Special 15 years of Challenge: A Retrospect

PLUS Groove to the beat! Stripped of their inhibitions, officers show off their moves

P u b l i c S e r v i c e

02 Your Say Serving the nation & Proud of it! Readers tell us why in pictures

04 Highlights What haPPened and What’S next 05 Feature ChroniCling 50 golden YearS A new book on the history of the Public Service gives you insights onthelivesofpublicofficers

08 Feature 15 YearS of Challenge: a retroSPeCt We trace its evolution and transformation – from serious newsletter to glossy magazine

12 Cover Story PubliC ServiCe. are You really lovin’ it? Challenge explores what spurs and stiflespassioninpublicofficers.

17- The Challenge Pull Out24 the faShion bible 8pagesoftipstogetyouahead. Pull this out and keep it handy!

25 Thinking Aloud good Work! (PRetend I neveR SAId thAt) ColinGoh,ofTalkingCock.com, sayspublicofficersarescaaary!

26 A Cuppa With… a Man of good ideaS WefindoutmorefromDeputy Prime Minister teo Chee hean about leadership and altruism

28 Innovation: The BIG Idea the World’S firSt CreativitY teSt Find out how playing with bricks helped pilots evade bullets

30 Level Up baCk to SChool Meet four individuals who have found time to return to the classroom

32 Letters to a Young Public Officer it’S in Your handS Mr Peter ho, head of Civil Service, writes about the events that have shaped his outlook in life

34 Word on the Street integrated reSortS: tWo SideS of a Coin the good, bad and ugly of casinos in Singapore

36 Life.Style theY’ve got the groove Fivepublicofficersshedtheir inhibitions to show off their moves

40 The Irreverent Last Page roCk on! the Challenge editorial team reveals their alter egos

ContentS

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Cover Illustration by forange Pte ltd

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PLUS

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Hello!

We hope to continue to be able to ask ourselves the hard questions that many think of but may notarticulate.

OK, I confess. I’m proud of being a civil servant.When I stride intoother government agencies to do “citizen-related” stuff, like renewing my passport, I proudly flash my Public Service card – and hope the other person *hint hint wink wink*willregisterthatI’m“family”.Unlikemost lawyers who left the law to become restauranteurs, bakers or playwrights, I left to become a civil servant. I can’t decide whethertheirsorminewasthebraverdecision.Infact,afriendofminewarnedI would get “brain rot” if I joined the Civil Service. Fact or fiction?The jury is stillout.

In my short stint as a civil servant so far, I have been able to be a part of policy making and developments that would have an impact on SingaporeandSingaporeans.AttheMinistryofCommunityDevelopment,Youth and Sports, it was my privilege to listen to young, medal-winning Singaporean extreme sports enthusiasts share their woes about having to train overseas due to a lack of facilities in Singapore, and be part of the team that developed Singapore’s first international standardXtremeSkateParkatEastCoastPark.Whencrowdscheeredandtearsflowed at Jacques Rogge’s announcement that Singaporewould hostthe first-ever Youth Olympic Games, it was a sweeter victory for the multi-agency team, who worked long hours and in double quick time toput togetherSingapore’sbid.

And now, I get to be part of a greatteamthat’sshapingandmaking Challenge.Inlinewithour mandate to promote change and creativity in the Public Service, we have taken on the challenge to bring Challenge tonewheights.Youwillstillget content from across the Public Service, showcasing our work, our people and how we work across agencies to bringbenefittoourcountry.But we hope to continue to be able to ask ourselves the hard questions that many think of but may not articulate, so that we improve as a PublicService.AndwehopetounearththegemsinthePublicService– the people, the projects – so that collectively, we can celebrate our talentandourdedication.OurnewsectionsincludeTheBigIdea,ourcreativity page to inspire you and let you test out your inventiveness; our revamped Face2Face section now calledACuppaWith..., wherewe continue to chat with senior management and unveil some of their more personal moments; and finally, our Irreverent Last Page where we get to be irreverent – because we are allowed to laugh at ourselves even thoughwearecivil servants, right?

Challenge celebratesits15thyearinprintthisyear.Whilewecelebratehow far we have come since 1995, what remains important to us is whether ourdedication toquality resonateswith you.Tell uswhetheryou likewhatyouareseeingwith thisrevamp.Wewould love tohearfromyou.This is yourmagazine, and theChallenge team is dedicated towardsmaking you proud to call it your own. Enjoy this issue andhappy Public Service Week!

gahMen & Proud of it!

Editor tay li Shing

the “unsung and unmasked” heroes

behind every educational

campaignrevealed.

Chong Seok kuen National Environment Agency

happy and proud to play a part in making Singapore a safe and soundnation forall.

norsharifah binte omar

Singapore Prison Service

WINNING

ENTRY

Officers tell us in pictures what makes them proud to be in the Public Service.of it!

PubliSher

PS21 Office, Public Service Division, Prime Minister’s Office100 high Street #07-01 the treasury Singapore 179434 Tel : 6835-8350 Fax : 6333-4010Email:psd_challenge@psd.gov.sgWeb :www.challenge.gov.sg

For enquiries or feedback on Challenge, please write to the Challenge editorial team at psd_challenge@psd.gov.sg.

Editor tay Li Shing

Assistant Editors edmund Soo & Shaun Khiu

Editorial Advisor Agnes Kwek

Editorial Assistants Amy Sum, ellice Wong & tiffany Ong

Tuber Productions Pte Ltd298 River valley Road Level 2Singapore 238339Tel : 6836-4030 Fax : 6836-4029Email:weiling@tuberproductions.comWeb :www.tuberproductions.com

ManageMent

Director Lee han ShihManaging Director Weiling WongProject Director Liew Wei Ping

editorial

Contributing Editor Bridgette See Sub-Editor Bernice tangEditorial Assistant/Writer Gurprit KaurContributors Loh Chee Kong, Alexis Ong, Susan tsang, Clare tan & Sheralyn tay

Creative

Creative Director AshikAssociate Art Director Jasmine tanGraphic Designers vanessa Lim, Cindy Anggono, Marilyn Ang & eva SunaryaAssociate Photographer Chris OngProduction Manager nurul MalikStudio Manager Ria SilbernickDesign InternGermaine Chen

Photographers LuminaStudios(www.animulstudio.com)JohnHeng(john@daphotographer.com)

Challenge is published bimonthly by tuber Productions Pte Ltd (Registration no: 200703697K) for PS21 Office, Public ServiceDivision,PrimeMinister’sOffice.Copyright of the materials contained in this magazinebelongstoPS21Office.Nothingin here shall be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written consent of PS21 Office.Viewsexpressedinthismagazine are not necessarily those of PS21 Office or tuber Productions Pte Ltd and no liabilitiesshallbeattachedthereto. Allrightsreserved. Allinformationcorrectattimeofprinting.

Printed by KhL Printing Co Pte Ltd (Registration no: 197801823M) 57 Loyang drive Singapore 508968

your Say 03

I’llprotectSingaporewhen I grow up!

Mrs nguyen thanh loanMinistry of Education

Inspiring the young to be part ofSingapore’sTotalDefence.

Pauline Low Ministry of Home Affairs

team-bonding is a piece of cake in the PublicService. It isthe team spirit that keeps us baking more goodies for the nation!

Cai Shan Ministry of Manpower

Moulding the next generation for the maritime industry through the Youth Skipper Flotilla, an interdisciplinary yachting uniform enrichment and co-curricular programme at Bendemeer SecondarySchool.

tham Wei YangBendemeer Secondary School, Ministry of Education

Congratulations to Mr Tham Wei Yang who wins a pair of tickets to Universal Studios Singapore worth $144. All other published articles win shopping vouchers worth $30 each. All winners will be contacted via e-mail.

?What do

you think of

a “Bring your

pets to work day”

at the office?

Yay or Nay?

Share your views at:

psd_challenge@psd.gov.sg

The best entry will win an attractive prize

worth up to $100! All other published

articles will win shopping vouchers worth

$30 each. Please include your name,

email address, agency and contact

number. All entries should reach

us by June 4, 2010.

Where MeritoCraCY ruleS

A strong message against discrimination at workplaces was put across at the recent “Fair & Inclusive employment Practices: Challenges & Opportunities” conference, presented by the Singapore tripartism Forum, in partnership with the tripartite Alliance for Fair employment Practices (TAFEP).

deputy Prime Minister teo Chee hean said at the April 7 event that “to ensure that meritocracy continues to flourish, there is therefore no place for discrimination inany form in theworkplace”.

Four organisations were presented the inaugural tAFeP exemplary employer Award for their effective implementation of progressive and fair employment practices at theworkplace.Theywere theCheriehearts Group International Pte Ltd, Fedex express, Maybank Singapore, and Philips ElectronicsSingaporePteLtd.

have ideaS? Share theM With JtC

JtC Corpora t ion i s s eek ing f rom institutions of higher learning, as well as private and public organisations, ideas on how to intensify land use and create new industrial space.Themaximum fundingfor each project proposal is capped at $1 million, for thedurationofayear.

