Factors for sustaining good governance in Singapore
- Anticipate Change and Staying
Relevant
A good government also needs to be
forward-looking. A forward-looking mindset anticipates future challenges and
needs. This prepares the country for changing times and helps Singapore
remain ahead in a competitive global economy. NeWater and desalinated water are
examples of how the government prepares for the future by ensuring
self-sufficiency in water supply, a resource important for the survival of Singapore. The
reason being, Singapore
has long depended on Malaysia
for its water supply and its two water agreements with Malaysia will
end in 2011 and 2061. It is thus important for Singapore to look ahead and look
for alternative sources of water to reduce its dependence on Malaysia so as
to ensure that the country is not left stranded and vulnerable if Malaysia
decides not to renew the two contracts, thus hindering Singapore’s
development, progress and survival.
Another example of how the government
anticipates change and stays relevant is the implementation of the Electronic
Road Pricing (ERP) System. Although the Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) had been
effective in controlling traffic flow in designated areas, the government anticipated
future needs and took a step further in looking for improvements to the system.
The labour-intensive ALS was replaced by the ERP system. Although both serve
the same purpose, the ERP which uses up-to-date technology to monitor and
regulate traffic flow was more efficient and effective.
Another example of how the
government anticipates change and stays relevant is the decision to build two
integrated resorts at Marina
Bay and Sentosa not just
to keep abreast of competition in the tourism industry in the region and to
capture the growing tourist market but also to provide jobs and to make Singapore a
more exciting city.
Thus
being forward-looking has helped the government to secure long-term commitment
that will ensure that Singapore’s development can continue unhindered and help Singapore to stay
competitive in the global economy.
Good leadership in the
government is also a key principle of good governance in Singapore.
There is a need for honest and capable leaders to maintain stability in the
government and to make the right decisions for the country. These leaders also
had to be talented, with a good foresight and vision for Singapore,
understand Singaporean’s needs and aspirations, and can work together as a
team. They must also have the moral courage and integrity to do what is right
and not what is popular with the people.
An
example was in 1985, as a result of its open economy, Singapore
experienced a serious recession which resulted in high unemployment. The
government responded quickly to this crisis by a series of bold and unpopular
measures that were aimed at quickly lowering the cost of doing business in the
country. Such policies include reducing company taxes, wages and employers’ CPF
contributions. These measures were bold because they reduced the government’s
revenue and the employees’ income. Workers were unhappy but with the help of
NTUC, they realized that the measures were needed to strengthen the economy.
The policies were effective because within two years, the economy recovered.
Another example is the
introduction of the Vehicle Quota system (VQS). Although the VQS was unpopular
with some of the people, the government went ahead to implement it as it needed
to control the growth of the car population.
The government thus needs to
select its leaders very carefully, grooming them to take on leadership roles.
Leaders who proved to be capable were given senior positions to test their
ability through their rotation of duties in different government departments.
Good
leadership ensures that Singapore
continues with its path to economic success. This is because good leaders make wise and correct
decisions based on sound principles. The latter will help to win the trust and
support of the people for its policies and plans. It will also win the
confidence of foreign governments & investors. In turn, this will bring in increased foreign
investments, success and growth to the economy.
- Reward for Work and Work for Reward
Meritocracy is a key part of the
principle “Reward for Work and Work for Reward”. It refers to a system that
rewards hard work and talent. Meritocracy helps to give everybody in society an
equal opportunity to achieve their best and be rewarded for their performance,
regardless of race, religion and socio-economic background. Rewarding hard work
and talent would encourage more
people to do well and so provide Singapore with a pool of committed
and hardworking people who can continue to contribute positively towards the
country’s progress and leadership, thus ensuring continued harmony and good
governance. Edusave Scholarship, Merit Bursary and ability driven education
encourages students to excel in their studies. and other areas of expertise
such as the arts, music or sports. This would provide us with the best people
to lead in different sectors of the country.
Meritocracy ensures that the best and
talented people are available for the government. This would ensure and sustain
good governance as we will have capable leaders who can bring the country
forward. This is
important as it ensures that talented and capable people in Singapore are
able to develop further. This will lead to having more capable and talented
people taking up leadership positions and, as a result, wise decisions and
policies will be made, helping Singapore
become a more efficient country that will enjoy economic progress and growth.
