The Straits Times of 28 Mar 12.
Govt must not shy away from hard decisions: DPM
Engagement is part of policy process but there are trade-offs, he says
Mr Teo, who is also the Minister in charge of the Civil Service, Coordinating Minister for National Security, and Home Affairs Minister, was speaking at the Administrative Service dinner during which 74 Administrative Service officers received their promotion certificates.
Rather than grapple with whether to do more or less, Government should "focus on doing the right things, and doing these things right", he said.
But the greater challenge as Mr Teo saw it was in performing these roles in the right way. This called for civil servants to take a long-term perspective, and ensure whole-of-Government coherence when complex issues no longer fell within neat domains.
Public service standing 'hurt by recent events'
Individual failings must not lead to systemic lapses: Civil service head
The Head of the civil service said at the annual Administrative Service dinner, "It makes some wonder if the public service and the values we esponse are being eroded. There are officers who have felt let down by these episodes. I share the same disappointment."
Mr Peter Ong, who is also Permanent Secretary for Finance and for Special Duties in the Prime Minister's Office said of recent cases of cheating by officers and others being investigated for alleged misconduct. He was probably referring to an on-going investigation into alleged misconduct by the former Chiefs of Singapore Civil Defence Force and Central Narcotics Bureau; and the jailing of two Singapore Land Authority senior executives for cheating government agencies of more than $12 million.
Mr Ong also spoke of changes in public expectations, observing that from 2007 to last year, feedback to government feedback unit Reach and to the Land Transport Authority increased by 200 per cent.
When feedback relates to issues that do not fall neatly into any one agency's work, officers must "deal with the public's immediate needs first and then sort out inter-agency issues backend."
2. As usual, the owner reads between the lines whether the speeches fit his case.
3. There were evasions. After trying to call up the branch office, the owner called the OIC (Officer-in-Charge) who said the office did not receive his second letter. The owner then went to the office with a handwritten copy, asked for an acknowledgment, and insisted on a meeting with HBO (Head, Pasir Ris HDB Branch Office). The acknowledgment was a signed photocopy of the letter but two lines were missing from a page. The lines pointed to OIC having an arrangement with the neighbour. During the meeting with HBO and OIC, HBO asked the owner whether he knew of a recent transfer of the neighbour's flat to throw him off. The transfer was likely to be in '99 just after an eviction, which was about nine years ago and not a recent event.
4. At the first Meet-the-People Session (MPS), the owner handed over a letter to the interviewer who pointed to HBO in the letter when asked what he would do since no MP was present, and he gave his name as that of his brother when asked. His brother who lived in the same block of flat as the owner was later shown to be in contact with the-people-in-the-flat-across-the-neighbour.
5. The owner wrote to the MP and met him at the second MPS. He said he would attach the owner's letters to HDB. HBO's reply was not to refer to the issues raised but that the owner may engage his solicitors.
6. The owner went to see the MPs about ten times that involved HBO himself, his officers, community centre members, residents committee members, and the-people-in-the-flat-across-the-neighbour but each time HBO replied for the owner to seek assistance elsewhere. Later, the owner blogged and he wrote directly to the police, higher authorities and the President.
7. The collaboration between the officers and neighbour is likely to continue since no overt action is taken.
