
to the extent of making “mystery visits” to private
gyms to observe how they sell their packages,
schedule their classes and design their flyers and
brochures. She said with a grin, “I call this crosslearning and upgrading my knowledge!”
Making a difference
Jean and her manager also tried to create
differentiation by introducing new services at their
centre. For example, the gym provides towels as a
goodwill gesture to users who forget to bring theirs.
Certain shoe and shorts sizes are also available if
gym users come inappropriately attired.
Another service initiative is the mystery user
pilot project which Jean mooted. Under this scheme,
mystery users are paid to act as customers to test
the centre’s service delivery process. The mystery
users have to fill in a detailed survey form about
various aspects of service, such as how the staff
greet them, sell the programmes and answer queries.
In line with this scheme, Jean and her team
members involved in piloting this project
developed standard operating procedures for the
counter staff. These procedures specify very clearly
and in detail how the staff should respond at every
stage of a service encounter. The service staff were
also given a service excellence package which
contains information such as contact details of
other centres, a phone greeting script and FAQs.
The pilot project ran from January to March
2004. The findings highlighted the strengths of
the counter staff as well as the areas for
improvement. Many recommendations are now
in the process of implementation.
Stepping up
Setting up the operations of the Hougang centre
was a challenging and satisfying experience for
Jean. She said, “We started from scratch and now
it’s one of the best performing centres. There is a
three-month waiting list for our studio classes.
Our gym patronage is also strong — 10,000 users
on average every month.”
But before Jean could find time to rest, she
was promoted in April 2004 to the position of
Marketing and Promotion Executive for the eight
Sports and Recreation Centres in the East Zone.
Her new job scope entails promoting the use
of SSC’s facilities to schools, companies, organised
groups and individuals. She also plans programmes
at the zonal level. Her new position promises many
challenges and opportunities.
Going the distance
Eager to venture into more uncharted territories,
Jean said, “I guess what keeps me going is the
love for my job. Exploring different approaches
and devising new ways to counter problems is
my way of enjoying my work!”
Staff Matters
18
A fun-filled date
with singles
Drama was used as a platform to share useful tips
on dating.
On 21 May 2004, a group of officers from
the Singapore Prison Service, Singapore Police
Force, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority
and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF)
congregated at the SCDF Headquarters for a
fun-packed afternoon. They were participating
in a Single’s Development Event.
By MHA
c h a l l e n g e
j u n e
he Ministry of Community Development and
Sports and Fei Yue Community Services
engaged professional actors to put up a
brilliant show on boy-girl relationships.
The storyline: Two guys, one overly confident
and the other extremely shy, were trying to date a
gorgeous girl they met on the streets. The threesome
managed to arrange for a date in spite of many
hiccups. During the date, the girl got to know the
guys better and realised they were not as “repulsive”
as she had previously thought them to be. The drama
concluded with the girl stating that she would
prefer if the best qualities of the two guys could be
combined into one person. The guys were left baffled
about their perceived shortcomings.
T
At the end of the drama, the speaker for the
event began her talk and facilitation. She used
the contents of the drama as a platform to educate
the audience about dating. The speaker covered
many aspects such as how to make a connection,
the do’s and don’ts of social etiquette, great ideas
for dating success, and the difference between
the genders. The talk was highly entertaining as
the speaker was very expressive and injected lots
of humour and drama into her session.
The objective of this programme was to reach
out to singles and equip them with basic
relationship skills to help them connect with the
opposite sex. The programme also aimed to equip
singles with the basics of finding a life partner
and pointers on how to build, nurture and sustain
such a relationship.
The participants said they enjoyed the session
thoroughly as the drama and talk reflected reality in
a humorous way. They found the session educational
as they picked up many useful tips which they could
apply in their lives. They gave their thumbs up for
the session and said it was an unconventional but
good way to reach out to singles.
DO YOU SUFFER FROM SMALL
TALK DEFICIENCY?
Here’s one of the many dating tips you can
find at www.lovebyte.org.sg, the website of
the Social Development Unit:
“A friend of mine was diagnosed as
suffering from STD — small talk deficiency.
Yeah, small talk is inane, banal, superficial.
Maybe. And flirting is demeaning, silly, and
immoral. Maybe. But people who think this
way probably aren’t having much fun.
“Flirting with a stranger, or just making
small talk in the lift may get your heart beating
a little faster. Engaging in light-hearted banter
exercises your social skills. It’s all about
human contact and human interaction.