This was announced by JTC’s Chiefexecutive Officer, Mr Manohar Khiatani, at the Organisational excellence Fiesta heldMarch11-12,2010,toshowcaseJTC’sinnovations.Customershadaglimpseofthe exciting projects that JtC has in the pipeline, such as the Jurong Rock Cavern, MediapolisandClean-techPark.

CitieS of the futurethe Wor ld C i t i e s Summi t i s back for its second run, themed “Liveable and Sustainable Cities for the Future”.Withmore thana thousand delegates coming from America, europe, Africa, the Middle east and Asia, the conference will focus on leadership and governance, building sustainable and eco-friendly cities, and fostering a harmonious and sustainable community. Theevent, from June 28 to July 1, is jointly organised by the Centre for Liveable Cities and the Civil

ServiceCollege.

For more information: www.worldcities.com.sg

Yog WantS You!the 100-day countdown to the world’sfirstYouthOlympicGames(YOG),which will take place in Singapore from August 14 to 26,

has begun!

With 3,600 young athletes from around the world competing in 26 sports at 18 venues on the island, Singapore wil l transform into an exciting sports arena. Therewill also be some 1,200 media representatives, 20,000 local and international volunteers, and more than half a million spectators at

theGames.

You can catch all the updates of theGamesatwww.singapore2010.sg.

even better, be a part of the historic event by joining the organising committee as a Short term Assigned RegularStaff.PleasecontactyourHRdepartment formoredetails.

CoMing uP...Highlights04

DID YOU KNOW?

If you see this MBS@Gov sticker at your doctor’s clinic, it means you won’t need to submit medical claims through the PaC@Gov system.

MBS@Gov is a medical billing system that allows general practitioners (GPs) to directly bill the government’s share of the medical expenses incurred by civil servants and their dependants. A list of participating clinics is available at www.pac.gov.sg. If your GP’s clinic is not on it, do encourage your doctor to register at www.mbs.gov.sg.

neWSfrom the

ServiCe

Feature 05

A new book on the history of the Public Service offers a fascinating and humbling insight into the lives of public officers, and their love for their work.

by Clare Tan

SenIORJOURNALISTCHUAMUIhoong has had her fair share of excitement in her 19-year career, covering politics andpublicpolicyinSingapore.Butevenfor this Straits times veteran, writing a bookonthehistoryofthecountry’sPublicServicehasbeenaneye-opener. “Many of us have the impression that public service jobs are boring, nine-to-five and deskbound…this is a myth, as there is actually a whole range of interesting careers,” Ms Chua tells Challenge.

take, for instance, government chemist BoscoChenBloodworth.Now a seniorscientific advisor at the health Sciences Author i ty, Professor Bloodworth ’sresponsibilities over the past 30 years have included monitoring the food and drugs thatarrive inSingapore.

his expertise has also been tapped to solve crimes. In 1988, a spate of robberies inBukitTimahshockedSingapore.Burglarsused the same modus operandi – stunning the guard dogs by feeding them poisoned beefsteaks.

Professor Bloodworth and his team were calledupon.Theyidentifiedthepoisonused,thushelpingthepolicetosolvethecase. SenSe of Prideentitled “Pioneers Once More”, the book, published by the Public Service division (PSd) and Straits times Press, recounts thehistoryandevolutionofSingapore’sPublicServicefrom1959to2009.IttellsSingaporeans how their public officers have served the country with passion andcommitment.

“We hope this book will help articulate the sense of pride of belonging to the Singapore Publ ic Service ,” PSD’s PermanentSecretary,MsLimSooHoon,says.

For Mr James Low, who co-ordinated the research for the book, the most “fascinating”

part of the project was finding out more abouthis fellowofficers.

“An outstanding example is the Istana gardener hamid Sudi, who takes so much pride in seemingly trivial grass – he cuts them down to precisely 10 millimetres day in and out for more than 30 years,” the researcher at the Civil Service College (CSC)notes.

Such duties “may appear trivial and inconsequential in the broader development of the nation, but it is these everyday people whose attention to detail through the years that actually make up the Public Service, serving thepublic,”hesays.

Ms Joanne Yip, a part-time assistant archivist at the national Archives of Singapore, was also involved in the

research. She describes the experienceas“enlightening”.

“I really had to take a closer look at the history of the Public Service and learn more about the people behind policies that invariably influence my life as aSingaporecitizen,”shesays.

noteS froM the toPBut perhaps what was most insightful was the candid sharing by seniorpublicofficers.

“Many of us have the impression that the job of a Permanent Secretary is that of a paper pusher, vetting papers and making policies,” saysMsChua.

“Whatwedon’tgettoseeisthewealthof experience that some of these senior officers have: the operational crises they had to manage, the stresses they went through, which tested them in differentways.”

She cites the example of head of Civil Service,PeterHo.Asayoungcommandingofficer in the 1970s, one of his tasks was to stop vietnamese boat people from landinginSingapore.Buthefaceda“realdilemma” as many of these refugees had suffered immenselywhileat sea.

Troops clear burnt cars at the junction of North Bridge Road and Arab Street during the Maria Hertogh riots, 1950

“there were hard decisions to make,” Mr ho reveals in an interview with Challenge.“It was especially tough onthe young national Servicemen who were affected by the plight of these boat people. So eventually I had a group ofthe older, more mature guys just to deal with therefugees.”

“All these encounters took place out of sight from the ordinary Singaporean,” headds.

“Today,mostpeoplewon’tknowwhatmygenerationwentthroughinthe70s.Whatwenowtake forgranted isnotassured.the experience of vietnamese boat people showedhowuncertain lifecanbe.”

PSD’sDirectorofCommunicationsandInternational Relations, Ms toh Su Fen, says they chose Ms Chua to write the book as she has the ability to “make the narrative compelling without sacrificing on theseriousnessof thesubject”.

Ms Chua, who is also the author of “A defining Moment: how Singapore Beat Sars”, spent one and a half years on “Pioneers Once More” while juggling

her commitments as a writer for the Straits Times. She was assisted by aPSd and CSC team and former Straits times journalist, Ken Kwek, who helped conduct interviews.

evolved With the CountrYthe Public Service is a massive outfit, with some 120,000 officers working in 15 minis tr ies and more than 50 statutory boards.

Ms Chua says: “the challenge for me was to take a step back to see how the Public Servicehasevolvedwith thecountry.”

After talking to senior public officers, she came up with a thematic approach to tell the story of the Public Service in eachdecade.

In the 1960s, the need for economic and political survival forced the Public Service to be enterprising and street-smart. Bythe industrialising 1970s, there was a need for a more systematic way of doing things.The boom-and-bust years of the1980s were a watershed for the Public Service, sparking a soul-searching that helped itmodernisequickly.

the dr ive towards g rea te r pub l i c excellenceprevailedinthe1990s.Inthe2000s, globalisation and a more uncertain environment led the Public Service to learn new skills of managing risks and preparing for theunexpected.

All in all, it was an educational and enjoyable experience for those involved in thebook.

Archival pictures on pages 6 and 7: Pioneers Once More: The Singapore Public Service 1959-2009 © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.

Ms Stella Kao, a PSd Communications and International Relations manager who managed the project, says: “Like the title of the book, I felt like a pioneer in this project... And although I have been inthe Public Service for almost 20 years, I realisedIdidn’tknowmuchaboutitshistory.”

“Pioneers Once More” will be launched duringthisyear’sPublicServiceWeekatthe excellence in Public Service Awards CeremonyonMay21.Thebookwillbeavailable for sale at major bookstores.Public officers can place their orders through theiragencies.

A primary school adopted by the Institute of Education in the 1970s to introduce new teachingprogrammes to make learning more interesting

Whipping up a good book From left: Ms Joanne Yip, Ms Chua Mui Hoong, Mr James Low, and Ms Stella Kao were part of a team that put the Public Service book together

Feature 07

A RetrospectIt is said that to go forward, one must also look back. Thus we trace the evolution of Challenge from its first issue 15 years ago, its transformation from serious newsletter to glossy magazine – and hear from the people behind

those precious pages.

by Sheralyn Tay

THEDATE:DECEMBER 1995. THEcover story: Sunny Start to PS21 Public SectorWITSConvention.Thecatchphrase:“excellence through Continuous enterprise andLearning”.

Thiswasoneofthestoriesinthefirstissuesof Challenge – then a 12-page newsletter launched in conjunction with a key movement aimed at spurring innovation in the Public Service,knownasPS21.

Challenge, in fact, became a “critical medium” for communicating PS21 and the Public Service’s core values, saidMrLimSiongGuan, the former head of Civil Service who mootedthemovement.

the magazine helped to “encourage and inspire participation in PS21 by sharing examples of ideas and achievements from across the Public Service,”MrLim explained.Thismeant articles on awards, reports on the programmes undertaken by Ministries, and highlightsonserviceimprovements.

Ms Rachel QuekEditor (2007-2008) Mr boo Chong hanEditorial Advisor (2004-2006) Mr David MaPioneer Chairman, Editorial Committee (1995-1996) Mr lim Siong guan former Head of Civil Service who mooted the PS21 movement in 1995

theY hAd A hAnd In CHALLENGE

everYone loveS (a)

Challenge!“Many times [Challenge] is relevant andthought-provoking.Forexamplethe March/April 2010 issue which focused on silver generation set me thinking about the things that I would liketodowhenIreacholdage.”

