PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (PUBLIC SERVICE DIVISION)

BG LEE HSIEN LOONG Deputy Prime Minister

Building a First Class Public Service

1. A capable, forward-looking and effective Public Service, working with the elected Government, is critical to support a successful and vibrant Singapore in the 21st century.

2. In turn, the quality of the Public Service depends on the quality of its people. Bold, astute and dynamic leadership in the public sector is essential. Our personnel management system will attract the best and the brightest, give each individual a fulfilling career in serving the nation, and maximise the potential and contribution of each public officer. We will continuously review our tools for recruiting, assessing, developing and compensating our officers to ensure superior public leadership. In line with PS21, we will encourage public officers to be "activists for change". The Public Service will be open to change, and be nimble and flexible in adapting to change.

3. In addition, to sustain excellence across the entire public service, PSD and MOF are jointly developing the Managing for Excellence (MFE) framework. We will define key processes and share good practices to facilitate the agencies' efforts towards organisational excellence. We will benchmark public agencies against national standards such as ISO 9000, People Developer Award and Singapore Quality Award.

4. Quality Service Management is a key process under the MFE framework. To meet the rising expectations for quality and excellence in the delivery of public services, we will conduct regular customers' surveys to assess their expectations and perceptions of the public service. This will help determine critical priorities and features to be incorporated into the service delivery policies.

Toward Active Citizenship

5. In the 21st century, our society will be more educated and sophisticated. Our problems will be more complex. While strong Government and responsible leadership remain essential for Singapore, the Public Service will not be able to address all these problems on its own.

6. The Public Service will play its part towards attaining the goal of "active citizenship" where Singaporeans actively contribute their ideas, time and energy to build a better Singapore. The Public Service will consult the Private and People sectors more, in order to obtain feedback, tap their specialised knowledge and ensure smoother implementation of Government's policies. The Public Service will also seek the active involvement of the Private and People sectors as partners in implementing policies to further the overall interests of Singapore. The Public Service will be more open and transparent, and more adept at explaining Government policies to the general public.

Training and Development in the Public Service

7. The Public Service has set a target for every officer to achieve at least 100 hours of training a year by the year 2000. Civil Service College through its training arms - the Institute of Policy Development (IPD) and the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) - will continuously review its training programmes to support national and public sector initiatives. It will build linkages with foreign institutions and foreign civil services to tap a world-wide pool of expertise in civil service leadership and training matters. In addition, the Civil Service College will provide courses to equip civil servants with the skills required in a society of active Singapore citizens.