Possible conclusion:
There is no doubt that
‘reward for work and work for reward’ gives rise to good governance but it just
encourage people to do well and provide Singapore with a pool of committed and
hardworking people who can continue to contribute positively towards the
country’s progress.
However,
without good leadership in the government, there will be no one for the masses
to look to for directions. Good leaders are not only capable, honest and able
to anticipate future challenges and needs, but they also have the moral courage
to do what is right and not what is popular. Without such good leaders, the
policies which are pragmatic, encourage meritocracy and forward-looking may not
even be there. Only good leaders can ensure that such policies are in place to
prepare the country for changing times and helps Singapore remain ahead in a
competitive global economy. Good leaders will ensure that the government
practices meritocracy and reward hard work and talent so that it can sustain
good governance. It will also ensure that there is fairness as Singapore is a
multi-racial society with different races and religions. It also knows that it
needs to win the trust of the people and will plan to ensure there is
transparency in government. Therefore, good leadership in the government is the
key principle of good governance in Singapore because it enables
Singaporeans to have trust in their leaders, confident that they understand
their needs and keep their promises to deliver results.
Reasons for Singapore’s declining birth rate
Singapore’s declining birth rate due
to the trend of Singaporeans marrying at a later age. A later marrying age will
result in a declining birth rate because women who start a family at a later
age tend to have fewer children than those who marry at an earlier age.
Singaporeans tend to get married much later than they used to. In fact, the
mean marriage age of women has been increasing over the year. Women have equal
rights and they want their own careers. They know that having children too soon
might mean that their progress at work will be interrupted, so they delay
marriage and having children. This delayed in marriage and motherhood resulted
in less babies being born. Hence the declining birth rate was due to the trend
of Singaporeans marrying at a later age which resulted in the dangers of having
children at a later age and the lower chances of conceiving at a later age.
- Previous population policies
Singapore’s declining birth rate could
be due to the successful population policies implemented in the 1970s and early
1980s which have changed people’s attitude towards having large families.
Between 1966 and 1981, three five-year plans were implemented to persuade
people to have fewer children. For example, various measures were introduced to
encourage smaller families. These disincentives included no paid maternity
leave for women who had their third child and increased delivery charges in
hospitals with each additional child. There was also no income tax relief for
parents who had the third and fourth child. All these measures contributed to
the slow population growth as people realised the advantages of smaller
families.
- High costs of raising children
In
recent years, the government has introduced the Baby Bonus Scheme in which
parents are given cash incentives when they have children so as to help reduce
the financial burden on parents taking care of their children. However, this
has not helped to raise the birth rates significantly. Many Singaporeans still
find it expensive to raise a child. The childcare cost has become too expensive
for some Singaporeans due to the increased foreign maid levy, increase in
school fees, childcare costs and medical costs. These parents who want to give
their children the best will find it expensive to bring up a child. Hence, they
chose to have only one child. Moreover, some adults today feel that having
children will be a financial burden. Hence there is little incentive to have
more children or even to have a child.
- Improved educational status of
women
Since
1970s, the educational status of women has improved. More women received formal
education compared to the past. Education allowed women a place in the
workforce and the satisfaction of a career. Women are no longer content with
being confined to traditional, subservient roles. They desire to advance their
careers, be leaders in society, enjoy life and see the world. The monetary
incentive of the baby bonus schemes are not an attractive enough stimulant to
the modern educated women. As a result, there was a trend of women marrying at
a later age or not at all. Motherhood was also delayed. This delayed in
marriage and motherhood resulted in the declining birth rate.
In
conclusion, previous population control policies were effective in contributing
the declining birth rate. The measures made people realised the advantages of
having smaller families and provided ways in which people can have small
families. However, the improved education status of women contributed more to
the declining birth rates as it brought about a change in attitude and mindsets
of young Singaporeans.