Mdm ong tian nahCurriculum Planning & Development

Division, MOE

“the most memorable article for me was the interview with our former PoliceCommissioner.Hetouchedoncorruption within the police force years back which involved a syndicate ofseniorpoliceofficers–Itprovidedawake-upcallthat‘infernalaffairs’isnotonlyrestrictedtothemovies.It’sas real as it gets, even in corruption-

freeSingapore.”

Mr Ng Junqi, Public Service Division, PMO

Themagazine’s name, recalledMrDavidMa, the pioneering Chairman of editorial Committee from 1995 to 1996, was an acknowledgement of the challenges of making PS21asustainablemovement.

“PS21 is not about the destination, a change to an end state; it is about a journey to excellence, a journey that isnever-ending. I proposed that we named the newsletter ‘Challenge’,andthebossesagreed.Thatwasagoodbeginning,”saidMrMa.

the Changing PubliC ServiCeAs PS21 gained momentum and evolved, so did the magazine. Reflecting thenew culture of the Public Service, it became more introspective, proactive, and attuned to the changing needs of its stakeholders.

Initially focused on PS21 and reporting events and schemes, Challenge went on to include in-depthfeaturesandprofiles.

“As the Service become more diverse and the ‘Y-generation’emerged,thefocusagaingrew to include sharing of individual officers’perspectivesandviews,”notedMrBoo Chong-han, Principal of Bedok view Secondary School and a former editorial committeemember(2004-2006).

Significantly,oneman’sviewsstoodout–inthe form of letters no longer than 500 words each.Written byMrLim, the insightfulpieces were to become a distinct part of the magazinefrom1999to2005.

Looking back, Mr Lim said those letters – about60inall–wereaimedatpublicofficers,“everyone [of whom] can play a part and beanactivist for change”.Theyexpressedthe values and aspirations of PS21, which included being “the best it can be, harness the creativity of its people, and be in time forthefuture”.

Challenge has certainly taken these messages onboard.Today, it embodies thegrowingdiversityandconfidenceofthePublicService.“We are more able to be self-critical,” Mr Boo said.“Frombeingseenasameremouthpieceof the PS21 movement, the magazine today reflects thedynamismand thepulseof thePublicService.”

QuieT RebeLNotably,theseachangethatwouldredefineChallenge came about four years ago when the magazine went through its “teenage” years, taking on a questioning and self-referential toneinthesearchofitsownvoiceandstyle.

At the helm from 2007 to 2008 as editor wasMsRachelQuek.“[WhenItookover],Challenge had a reputation for being boring andpropagandist. Itwas just another freepublication in your in-tray that will go unread or just a placemat for your chicken riceatlunch.”

Breaking from tradition, stories began to feature more personalities and took on an edgier and more analytical tone, adding energy, value and depth for a more accessible andinterestingread.

Andthis–ascanbeexpected–wasnoteasy.One memorable example was the Member of Public (MOP) series where Challenge writerswould experiencefirst-hand– andincognito – the services provided by different agencies.“Wegotalotofflakfromagenciesfor that!”MsQuek recalled. “That seriesembodied where we wanted to go – pushing boundaries but more importantly, setting people thinking on how things could be improvedintheService.”

Ultimately, the re-haulwas an importantdirection to take, she said, even though “itwas extremelydifficult towalk thefineline between pushing the line and yet not alienatinganyone”.

voiCeS and faCeSAlso, “Challenge has to reach out to a very diversegroupofpeople,”saidMsQuek.“Howdoyoubesomethingtoeveryone?”

And so, a “concerted” effort was made to interview“realpeople”,saidMrBoo.Awidespectrumofpublicofficershasgracedthepages of the magazine, from award winners, public officers from different sectors, to permanentsecretariesandCEOs.

After all, “people love to read about those they know, or about themselves,” said Ms Quek.“Thiscouldbeseenasfrivolousanddeparting from the conventional in-house government magazine, but it was precisely whatwasneededtocreatesomebuzz.”

the inclusion of people “just like me” in the magazine appeals to readers such as Mr LeeKhumThong,aSeniorPrisonOfficer.“I’venoticed that an increasingnumberofordinary civil servants are being invited to share their perceptions or lifestyles, or even befashionmodelsforaday.Itisnicetogivethem a platform and debunk the myth of the straight-lacedcivilservant,”hesaid.

Challenge for the futuretaking the magazine onto its next phase is editor tay Li Shing, who came on board in 2009.MsTayandher teamhopes tobuildan even wider readership and continue improving. “[We need to] keep pushingthe boundaries, while staying true to our values, in line with the genesis and ethos of Challenge!”

“the aim,” she said, “is to build a real sense of camaraderie and help our officers seehow we are all part of a larger organisation called the Public Service.” Thismeansbeing unafraid to talk about problems, as well as being just as ready to showcase the achievementsofthePublicService.

From newsletter to magazine, a carrier of campaign messages to meaty read – the evolution of Challenge is reflective of the Service,notedMsQuek.“ItshowsthattheServiceisnotboringorstaid,andthatthere’sa different dimension to the Service and the people.”MsTayadded: “Wewant tohaveachancetoreflect,beengagedandtogrow.And, we are starting to lighten up and be abletolaughatourselvestoo.”

Feature 11

StAFF OFFICeR Lee eu tuin, 67, has a secret that even her husband does not know: For 42 years, she has kept her first pay packet, sti l l sealed, in a box meant for jewellery.

the square envelope, now yellow with age, is a proud souvenir of her first contribution to the Public Service in 1968, at the thenGirlsHostel.

Mrs Lee, who works at the destitute Persons Service (dPS) at the Ministry of Community development, Youth and Sports, cites “passion” as the key motivating force inherwork.

“I want to help people,” she tells Challenge.

After battling ovarian cancer in 2000, Mrs Lee returned to work at the Boys Home. In2003, she joinedDPS, takingon duties that include night foot patrols to pick up vagrants and beggars off the street. She has even had to cleanup a vagrant whose clothes were soiled withexcreta.

“I had to count the soiled money from his pants, piece by piece, in front of him,” recountsMrsLee. “At first Iwas quiteangry but I soon felt very sorry for him tobe insuchcircumstances.”

So driven is Mrs Lee in her work that she has renewed her contract with dPS every yearafterofficiallyretiring in2005.

Such dedication is not unheard of in the Public Service. Every year, awards aregiven out to recognise the contributions of outstanding officers, many with equally movingstories.

the dna of a PubliC offiCerC h a i r m a n o f t h e P u b l i c S e r v i c e Commission eddie teo believes it is a certain ethos that drives public officers likeMrsLee tohelpothers.

In his speech “Is the Public Sector LeadershipEthosaMythorReality?”atthe FIReFLY Leadership Programme in January 2010, Mr teo said of the ideal public officer: “his incentive is not material but [from] the internal satisfaction of doinggood inserving thepublic.” (See Pg 16 for more excerpts)

by

bridgette see

Thethemeof thisyear’sPublicServiceWeek is

Challenge explores what spurs and stiflespassioninpublicofficers.

Cover Story 13

the Singapore Public Service ethos, which is largely unwritten, is based on the principles of meritocracy, incorruptibility and impartiality; and the core values of integrity, serviceandexcellence.

“therefore a good public officer must be someone who has the right ethos and qualities and attributes that make him capable,efficientandeffective.Hemusthave his heart in the right place, and care about the people and the country he serves,” says Mr teo, in an interview with Challenge.

Ms Bernadette Sim, director of Personnel Policy at the Public Service division, agrees that the values of integrity, service and excellence need to be in every public officer’sDNA.

“A public officer needs to understand that his role is to serve… and that it requires humility, there isno ‘glamour’,and thatmost times we have to be prepared for brickbats,” shesays.

Mr Kwan Chee Wei, executive director of the human Capital Leadership Institute (hCLI), adds that anyone who wants to thrive in the Public Service needs to think with a long-term horizon.HCLIwas set up by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), in alliance with the Singapore Management University, in February2010 to raise human capital capabilities inAsia.

“Public-service jobs are different from private-sector jobs because typically you don’tseetangibleresultsintheshortterm,

perhaps with the exception of teachers,” says Mr Kwan, who has more than 20 years of human Resource experience in both sectors, including the defence Ministry.Hegivestheexampleofpolicyplanning, which could take months or years of effort before any tangible results becomeapparent.

What SPurS PaSSion?Apartfromintrinsicfactorssuchasone’sdnA, there are also three external key drivers of engagement that the Civil Service College (CSC) has identified over the years: leadership and culture, career advancement, and job motivation andgrowth.

the findings are based on the five-year results of the college’s Public Serviceemployee engagement Survey (eeS), which helps public agencies gain deeper understanding of their organisational cultureandemployee-related issues.

“An officer who feels that he is not learning new things and developing professionally, and is not confident about achieving his career goals, is less likely to stay on in an organisation in the longer term,” says MrLowChee Seng,Director of CSC’sCentre for Organisation development, whichdeveloped theEES.

a listening ear MOM customer support officer Umeer Hydeer, 29, has encountered many difficult cases at work, including a distressed and suicidal foreign worker. Mr Umeer went beyond the call of duty to counsel the worker, and gently broke the bad news that local labour laws could not support his claims.

