ADDENDA, PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (PUBLIC SERVICE DIVISION)

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PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (PUBLIC SERVICE DIVISION): MR TEO CHEE HEAN

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence

The Public Service has contributed to Singapore's hard-won reputation as a vibrant, safe and attractive country to live, work and play in. Maintaining this reputation requires continuing efforts to relentlessly pursue improvements, guided by the Public Service’s core values of Integrity, Service and Excellence.

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Singapore is now experiencing its deepest recession since independence. The Public Service is critically aware that the immediate measures needed to mitigate the effects of the downturn on Singapore and Singaporeans have to be carried out effectively and with empathy.

At the same time, the Public Service will continue to keep its eye to the future, to anticipate and manage the rapid changes in Singapore’s external environment, and to seek emerging opportunities as the global economic situation evolves. The Public Service will develop our human resources, enhance our policy making capability, and improve our service delivery to the public.

Investing in talent to improve Public Service

The Public Service is stepping up efforts to bring in capable and committed people to raise the quality of public services and to build up new capacity. The current recession has provided us with good opportunities to do so.

We need bold and visionary Public Service leaders who can operate as one Government, and are adaptable to changing environments. They must also serve the people of Singapore with humility, integrity and empathy. We will therefore enhance the quality of Public Service leaders by giving them varying and challenging job assignments, including overseas postings, cross-agency projects and attachments to non-Government and community organisations. The Civil Service College will also enhance its existing slate of leadership training programmes.

As a responsible employer, the public sector will provide our employees with opportunities to acquire new skills and competencies to take on more challenging work. We will continue with our efforts to re-design jobs, especially for our support staff, and equip them with employable skills.

To address Singapore's ageing society and the resultant shifts in the manpower landscape, the Government has committed to enacting re-employment legislation. The Public Service plans to take the lead by introducing its re-employment policy ahead of national legislation.

Anticipating, embracing and executing change

The Public Service needs to constantly think ahead and improve. This is only sustainable if every officer is involved.

The PS21 (Public Service for the 21st Century) movement was launched 14 years ago. Since then, many new officers have joined the Public Service. We will work with all public sector agencies to re-energise the PS21 movement so that public officers understand the need to embrace change, and are equipped with the mindset and tools to effect change.

Being responsive in serving the public

As we cultivate a Public Service that is more open to change, it is equally important to inculcate a stronger service ethos across all levels in the Public Service. Although we have done well in international surveys, public expectations of service standards have increased, and issues are more complex.

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It is important for the Public Service to keep in close touch with ground concerns in order to formulate policies that are relevant to the needs of all Singaporeans. Where possible, public officers are strongly encouraged to seek the views of constituents who will be affected by the policies. Under our Community Attachment Programmes, senior officers are attached to grassroots organisations like Resident Committees and Community Development Councils (CDCs), while the Community Involvement Programme provides opportunities for officers to work directly with the less privileged in our society. Through such programmes, our officers gain deeper insights into the needs and concerns of Singaporeans, and will be better able to draw on their first-hand experiences to develop effective policies for fellow Singaporeans.

We will continue to work with Quality Service Managers to improve the implementation of the 'No Wrong Door' policy. We are also working with the Civil Service College to improve training for public officers to develop greater empathy for issues faced by the public. At the same time, the Public Service will also recognise members of the public who are 'role model customers' so that the Public Service and the public it serves can work in partnership to improve service quality and standards.

Looking forward and seizing opportunities

As the Public Service braces itself to help Singaporeans deal with a recession, the duration of which is still uncertain, we will not lose sight of the opportunities that will arise, both during and after the current crisis. We will continue to improve our capacity to serve the public by recruiting, training and developing public officers, so that the Public Service can continue to work with Singaporeans to build our nation's future.

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