Measures taken by the Singapore
government to encourage population growth
- The Graduate Mothers Scheme
Based
on research, it was felt that the education level of the parents had a direct
impact of their children in schools. The research showed that parents who were
university graduates were more likely to have children who performed better in
schools. As a result, the Prime Minister felt that female graduates should be
encouraged to have more children so that there would be a higher chance of the
new generation workforce being more educated. Thus, in 1984 the Graduate
Mothers Scheme was started to encourage marriages among graduates and to
encourage them to have more children.
The government ‘Have 3 or More if you can afford it’ policy allowed
couples can use their Medisave to pay for the delivery charges of the first 3
children. This scheme was slightly successful and led to a slight
increase in population between 1986 and 1988, from 1.48 in 1986 to 1.96 in
1988. Part of this was due to 1988 being the Dragon Year which Chinese consider
as an auspicious year for having babies. However, this was still below our
replacement target of 2.1. So, pro-family incentives in 2004 such as income tax
relief, working mother subsidy to families with up to 4 children and a 5 day
working week, were introduced to attract some couples to have more babies. In
2004, Singapore
recorded one of the lowest fertility rates among developing countries. So, the
3 child policy did not really help to promote a credible increase in
population.
- The other
pro-family measures 2004
In that year the Prime
Minister introduced a package of new marriage and parenthood measures that were
aimed at boosting population figures. These measures came about as a result of
public feedback. The new measures included equalized medical benefits for both
parents which meant that mothers too could make medical claims from their
employers (and not just fathers ). Another measure was the grandparent
caregiver relief by which a couple could claim $3,000 in income tax relief if a
grandparent was helping them to take care of their child. A third measure is
the 5-day work week for the Civil Service. This is to allow for a better
work-life balance. Finally, there is the extended maternity leave which was an
extension from 8 weeks to 12 weeks. Through these various measures, there is
sufficient reason for married couples to have more children as the high cost of
raising children and the lack of suitable childcare arrangements (concerns
which the public raised) were addressed.
- Attracting foreign
talent
The foreign talent policy was slightly more successful, with foreigners
contributing to 1% of the 2.8% population growth in 2000. Relaxing immigration
policy and providing subsidised housing and education package made it easier
for foreign talents to live and work in Singapore. By making it easier for
foreigners to work and live in Singapore,
the government hoped that some of these individuals would develop an attachment
to the nation and take up permanent citizenship or residence. This did help to
increase the country’s population. In fact, the government now hopes to attract
more foreigners to make up for the declining birth rate as Singapore aims
to increase its population from 4 million to 6 million.
The government measures to increase population after 1980s were largely
unsuccessful. After 1988, the number of babies per woman fell steadily to 1.59
in 2000. Despite public campaigns on the joys of parenthood, married couples
opted to have not more than 2 children. These resulted in fewer babies being
born despite the pro-family incentives given after 1980s. So, the policy was
largely unsuccessful as it failed to have any lasting impact on the population
growth rate until today. Birth rates continue to dip. Even the baby bonus
scheme of 2001 that gives monetary incentives for giving birth to more children
failed to promote population growth. So, attracting foreign talent is at
present the more effective strategy for Singapore to overcome its manpower
needs.
Ways in which Singapore prepare for her ageing
population
Many hands approach:
The
government
has made laws and introduced measures to protect the interests of the senior
citizens. The first law is the Tribunal
for the Maintenance of Parents where parents can obtain the help of the court
to seek financial support from their children who are capable of supporting
them but are not fulfilling their responsibilities. Another law is under the Public Housing
Scheme which allows first time buyers of government’s flats to obtain a housing
grant if they buy a flat in the vicinity where their parents live so that they
can look after their elderly parents.
The
community
can also play an important role in enhancing the well-being of senior
citizens. It can give social and
emotional support and provide healthcare and social services. The government provides subsidies to
voluntary welfare organizations that run community-based services for senior
citizens. An example of such an organization
is the Home Nursing Foundation for Elders.
Most of such organizations involved members of the community such as
housewives, students and retirees to help look after the needs of senior
citizens. Some community organizations
also offer free health checks and organize recreational activities for senior
citizens. These services and activities
are means to help senior citizens to remain physically, mentally and socially
active.
Maintaining a healthy
lifestyle is the responsibility of the
individual in preparing for their old age.