AccordingtoHCLI’sMrKwan,therearesome basic questions that all employees, whether in the public or private sector, ask themselvesperiodically.

Theyare:WhatamIdoinghere?DoIhaveenoughresources todomywork?Doesmybosstellmewhat isgoingon?Doeshe respectme? If I dowell, do I knowhow Iwill be rewarded?Am l learningon the job?DoIhaveacareer?

“this might seem oversimplifying it, but if a supervisor can answer all these questions and communicate to the person all these things, and give a sense of career advancement, then I think you will have amoreengagedemployee,”hesays.

the role of leaderS“We need strong and enlightened leaders who can inspire people working under them to do better, leaders who give people the space to experiment and explore, leaders who have the confidence and sound judgment to know when and how to take a chance with untested ideas,” said Mr Peter ho, head of Civil Service, in his 2007 speech “PS21 – empowerment, experimentation and EnlightenedLeadership”.

And leadership, he stressed, is not limited to Permanent Secretaries and Chief ExecutiveOfficers. “Change andimprovement cannot happen without strongleadershipateverylevel.Wewill

need everyone who is a supervisor…to play their roles as leaders to empower theirpeople,”hesaid.

Mr Leo Yip, Chairman of the economic development Board (edB), agrees that leaders have a crucial role in spurring passionandpride.

I had to count the soiled money from his pants,piecebypiece,infrontofhim.

No regretsHer main job is to stay back and lock up the school gates but for three years now, Woodgrove Secondary School’s Operations Support Officer Mdm Ang Siew Lan, 65, has volunteered to prepare food and drinks for students staying back for the school’s night study programme.

“My parents never allowed me to study,” she said. “So I always tell the students ‘Don’t be like me, study hard so that you can become a principal in future and hire me. Don’t have regrets like Auntie.’”

“In the Public Service, we all serve a higher purpose, one that is above and beyond the individual and the organisation,” he tells Challenge.“Thisissomethingleadershipmust communica te and emphas i se regularly.Idothisattownhallmeetingsandinregularcommunicationwithstaff.It must also be something that leadership should liveandexemplify.”

h e a d d s : “ C e l e b r a t i n g s u c c e s s e s , recognising organisational and individual accomplishments and their impact on Singaporeans are [also] important.Leadership must feel proud about what theirstaffaredoing,andconveythis.”

Mr Kwan points out that “the work itself couldbereallyboring;youcan’tchangethat but you (the leader) could change the environment. There’s nothing tostop you from engaging your people and organising social activities to bring them together, because the work environment plays a big part as to why people like to cometowork”.

What StifleS PaSSion?Ms ng hwee Koon, 33, who spent seven years in the Public Service, says she knows of many whose passion was “killed” owing toapunishingworkculture.

“the Ministry [I worked for] can be a harsh task master and sometimes, I think it takespride in that. Ifyoudon’tthrive, itmust be because you’reweak.If your boss is unreasonable, it must be becauseyouaren’tgoodatmanaginghim.There’snousecomplainingbecausethatreinforces the impression that you can’thandleit.Itcanbeveryunforgivingthatway,”shesays.

Internal climate surveys such as the eeS throwlightonsuchissues,saysMrLow.Thesurvey, which is conducted every two years, gets all staff to complete a questionnaire designed to measure engagement and drivers of engagement. Agencieswouldthen implement interventions to close the gaps identifiedby thesurvey.

“At MOM, for instance, all their heads of departments take ownership and…work out action plans to deal with areas of concern highlighted in their climate survey and the ministry has consistently demonstrated improved engagement scoresover time,”heexplains.

A strong sense of empowerment is certainly a reasonwhyMrUmeerHyderAbdulRahman,29, is sodrivenatwork.

“Although I am not a senior officer, the management has given the support by allowing me to approach certain higher channels direct ly for my work. So I don’t feel burdened by hierarchy,” says the team supervisor of MOM’sCustomerResponsivenessDepartment’scounteroperations.

Although he has been in the Service for less than four years,MrUmeer hasalready earned the reputation of being able to handle the most challenging

customers.This included counselling asuicidal foreignworker.

his sincerity prompted a member of the public to e-mail MOM, saying: “despite all the efficiencies of your system, it generally lackshumanityandwarmth.Mr[Umeer]was theexception to this rule.”

“the satisfaction from helping others motivates me as I am doing something meaningfultohelppeopleinneed.Thisis an experience that cannot be easily replaced,”saysMrUmeer,whoexpectsto be in thePublic Service for a long time.

Younger breedWhileMrUmeerisclearthathisfutureis with the Service, other young officers maynot feelquite thesameway.

Observes a former public officer, 37, now in marketing: “You see a younger generation of questioners but…these people also get frustrated with the system… hence you see many leaving the Service afterawhile.”

Challenge asks a former Management Assoc ia te (MA) why he l e f t a f t e r sixmonths.

“I’ll never go back to Public Service,”says the 25-year-old who declined to be named. “I’m just not cut out for it, I’mjust not a rules follower, and I speak my mindopenly.”

Realising that he was more business-minded than “policy-minded”, he quit after six months, and sold his car to fund hisownstart-up.

“Unless you’re at the top, the decisionsyou make are very small on an everyday

I’llnevergobacktoPublicService.I’mjust not cut out for it, I’mjustnotarulesfollower, and I speak mymindopenly.

Cover Story 15

basis,” he says. “Butnow that I amouton my own, every decision I make will meansomething.”

the former MA falls under the growing Generation Y workforce (born in the 80s) that Mr Kwan describes as having “littlepatience”.

Ms Sim from PSd agrees: “We have found from our fresh graduate surveys that‘development’iskeyfortheyoungergeneration.Theywouldconsiderthatafterone year that they’ve been ‘developed’andhavehad‘experience’andcanmoveon.But I thinkmanycurrent leaders inprivate and public sectors feel that it does take time to develop real experience andwisdom.”

Leaders, she adds, will therefore have to help younger staff manage their expec ta t i ons , and unders tand the importance of gaining wisdom, not just experience, as it helps them to make betterdecisionson the job.

there is also a trend that Gen Y employees like to be engaged as friends and have more face-to-face communication with their supervisors, and prefer more autonomy indecisionmaking.

“they also seem to be able to work late into the night but are not early risers,” says Ms Sim, adding that more flexible working arrangements, such as telecommuting wouldresonatewith theseofficers.

Additionally, organisations, in private and public sectors, have responded to the needs of the younger workforce by conducting regular feedback and developmental planning sessions for officers, drawing up individual personal development plans, and implementing jobrotations.

More managers are also being groomed to become better communicators and mentors so that they can engage their staffbetter.

foStering truStOne way of engaging staff (young or old) is to foster a culture of trust that would encourage them to express their opinions and frustrationsmoreopenly.

In his speech, Mr teo highlighted the case of an MA who was the only one who spoke up against a decision taken byherMinistry.The othermore seniorofficers in the room agreed with her but keptsilent.

“What was implied was that as you become more senior, you learn to keep quiet and not contradict decisions you disagreewith,”saidMrTeoinhisspeech.“I find this rather sad and I hope that the episode was an aberration rather than the prevailing mindset of our senior public-sector leaders.”

he added: “I hope the young officer will notshutupthenexttimeshedisagrees.the one redeeming feature of the episode was that the Permanent Secretary saw the officer’sactionassomethingpositive.Sothere is stillhope.”

WhileMr Teo’s point was to highlightthe need for officers to “speak the truth to power”, the example underscores the fear (real or imagined) that some staff have in openly expressing their opinions and frustrations.

“It depends on your supervisor,” says a SeniorICAOfficerinhis30s.“Mostofthe

timeitdoesn’tworkifyou’restuckwithasupervisorwho isnotapproachable.”

“[trust] has to be built over time and how you react to the feedback. I fstaff feel threatened they will not give feedback,” says Mrs dolly Ong, Principal of Zhonghua Secondary School, adding that there must also be adequate follow-up action; otherwise staff will not want togive feedbackagain.

A 33-year-old officer from the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts tells Challenge that she has been encouraged by the culture of openness at herworkplace.“MyPermanentSecretarytold me his door was open right from the start.I’vedisagreedwithmybosswithoutfear. In fact, I think he appreciates it,”shesays.

But if you fear you might over-step the fine line between courage and career

“My pupils – that explains why I am

still in the Service.” 33-year-old primary

school teacher

Th

eir

gre

ates

t sa

tisf

acti

on

co

mes

fro

m…

“That I am contributing

to the safety of Singapore.”

37-year-old Marketing Manager who was in

Public Service for 10 years

“From knowing that whatever you do will probably have a national impact.”

37-year-old Senior Officer, Immigrations & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore

Editor’s NoteWhy did you join the Public Service? What keeps you in the Service? Share your thoughts so we can explore in greater depth this complex matter of Public Service and its ethos.

Write to us at:

psd_challenge@psd.gov.sg

suicide, Mr teo had this advice: Choose the manner and occasion you speak, for example by bringing up your views to supervisors inamorediscreetmanner.

Clichéd as it sounds, it does take two hands to clap. So while leaders needto work harder to reach out to their staff, employees will also have to rise to the challenge to create change at theworkplace.

