Another article I contributed to the Straits Times Forum. Enjoy.
It was indeed heartening to read Head Public Service, Mr Peter Ho’s commentary on Insight (Nov 17 2006) on “Wanted in Public Service: Guts, Gumption and Risk-Taking”. It has shed light on the shifting directions and roles of public servants beyond sectoral interests, towards greater national development. In this context, there’s room to enhance our public service’s flexibility in not merely wanting, but recognizing these gutsy and opportunistic individuals in the service’s own backyard.
In debunking the stigma that public servants are implementers and regulators of policy, Mr Ho mentioned that the service’s core values of pragmatism, opportunistic ideals and excellence in implementation and delivery is exemplified in the EDB attracting increasing FDI. While his example is not an exception, there is merit for such examples to be the norm.
With the limited human resource pool of opportunistic, risk-taking, and gutsy individuals, it is not surprising that traditional sectoral human resource retention persists, to “hoard the gold”. Has the public service emplaced the best people, in the appropriate places, at the appropriate time, for our over-arching national interests? Skills develop over time, and so do the relative (mis)match of people in organizations.
Now that there’s increased realization towards inter-agency co-operation for strategic development, its perfect timing that we re-look at our human resource management policies. We can be innovative and flexible in employing the right people at various arms of the public service. For argument’s sake, Imagine if fresh graduates (concurrently on teaching scholarships / awards), armed with good Business Administration degrees, clocked overseas internships, yet morally obligating their bonds for three years? MOE would be glad to have these employees inculcate business and communication skills to the younger generation, but the public service may have missed out on a few gems who may have the tenacity and risk-taking approach in the post 65 generation who could contribute more for the nation. i.e. “Getting more bang for the buck”.
We need to complement the “wanted” aspects in public service for guts, gumption and risk-taking, with “recognition”, where we should explore our own sectoral human resource pools, and flexibly encourage transfers across agencies. This would mark a positive development in recognizing that future challenges require us to respond with innovative policies as suggested, to put our best people, in the best places, at the best time, for our national interest.
The increased proliferation of inter-ministry cooperation towards enhancing a networked government bodes well to level up beyond sectoral, but towards higher national interests. The two proposed integrated resorts are examples of strategic inter-agency co-operation to converge national values, in merging our land use considerations (URA) with creating sustainable economic growth (EDB). Imagine if our urban planners insisted on allocating the reclaimed Marina land area purely for commercial usage as an extension of the Central Business District, chances are, we would be passing the buck, missing out on a strategic opportunity to deepen our pockets. For attracting investors for our two IRs, I’m assured that we Singaporeans are more thankful for our public service in championing this.
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