“Small talk doesn’t mean small minds.
In fact, it takes skill, a keen mind, and lots of
practice to participate in the fine art of
making conversation. Master it, and you’ll
never be at a loss for words.”
0 4
Healthy Body, Active Mind
19
Some pointers to
prevent injuries to
your child
Injuries pose the greatest risk to young children
under the age of five. All parents believe they
are doing everything to protect their
children against harm. Despite their best
intentions, however, young children
continue to be involved in serious or
even fatal injuries.
W
e often read reports of children who
die as a result of drowning in a
condominium’s swimming pool,
falling off a corridor ledge of a high-rise flat, or
being run over by a car while cycling home after
lessons. To prevent injuries to your child, here are
some pointers to bear in mind.
Prevent falls
• Do not leave babies alone on tables, sofas or
beds. They may roll over and fall off.
• Do not have highly polished floors. Toddlers
may slip and fall. Do not let your child walk or
run about while wearing socks.
• Wipe away any spilled liquids on the floor
immediately.
• Sturdy window grilles should be properly
installed in all high-rise flats. Keep the grilles
locked and put the keys out of reach of your
child.
• Children should not be allowed to play along
the corridors of a high-rise flat.
• Avoid using sarong cradles. Babies have fallen
out of them and have been seriously hurt.
Prevent suffocation
Do not use a soft pillow or bolster. Your baby may
bury its head in it and suffocate.
Children must not be allowed to play with
plastic bags. They may suffocate if they cover
their heads with them.
Make sure your baby’s crib does not have slats
that are spaced wide apart. Your baby may put its
head through, get stuck and suffocate.
Your baby should not sleep with adults in their
bed. The adults may roll onto your baby while
asleep, and cause it to suffocate.
Prevent choking
Be careful to ensure that food does not contain
fish or chicken bones.
These can get stuck
in the air passage
and
cause
choking. Fish balls
should be cut into
smaller pieces and not given whole.
Do not feed babies when they are crying or
lying flat. They can choke on their food if fed this
way.
Prevent drowning
Do not leave your child alone in the bathroom
or basin even for a moment. Take your child
along with you if you need to answer the door
or telephone.
Keep pails or jars in your bathroom covered or
turned over when not in use. Curious children
may climb into jars or pails, resulting in injury or
even drowning.
Children should only swim in proper swimming
pools with a qualified lifeguard present.
Your children depend on you for their safety.
Teach them to observe safety tips to avoid
becoming the subject of another heart-wrenching
news report. Learn basic life support techniques
for handling choking and other emergencies as
they can save a child’s life.
CHALLENGEQUIZ
june
2004
ANSWERS
to May 2004 Quiz
1
What is the title of ICA’s
heritage book? Guardians of
Our Homeland
2. What is the total estimated
savings the public sector
achieved in FY 03?
$475 million
3. How many times has SPF
won the TEC Innovative and
Enterprising Agency Shield?
Three
Answer the following questions on the contents of
this issue of Challenge:
4. What is the address of
the PSCOE Portal?
www.pscoe.gov.sg
1.
Through which portal can you access
OnePay.Hub?
5. Who is the programme
manager in charge of the
Singapore Army’s first locally
developed heavy artillery
gun? Koh Weng Kin
2.
What does “OLDP” stand for?
3.
When was the Public Consultation Forum
held?
WINNERS
of May 2004 Quiz
4.
What is PUB-One’s toll-free hotline number?
1. Om Nath Panday, ICA
2. Ng Yew Peng, NHB
5.
What is the address of the Nowcast website?
3. Patricia Ng, AGC
4. Lim Kong Eng, MOE
5. Hasnizah Bte Abdul Samat, PUB
6. Yusri Bin Thohid, SPF
7. Zubaidah Mahamood, NEA
8. Liew Yi Xui, MHA
9. Lilian Song Phua, MOE
Send your entries to PS21 Office, The Treasury, 100 High Street, #02-02,
10. Neoh Kim Leng, NEA
Singapore 179434 by 30 June 2004. Email us at psd_ps21@psd.gov.sg or fax
to 6333 4010. Give your name, ministry, ministry address and phone number.
The first 10 correct entries drawn will receive a token of appreciation from
the PS21 Office.
Congratulations to the winners,
who will each receive a prize.