Cover Story16

Mr teo argued that the confusion between myth and reality arises due to the perception ofwhatethosis.Forhim,thePublicServiceethos is really a benchmark against which public officers should strive to measure themselves, rather than a description of whatactuallyexists.

In his speech, Mr teo gave his interpretation of the different segments of ethos, based on theSingaporePublicService’sprinciplesof Meritocracy, Incorruptibility, and Impartiality and values of Integrity, ServiceandExcellence.Heexplainedtheirimpact on public officers and discussed the tensions faced by ethos in recent times due to changes in the demands on public service.Here are excerpts fromhisspeech.

on leaderShiPLeaders and managers often fai l to realise how important a role they play in passing values down to their staff.Your officers not only listen carefully to what you say but also watch closely what you do, and very often they take the cue from you. And because there are goodand bad leaders, leaders can be a good orbad influence.

on MeritoCraCY dr Kenneth Paul tan (of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy) argues that a system of meritocracy as practised in Singapore is unequal because the “winners” define “merit” and this in turn breeds elitism.He thinks that the ideaof meritocracy is unsustainable for the long term because the elite class will become “increasingly narrow, exclusive, and dismissive towards others” and as public sector careers become more lucrative, public officers and politicians will become preoccupied with staying in powermainlyforthemoney.Heconcludesthat our meritocratic system is starting to show signs of becoming a victim of its ownsuccess.

[this is] useful as a warning of what couldgowrong inSingapore.However,because we are already aware of the

risks, we can do something to prevent ourselves from going down the path he thinkswewill go.And subscribing to aPublic Sector Leadership ethos is one wayofensuring this.

on PolitiCal neutralitYIn Singapore, where the same political party has been in power for 45 years, can and should the Public Service be “politicallyneutral”?Aftersuchalengthycohabitation, is the Singapore Public Service totally politicised and just an administrativearmofthePeople’sActionParty,asallegedbysomecritics?

Aformerseniorcivilservant,J.Y.MPillay,has argued that the Public Service should be impartial but not politically neutral because it must be pro-Government, in that it should serve the government in power.Ithinkthisargumentisvalidonlyif we make no distinction whatsoever between the government and the ruling political party and between national and party interest.

even though the longevity of the PAP has made the distinction blurred, so long as public officers believe that the public interest does not always coincide with the party interest, the term “political neutrality” continues to be a useful reminder of their properrole.

on Moral dileMMaSthe idealism of some young officers sometimes cause them not to see reality in hues of grey but almost always in starkblackandwhite.Thehardestmoraldilemmas are not those between right and wrong but between right and right and the most difficult policy decision is sometimes that between a bad option and a worse

optionbecausetherearenogoodoptions.And even the brightest of our scholar public servants will have blind spots and mayfail tosee thebiggerpicture.

these are occasions which call for public sector leaders with good mentoring skills to help guide the young officer through the complexities of the policy issue so that he can see that while there may have been some compromise with the Public Service ethos, the overall outcome can still be in thepublic interest.But if theofficer is still not convinced and feels very strongly about the matter, the most honourablerecourseforhimistoresign.It will be a painful and difficult decision, and may cause material hardship, but livingwithone’sprinciplescanneverbeeasy,painlessandwithoutsacrifice.

on altruiSMOur Public Sector Leaders are not prepared to accept that altruism no longer counts in thePublic Service.They continue tobelieve that Public Service is a calling andnot justanother job.

Salaries are never touted as a selling point because we realise that if we do so, we are signalling to those seeking public service jobs that just as their loyalty can bebought, itcanalsobesold.

ConCluSionA Public Sector Leadership ethos continues tobe relevantand important.Even inapragmatic society like Singapore, we cannot ignore the need for strong values and principles in lifeaswellasatwork.

It would be a great shame if the altruistic aspect of Public Service is eroded and we stop regarding Public Service as a vocation. Removing the Public Serviceethos will pluck the soul out of the Public Service and remove the true meaning and purposeofworking forgovernment.

“Is the Public Sector Leadership ethos aMythorReality?”

by Public Service Commission Chairman eddie Teo at the FIREFLY Leadership Programme on January 19, 2010.

Removing the Public Service ethos will pluck the soul out of thePublicService.

This may surprise some of you, since i’ve poked fun at the public service in many of my projects, whether in my columns in the sunday Times, my films or my website www.TalkingCock.com (currently on hiatus), but i don’t have a knee-jerk hatred of public officers. i have relatives and close friends who are public officers, and, like most male singaporeans, i’ve technically even been one. so i know that many public officers are sincere about trying to improve things, and not just lobos who signed on because which other job in today’s always-on economy allows you to take two tea breaks a day? also, being a singaporean expat in the us and having survived eight years of the Bush administration, i’ve moderated my views on the singapore government somewhat. sure, you’ve made some boneheaded mistakes, but at least you’re not wilfully breaching international law or attacking countries on false pretexts. (i hope.)

(pretend i never said that)

The brain behind TalkingCock.com finds public

officers scaaary!

by Colin Goh

Thinking Aloud 25

Work!Good

i also think most of us would concede that even if liberalisation isn’t happening exactly in the way we’d prefer, there’s nevertheless been some progress over the years. so in that context, i think the singapore public service is doing a pretty decent job compared to many countries. By now, i’m sure some of you are thinking: why can’t those potty-mouthed bloggers or hysterical forum posters be similarly sensible and balanced? Why must they fire off choleric criticisms all the time? sure, we’re nowhere near being a liberal democracy, but isn’t it clear that we’re not North Korea either? yet, despite my own nuanced perspective, i must confess i really struggled with whether to give you even the slightest pat on the head. This is owing to two fairly recent brushes with public officers.

The first happened several years ago, when the Wife and i completed production of our feature film, “singapore Dreaming”. someone arranged for us to do a special screening for a group said to comprise “top public officers and their families”, and it was strongly suggested that i turn up to oblige the august audience with a Q&a session. i was happy to do so, but was stunned, when the houselights came on, to find that nobody had a single question. “Weird,” i said to the organiser, also a public officer. “in every single screening we’ve done, the audience always had questions. even if it’s ‘your budget how much, ah?’” i was then told, in all seriousness, “Well, Colin, you must understand. These are the most intelligent people in the country, so they probably know the answers already and don’t need to ask anything.” i tried to pretend that my jaw didn’t hit the floor. Then last year, i attended a dinner in New york, which included some visiting public officers. They were bemoaning the increasingly vitriolic tone of the criticisms being levelled at them, especially online. “Don’t they know just complaining gets you nowhere?” groused one. “We want to help, honestly. But do your research. We’ve thought of all this stuff already. if you want things changed, give us facts and figures to

change our minds. Be part of the solution, not just raise problems!” it sounded very reasonable, yet also very wrong. Because you really can’t expect the average citizen to give you a powerpoint presentation with charts and citations of various studies, especially since they lack access to the data only you possess. But that doesn’t mean their feelings or experiences aren’t valid, or can be given short shrift. Besides, why should they do your homework for you? maybe i’ve just lived in New york for too long, and got used to seeing how public servants have to endure televised Town hall meetings before they enact policy. here, ordinary citizens are allowed to air their views, no matter how histrionic, and officials just have to suck it up, especially if they want to save their seats.

i doubt this will ever happen in singapore, and more’s the pity. if one is simultaneously praised and shielded from criticism all the time, it’s inevitable that very warped views are formed – like assuming one is always more intelligent, or that only criticisms which come suitably gift-wrapped are entitled to a real response. maybe you’re not all like this, but my two brushes sure scared me. Because, over time, such behaviour breeds mistrust. in the us right now, distrust of government has become so great, it’s entering the realm of the irrational, and certain cynical parties are beginning to stoke those flames for their own ends. if this is happening in a country where the feedback process is so open, i can’t imagine what might be simmering under the lid in singapore. so, yes, most of us think that by and large, you’re all doing a decent job. But please pardon us if we don’t tell you so very often, if at all. Consider it our act of public service.

Colin Goh is currently in New York, working on several international co-productions.

if one is simultaneously praised and shielded from criticism all the time, it’s inevitable that

very warped views are formed…

as a youNG Naval offiCerthree decades ago, Deputy prime minister Teo Chee hean, 55, was lamenting to then minister of state for Defence yeo Ning hong about how “difficult” it was to see his ideas through.

mr Teo, who is now also minister in charge of the Civil service and minister for Defence, recounted: “he told me, ‘look, if you feel you have a good idea and in the end, it doesn’t get implemented, it’s your fault, too… either you did not feel strongly enough about it, or you were not able to make a sufficiently good argument why this proposal that you have was such a good idea.’” Those words have stuck with mr Teo as he rose up the ranks, first in the Navy, and subsequently in politics – ingraining in him the belief that a person has to take some of the responsibility when his idea fails to come to fruition.

and mr Teo has this advice for young officers who sometimes feel that their proposals are hitting a brick wall: it is not just what idea you have, but also how you sell it – and sometimes it can even mean letting others take the credit for it. “sometimes you have a good idea and the way to get it implemented, is for the other person to become totally convinced that it was his idea in the first place... Then he will passionately pursue it, believing that it was his idea,” said mr Teo, half in jest. “But you achieve what you set out to do. Better still, if you can persuade everybody that it was their idea collectively, they will all buy in and do it.” “OrGanisatiOnal dynamiCs”ultimately, in order to effect change and move proposals forward, a public off icer should not only have sound

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean chats with Loh Chee Kong on the importance of pushing ideas through, leadership and altruism in public officers, in our new series, A Cuppa With…ideas

a manofGood

so what do you usually have in your cuppa?i used to drink large amounts of coffee when i was going to sea. But when i stopped going to sea regularly, i started to drink large amounts of tea. Then i concluded that i really didn’t need to drink large amounts of tea either, so now i drink water mainly. What is your favourite beverage?english Breakfast Tea. Where do you normally head for your cuppa?i don’t normally head anywhere for my tea or coffee. i have it either in office or at home.

ideas, but also learn to understand the “organisational dynamics”. Citing spriNG singapore Chairman philip yeo as an example, mr Teo said: “if you look at a person like philip, it’s not [just] that he had ideas but he was able to persuade people of his ideas, and understood how to bring about change in organisations and get his ideas implemented.”

a former pres ident ’s scho lar and singapore armed forces scholar who decided after his GCe ‘a’-levels that he wanted to pursue a career that was “socially useful”, mr Teo also stressed that the onus of igniting and sustaining the passion and drive of public officers is on their immediate bosses. Not only do leaders set examples, they also shape an organisation’s working environment and culture, he noted. in short, leaders can either stifle or spark the passion public officers have for their work. “leadership is very important... it gives the people who work in the organisation the sense of mission, the sense of purpose and lets them know that they are appreciated for what they have done,” said mr Teo, who shared that during his years in the Navy, he had been inspired by his superiors such as former permanent secretary (Defence) lim siong Guan who rose to become head of Civil service.

Citizens, tOOat the individual level, mr Teo believes that people who are drawn to the public service have “a certain amount of altruism”. The public officer must get satisfaction from seeing others happy or better off as a result of his work. and that quiet – but immense – sense of satisfaction would be felt by all public officers, not least those working in sens i t ive depar tments such as the intelligence services. said mr Teo:“forthose kinds of jobs, you derive your satisfaction from knowing that what you have done has served your country and kept the people in your country safer. and nobody will ever know, not even your closest friends.”

and regardless of rank and stature, all public officers would keenly feel the impact of their work, he added.

“every public officer is a citizen also,” mr Teo said. “he has a family and they benefit from or are affected by the policies that are laid out and executed. so each of them, if you like, is both a producer and consumer of public services.” asked to comment on the level of passion for their work among the public officers he has come across, mr Teo noted that some officers will be very passionate about their work. others will take a more functional approach that means they “do their job because it provides them with a decent living and a good salary to help them bring up their families”. said mr Teo, “They do their work well, and they enjoy their jobs because they have good workmates and a good workplace – i think that’s fine, too.” But he has certainly come across those who view their work as a calling. “i’ve met officers, a few specific persons i know, who work in the area of work inspection and safety. They are not necessarily high-flying officers, but they are very motivated and passionate. They go about their work very meticulously because they know that what they do really has an impact on the lives of their fellow public officers and members of the public,” he added.

“so these are very inspirational people because of their sense of duty… which comes from realising that the job they do is an important one, it means something to somebody if they do their job right and do their job well.”

A Cuppa With... 27

if you can persuade everybody that it was their idea collectively, they will all

buy in and do it.

The official “A Cuppa With…” Cup

DuBBeD as The faTher of modern creativity, J.p. Guilford’s interest in the subject had fascinating origins.

as a psychologist during the second World War, Guilford conducted intelligence tests, grading systems and personal interviews to select bomber pilots. alongside Guildford, the u.s. air force also assigned a retired air force pilot without psychological training to aid in the selection process.

Guildford, who contemplated suicide upon learning that he could have indirectly caused their deaths, decided to find out the root of the problem by studying the retired pilot’s selection process.

Candidates were asked a simple question: “What would you do if your plane were shot at by German anti-aircraft when flying over Germany?” instead of hiring those who answered correctly according to the manual, the retired pilot did otherwise. for him, following the manual meant acting in a predictable manner – a dangerous thing

Adapted from Fredrik Härén’s “The Idea Book”. Founder of Interesting.org, Härén speaks and writes on business creativity. He currently resides in Singapore and can be contacted at: fredrik.haren@interesting.org

to do since the Germans could also foresee those moves.

Guildford realised that the creative pilots survived more often than those who, although intelligent, stuck by the rules. he thus understood that thinking differently and creatively was a talent. One of his first creativity tests for the air force was to ask candidates to find as many uses for a brick as possible. and yes, this time, he looked for those who were creative and improvised to come up with unexpected solutions.

frequently than those chosenthat the pilots selected by Guildford were

Both had different selection criteria and it was soon

and killed more

by the retired pilot.discovered

shot down

Innovation: The Big Idea 29

step

follow the dotted lines and cut out

the tangram

step

Create an animal shape with the seven pieces

step

Take a picture of your image

01 02 03

To kick-start your creative skills, let’s create a tangram puzzle. The rules are simple: rearrange the seven forms to create the most creative animal shape and stand a chance to win attractive prizes!

We’re giving away three mimobots! Get your hands on a limited edition designer usB thumb drive, and stand out during presentations. No more boring thumb drives! say hello to your new mimobot.

*Actual prize may differ from shown.

The top three entries will win our limited edition designer mimobot usB thumbdrives, so do leave us your name, contact number and

e-mail address when sending in your entries!

Closing Date : June 30, 2010

Write a story (not more than 100 words) to tell us why your animal tangram is most unique and creative.

email to: psd_challenge@psd.gov.sg

It is never too late to hit the books again, as four public officers tell Challenge. Armed with new skills, these motivated individuals have become better and more efficient at what they do.

Back toschool

by Gurprit Kaur

it is a fine balance between work, studies and family for mr lim. sometimes, h e e v e n f i n d s h i m s e l f devoting longer hours to his school assignments than playing with his daughter. fortunately, he is blessed with an understanding wife and colleagues. he has also been able to tap on flexible working arrangements at mom to cope.

mr lim said, “i don’t want to be left behind in this ever-changing and dynamic society. as such, i would need to make sacrifices to keep up.”

Well said for a man whose mantra is that the “40s is the new 20s”.

learning is not a product of schooling, but the lifelong attempt to acquire it. – albert einstein

the enfOrCer Ten foreign workers are living under the same roof in a small, filthy flat. an eyewitness lodges a complaint and mr lim Chin Tiong, 37, a housing enforcement inspector with mom appears at their doorstep to investigate. When he is done, he heads back to his office to churn out a report and takes necessary action to resolve the matter speedily.

But his day does not end there. mr lim is also pursuing a part-time Diploma course in administration and management at Ngee ann polytechnic.

“i feel there’re many more skills i can pick up to expand my horizons”, said mr lim, who has a GCe a-level certificate. “The government is also constantly emphasising the importance of lifelong learning.” so when the opportunity arose, he signed up for the Diploma course with his bosses’ blessings, becoming part of the pioneer batch of mom staff to do so.

the sCienCe student mdm ong Bee Choo, 37, aspires to call herself an o-level holder one day. she has taken the first step by pursuing courses recommended by her employer, Casuarina primary school. she also recently completed the Workforce Development agency Career readiness Cert i f icate a t Civil service College during the school holidays.

“During the course, i learnt about time management, problem solving, customer management, and computing skills. it has helped me become more confident and i am given more responsibilities now,” said mdm ong.

Before, mdm ong used to do stock check and data entry by hand. after attending the course, she is now able complete her work with excel.

The science lab assistant certainly enjoys her work. she sees it as an opportunity to learn something new every day. “When i am in doubt about how or what apparatus to set up, i turn to books or surf the internet to help me. i also approach my hoD (head of Department), miss Joyce soon, and she will show me how to do it.”

What keeps mdm ong staying positive? “i believe in the Chinese saying, 活到老学到老(lifelong learning). for me, i will want to learn as much as i can. i can’t live my life with just a psle certificate to my name,” she said.

Level Up 31

the Web Whiz ever heard of someone who likes studying because it is a challenge? mr pang poh Thiam, 33, a miCa information officer currently posted to the prime minister’s office, is one such individual. Despite already possessing a Bachelor of arts degree, mr pang went on to pursue a post-graduate diploma and, subsequently, a masters degree in mass Communications, sponsored by miCa.

“i like to feel challenged mentally,” he said. “studying does that for me, especially after working for a long time, you start to get into a routine. in order to break out of that, i choose to study.”

mr pang has also picked up specialised communication skills that have helped him to plan and carry out public campaigns better.

What about those who feel that they are “too old” to study, because they are afraid of failure? according to mr pang, “failing is better than not even trying”.

“When you try, whether or not you make it, you know that you took the first step. There is also a learning lesson in that ,” said the off icer, who cred i t s h i s co l l eagues and supervisors for encouraging him to keep on learning.

the transfOrmer mrs Jagdish Kaur, an assistant executive in the Transformation Department (psD), found it hard to pick up her books and retrain her mind after nearly 20 years of having left school. Being a wife, mother, employee – and now a student in hr management – has been a challenging feat.

“i have to balance all aspects of my life – work, home and studies – and sometimes the stress really gets to me,” said mrs Kaur, who is in her late 30s.

“i have to fetch my kids from school and then rush them home before going back to sim (singapore institute of management) for my discussions or lectures. i have to ensure that everything is sorted out before i can make time for my studies.”

her husband has been mrs Kaur’s pillar of strength. fondly known as the “iron man” (as ironing is what he does best), he helps pick up the slack at home.

mrs Kaur said: “psD has a culture that promotes upgrading and learning for all staff. i’m grateful that i’m given the opportunity to embark on my studies through psD’s scholarship.”

The new skills from school have given mrs Kaur a leg-up at work. “i can understand and appreciate hr principles and terms better than before,” she explained.

With a supportive family and employer, it is little wonder mrs Kaur is scoring a’s and B’s at school.

by peter ho, head of Civil service

dear yOunG OffiCer, i am often asked what shaped my outlook in life. family and friends, teachers and schoolmates, undoubtedly played a large part. But looking back, one event affected me more profoundly than most.

it was on my birthday, august 9, 1965, when i saw prime minister lee Kuan yew announcing singapore’s separation from malaysia. as an 11-year-old, i could not understand the implications. But through mr lee’s anguish, i could dimly see that

the world that i had known was going to change, and i could not be certain that it would change for the better.

That event and the emotions of that day have stayed with me all these years. from them i drew one important lesson – that life is full of uncertainties, and that we cannot take things for granted.

our future is what we make of it. if we wish for a good future, then we must work hard to maximise the chances that it will be so. i have held this conviction throughout my career in the public service. i hope that young officers like you will also grow to share this same conviction.

i always felt that i had enough leeway to act in the best interests of the organisation. from the day i started work as a junior officer in the Navy, i have always asked myself how i could make things interesting for myself, helpful to my organisation, and hopefully useful for the nation. i never felt that i needed to be told what to do. so i just did it. and it became a habit that i acquired in the days before ps21.

i remember being worried when i was first posted to the ministry of foreign affairs in 1990. i had not asked for the posting. But i had been parachuted in as an outsider without any diplomatic experience to do policy work. i had no track record. as someone who had spent many years in the Navy and miNDef,

i felt like a fish out of water. What did i do? if i did not understand foreign policy, i knew a lot about defence and security. so i involved myself in this area, and had the privilege of helping to create the aseaN regional forum, which is now into its 17th year.

so if you feel that you are out of depth in your work right now, you should stop focusing on the negative, but instead focus on your strengths and leverage on them.

When i size up our young officers these days, one quality i look for is tenacity. if you are convinced of something, you should not give up after the first “No”. re-group, refresh and re-emerge to fight another day – and i say this from experience.

i began my career in the public service in the Navy more years ago than i care to say. eventually, i became responsible for planning the Navy of the future. But with a tight defence budget, miNDef decided that priority should go to the air force. i now accept that it was the right decision. But it was quite demoralising then to be told that the Navy would get the crumbs, and that the defence dollar would be invested in f-16s rather than on missile gunboats.

young officers today are probably no different from what i was like then – impatient and easily frustrated when things do not go your way. But the story did not end there. insteadof giving up in frustration, i persisted as ibelieved then, as now, that singapore needed an effective Navy – not for egotistical reasons but for sound strategic reasons.

in the end, miNDef was persuaded. When i look at the Navy today, i see in it many of the plans that i helped to prepare in those days. it required persistence, but it also required an open mind on the part of the miNDef leadership.

i believe that openness continues to define the public service to this day. it does not mean that everything will be accepted. But it does mean that those who are prepared to persevere, those who can marshal compelling arguments, will get a fair hearing.

To paraphrase George Bernard shaw, “reasonable men adapt, unreasonable men change the world”. We have been fortunate to have had many “unreasonable men” in our midst. otherwise the singapore story would have been very different.

in the public service, we are driven by rules and process. These are not unimportant. But it is more important that we are guided by a conviction that we are empowered to create a better singapore, and that we feel that we can just do it.

if the pioneer generation of public officers had given up in the face of the enormous challenges that we faced then, if they had not persevered despite the uncertainties after separation in 1965, i do not think i would be writing this letter to you. so don’t wait to be told what to do. Create your own reality.

Letters to a Young Public Officer 33

letters to a young Public Officer

In this series, public sector leaders and veterans share their insights

into life in Public Service. The series is inspired by Letters to a Young Poet, a compilation of letters written by poet and art critic Rainer Maria Rilke to a

student at the Military Academy of Vienna in the early 1900s.

young officers today are probably no different from what i was like then – impatient and easily frustrated

when things do not go your way.

siNCe The GoverNmeNT firsT mooted the idea of integrated resorts (irs) in singapore, the topic has generated heated discussion, with those opposed fearing the social costs while others were keen to have theme parks and casinos within a convenient distance.

Now that resorts World sentosa (rWs) has opened, with marina Bay sands resort due to follow soon, a clearer picture is emerging.

singapore management univers i ty professor of economics, Winston Koh, observes that people are excited enough by universal studios singapore to express frustration when some of the best rides were not yet operational by march.

“To have such a theme park in your backyard – there’s the novelty factor, and it offers a place where you can spend a day and have a good time,” he says.

prof Koh is the author of a paper on “an integrated resort-Casino for singapore: assessing the economic impact” for the ips (institute of policy studies) forum on The Casino proposal.

Certainly, according to him, the irs have their advantages.

TWo siDes of a CoiNintegrated resorts

Concerns over the social costs aside, the Integrated Resorts will certainly benefit

Singapore, economics professor Winston Koh tells Challenge.

by susan tsang

To me, the decision to allow casinos in

Singapore constituted a very uncharacteristic

act of “ hitting the panic button” on the part of

our Government. I remain unconvinced that the

casinos were absolutely necessary to lift Singapore

out of the murky depths when the resorts have

other facilities and attractions like Universal

Studios that can draw the crowds. I hope and

pray that the “stop at two” mantra which my

generation has had to live with, will, this time, be

rigorously applied to the issuance of casino licenses

in Singapore.

Ru

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, 6

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I feel that the casino is much less an economic investment and more a political symbol of change and ‘ liberalisation.’ By allowing Singaporeans to ‘choose’ rather than imposing a choice on Singaporeans, there is a marked difference in governance.J

osh

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I think the casinos are needed and are a welcome

boost to this country’s vibrancy. Let’s face it:

even without them, there are lots of people

who would still find some way to gamble…so what’s

wrong in having them here to allow the inflow of all

that wealth?

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The queue to pay the levy, the queue to find

a nice fruit machine, the queue to get a seat on some tables would put

me off as it’ s a waste of precious minutes from my

$100 levy!

Ch

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, 4

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“They make singapore a more exciting tourist destination, and make us compare better with, say, hong Kong, which has Disneyland,” prof Koh says.

JObs, revenue and buzzThe casinos will generate more jobs and revenue for the country, as singaporeans who normally play overseas flock to the new premises at home. Gamers from abroad will also boost income.

and with sands promising las vegas-type entertainment when it opens, the irs will add a spark to the urban environment, in the same way the esplanade did. “There will be a positive buzz,” says prof Koh. “it makes singapore a more interesting place to live and work.”

on the negative side, there could be social issues: think of gambling addicts getting their families into debt, and retirees losing their shirts.

prof Koh’s view is that there are already avenues for people to gamble, including Toto, the Turf Club, cruise ships, and slot machines, “so it doesn’t mean that irs worsen the problem”.

he points out that the government is moving to make sure the casinos have on-site counselling. There are also time-out rooms for players to cool down, and prominent signs reminding patrons not to lose control.

“The effort of control l ing problem gambling should remain a high-level responsibility, not just now, but in the future,” he says.

“The casino will affect some people’s productivity, and from news reports, it is clear that there has been an increase inthe reported incidence of gambling addiction. While this is worrying, we should also be mindful that for every person who is negatively impacted, other people may enjoy their day at the ir, and be energised,” prof Koh notes.

“singaporeans sometimes complain they have nothing to do. if they can have a day at rWs and relax, it may help to increase their overall productivity.”

fOreiGn COmpetitiOn?still, he admits things could get ugly if there is severe competition between the resorts to maximise profits, and they push the gaming side of the business hard. irs are never about the restaurants, facilities or shows, which are loss leaders. The real money – in some cases, over 50% of revenue – is generated from gaming, which subsidises the other operations.

also, crime syndicates, loan sharking and prostitution come with the territory. “it suggests the need for more law enforcement resources,” says prof Koh. “i’m speculating that there will be more undercover people about, to nip this sort of thing in the bud.”

perhaps singapore will be able to minimise the downside of the gaming industry.

however, other countries in the region are studying the possibility of opening casinos as well. Will the irs here be able to compete?

according to prof Koh, the absolute size of the market should grow, as the world becomes more populated. There is also a growth in affluence, especially in asia. “The question is, will we maintain our market share? if it’s yes, then we will see growth in the industry here,” he says.

“The most positive scenario is we manage to take away market share from other places, but that will be tough. on the other hand, if we have more places in the region opening casinos, this may create a clustering effect, pulling people into the region.”

in any case, singapore has a lead as a pioneer.

“if other places open and we don’t, then we are playing catch-up. Now, we have several years of first-mover advantage.”

Word on the Street 35

The question is, will we maintain our market share?if it’s yes, then we will see growth in the industry here.

Have an issue that you hope we will discuss?

Email us at: psd_challenge@psd.gov.sg

Life.Style 37

Five public officers shed their inhibitions to show off their splendid dance moves for Challenge.

by Gurprit Kaur

f r o m m a K i N G h i s r o u N D s around prison to providing a rehabilitation role to the inmates, Khairul maintains a stern and composed disposition. But once on the opposite side of the prison gates, he sheds his “game-face” and embraces his identity as a break-dancer.

With nothing to hold him back except the rhythm of the beat, he has taught himself to become the break-dancer that he is today.

“i picked up skills from wherever possible, one avenue being films,” he says proudly. “save the last Dance, stomp the yard, step up inspired me to infuse break-dancing and hip-hop, which turned out to be a successful formula.”

When he started break-dancing, one of the many skills Khairul taught himself, like any other aspiring break-dancer, was the “Baby freeze” – shoulders pressed against the floor, head bent, and legs lifted up in mid-air.

after 10 years of crazy dives, footwork and competitions, he is no longer a stranger to the local dance scene. along

with his crew, styles from Beyond, he has bagged championships at the anti Drug Dancework 2006, avril lavigne Best Damn Tour Dance Competition, and Groove Nation street style slam.

he was also among the top 10 finalists of The Dance floor 2006 – singapore’s very own version of “so you Think you Can Dance”. only a fantastic mover with a charisma to burn the dance floor can achieve that. so what keeps this carefree BBoy (a name for break-dancers) going?

“i have maintained a never-give-up attitude,” he says. “in break-dancing, you stand on your hands, you end up falling. But with practice and perseverance you will not fall so easily. i apply this in everything that i do so that there is a better outcome.”

This quality of his is true to that of his idol, abang hatta (“Big Brother”), who brought about change by going around tirelessly to various ministries to persuade them to change their perception of break-dancing. once a banned sport in the 1980s due to its association with the “street” (gangsterism), break-dancing is now embraced by one and all.

o Bollywood! We are all familiar with its majestic sets, the elaborate and vibrant costumes, and the sometimes exaggerated yet heart-warming storylines. it is a world often far-fetched from reality, leaving us mesmerised.

for shalini, her interest in Bollywood dance started when “as a young child, i used to watch Bollywood actresses dancing on Tv”.

her “break” came when she jumped at a request to perform a dance to the popular track Chol i ke Peeche at her uncle’s Christmas party. she went on to pick up Bollywood dancing on her own while learning Bhangra, a traditional punjabi folk dance, from two professional dancer friends.

The dhumkas and jhedkas of Bollywood and the bruaaahs of Bhangra make the dance forms seem larger than life. yet, shalini has mastered the moves.

“initially when i started doing stunts (mainly seen in Bhangra), i thought that it would be challenging, but i then realised that if i put my mind to it, it can be done. The stunts were not that hard to grasp,” she says.

bollywood madnessshalini rai, a Communications Executive with NParks, finds herself in the middle of a Bollywood fantasy when she dances.

prison breakPrison Officer Muhammed Khairul Jailani bended the rules 10 years ago when he started break-dancing, once a banned sport.

sitting at her office desk behind a pC, taking important calls, and marking down her boss’s calendar is not all that maybell is about. Just as she is passionate about her job, her other fervour lies in dance.

maybell can be best described as a fiery and sensual dancer, who easily executes the sultry and expressive moves of latin and belly-dancing. my hips felt the pinch as i watched her move; she made it look so effortless, almost like she had no hip bone.

“i like dance forms that involves hip movement, body flexibility, groovy steps and stylish poses,” she said. little wonder why maybell likes Belly-dance flamenco so much.

as much as she is into latin and Belly-dance flamenco, maybel l has a lso attempted different dance forms such as Jazz, Ballet, hip-hop, Contemporary, lyrical, Ballroom, and competitive line Dancing. “i enjoy trying out different dance moves because each dance style is expressively unique,” she said.

like maybell, the other public officers featured here all have their reasons for loving dance. for them, it is a passion that they choose to pursue, despite holding a day job. The reason is simple. as poet Bob holman puts it, “When it’s pure dance, it’s pure faith.”

While shalini looks upon her interest in dance as a form of leisure, latin Ballroom dancer le yi has taken it to competitive heights.

le yi had her epiphany one day while marching drills in the National Cadet Corps during her teenage years. “i had to try very hard not to move to the beat of dancers practising in the hall nearby,” she recalls.

This sparked her enduring love affair with dance, bringing her to competitions in various countries including Taiwan, hong Kong, and spain. in 2005, she emerged tops in singapore.

The lanky dancer has literally knocked out her competition before. “once, during [a competition], i was in the midst of a double spin when i elbowed one of the girls on my left and hit another girl’s chin on the other side during another spin. i felt bad but at the same time the dance had to go on,” she recalls.

le yi’s seemingly effortless kicks and leg work, shoulder shimmies and cheeky poses belie the hard work she has put in over the years. The girl who found dance by chance has grown into a confident dancer who also choreographs and teaches during her spare time. Cassandra’s petite demeanour fools many

into thinking that there is not much she can do. however, when she starts to dance, she moves around effortlessly and shows power in her movements by executing powerful kicks while maintaining a delicate expression.

“i have been exposed to various dance forms – Chinese, hip-hop and modern. But among all, my favourite is lyrical Jazz. as i am stronger with my legs, i like the kicks and turns,” explains Cassandra.

her passion for lyrical Jazz has touched those around her. “i recently choreographed and danced to a light-hearted jazz piece entitled hair for a dance recital at my church. Coupled with big yahoo hair wigs and glitzy costumes, this piece brought fun and laughter to some 800 people,” she says.

When latin meets ballroom With her poise and elegance, Zhong le yi, manager of Corporate Communications at people’s association, makes latin Ballroom seem like child’s play.

blues is my middle name Keeping up with the different trends in dance, Cassandra Goh, manager (food), spriNG singapore, has grown from a lyrical Jazz dancer to a choreographer.

hips don’t lie When maybell Koh, personal assistant to a Director at the ministry of manpower, sways her hips to the beat, it leaves many watching in awe.

Life.Style 39

Know of public officers who play music? Email us at: psd_challenge@psd.gov.sg

tay li shinGBeing the voice of the magazine that represents the entire public service is no easy task, but as editor of Challenge, li shing is more than happy to step up to the microphone and take the magazine to new heights. like her favourite 80s band, she hopes ‘a-ha!’ will be the readers’ reaction the minute they spot a fresh issue of Challenge.

aGnes KWeKas editorial advisor, agnes is the champion, consultant and cheerleader for Challenge. Not only does she fully back up the aspirations of Challenge, she dares us to dream a little bigger! a woman of varied tastes, she is equally at home rocking out to Bon Jovi or busting her moves on the mambo dance floor.

shaun Khiuas assistant editor overseeing design and the Web, shaun’s love for fast and loud hard rock comes through in his uncompromising attitude to make Challenge the most cutting-edge publication of the public service. he strongly believes that Guns N’ roses was both the best and the worst thing to come out of the 80s.

rock on!Getting each issue of Challenge out is like an intense jamming session – ideas and opinions mash and grind to produce a final beat and rhythm we like. Here are our alter egos in action.

edmund sOOas assistant editor, edmund coordinates the various stages of magazine production, from brainstorming new story ideas, to the distribution of the printed copies. With the breakneck pace of each production cycle and the countless deadlines at every different stage, he sometimes wishes he has more than two arms and legs. he listens to 80s retro pop music when he thinks nobody is watching.

The Irreverent Last Page40

Need we say more? Here’s where we let the humour loose, and learn to laugh at ourselves a little more. Have ideas or jokes about the Public Service? E-mail us: psd_challenge@psd.gov.sg

When does Public Service Week 2010 officially take place?a) 1 – 7 may B) 1 – 7 June C) 17 – 23 may D) 17 – 23 June

What is the theme for public service Week 2010?a) Journeying together B) Journeying with pride C) serving with pride D) serving the nation and proud of it

For the first time, a Public Service Carnival will be held in conjunction with public service Week. Where is the venue for this Carnival?a) Civil service Club (Bukit Batok) B) Civil service Club (Changi) C) east Coast park D) orchard road What is the title of the book that recounts the history and evolution of singapore’s public service from 1959 to 2009? a) A Defining Moment B) pioneers once more C) pioneers of the singapore public service D) a history of the singapore public service

how many years has it been since Challenge, the magazine of the singapore public service, was first published?

a) 1 B) 5 C) 10 D) 15

01.

02.

03.

04.

05.

MOVIE VOUCHERSTO BE WON

THERE ARE

PAIRSOF

five

submit your answers by June 17, 2010 at:

Website: www.challenge.gov.sgemail: psd_challenge@psd.gov.sgfax: 6333 4010 please include your name, email address, agency, and telephone number. All winners will be notified by email.

publiC serviCe WeeK 2010