He should watch his diet and exercise regularly. He should also plan early and be financially
prepared for old age. At the same time,
family support is also important to bring about social stability and harmony. To strengthen family bonds, Grandparent’s day
is also celebrated to bring families together to show their appreciation for
the elderly.
The most important factor is
the role of the individual as he is ultimately liable for his own health and
therefore life. The government support
is primarily aid to sustaining one’s health while the community helps doubles
as reinforcements. At the end of the day, the community and the government
cannot determine nor intervene entirely where the individual’s health or wealth
and therefore standard of lifestyle are concerned.
Ways to
meet the healthcare needs of the people in Singapore
- Promoting a healthy
lifestyle
Promoting a healthy lifestyle ensures that people of all ages remain
healthy. Schools, workplaces and community centres have programmes to emphasise
the need to maintain good health. For example, regular physical exercises and a
well-balanced diet are encouraged and given active support. If more people were
to follow a healthy lifestyle, there would be less people seeking medical treatment.
This would mean a savings, not only for the individual, but also for the government
which would then not have to invest heavily in healthcare. The funds could
instead be channeled to other areas which require more funding such as education.
- Encouraging Self
Reliance
Encouraging self-reliance is the best way of meeting the healthcare
needs of Singaporeans as this involves people sharing the costs of healthcare
with the government. This is done through two schemes – the Medisave and
MediShield schemes. Under Medisave, 6-8% from every workers central provident
fund contributions every month is channeled into their Medisave accounts,. This
money can be used to pay hospital bills and certain medical treatments, including
expensive ones, when needed such as chemotherapy. Medisave can be complemented
by MediShield, a national healthcare insurance scheme which makes it possible
for patients to claim for large medical bills which Medisave does not cover.
Making workers self-reliant through such schemes lightens the government’s
burden of paying for healthcare services. This means the government does not
need to raise taxes to pay for rising healthcare costs, as would happen in a
welfare state.
Means-testing is an effective
way to keep healthcare cost affordable as it would mean subsidies that are
provided by the government would benefit patients who need them most. Resources
would be more fairly distributed if those who cannot afford to pay for
healthcare get the most subsidies. In the same way, those who are more
well-to-do would benefit less from subsidies. This would ensure that healthcare
cost does not become expensive as it would ensure that limited resources are
given to those who need it more, etc
In Singapore,
providing subsidies for government hospitals is one of the ways to keep
healthcare costs affordable. When the government gives subsidies to hospital wards,
patients need not pay the full amount for the healthcare treatment received.
This is especially so for patients who choose to stay in Class ‘C’ wards
where the subsidy is 80% of the hospital bill for the patient. People who
cannot afford to pay for extra facilities during their hospital stays can
choose to be treated in Class ‘C’ wards. In this way, healthcare cost is kept
manageable for the lower income group, etc. To ensure that healthcare remains
affordable for most Singaporeans, means-testing was introduced in Jan 2009.
Under the means-testing, patients whose income is $3200 and below would receive
subsidies of 65% for Class B2 and 80% for Class C. Those whose income are $5201
and above would receive 50% subside for Class Bs and 65% for Class C. Patients whose income falls between $3201 and
$5200 would receive graduated subsidies between 50 and 65% for Class B2 and
between 65-80% for Class C. Government
subsidies helps to meet the needs of the people as it ensures that whoever
cannot afford to pay for healthcare get the most subsidies.
- Support services/
Working with organisations
The community plays a supportive role in helping the government manage
healthcare. It is not possible for the government to run all healthcare
services. Some patients who are discharged from hospitals may still need
medical care. Voluntary welfare organizations and some private organizations
are given grants to run community hospitals, nursing homes and day
rehabilitation centres for this group of patients. Organisations also cater to
the needs of specific groups of people such as the poor or those with a
particular illness like the Home Nursing Foundation, which provides quality and
affordable home nursing services for the needy and elderly sick in Singapore. By playing a supportive role to the
government, the community helps by providing resources and shares the costs and
burden of healthcare services.
Aims of healthcare policies
The healthcare policies must
ensure that the lower-income group is not deprived of healthcare. No person
must be deprived of healthcare because he can’t afford it. Some lower income groups are not able to afford
medical expenses in spite of Medisave, Medishield and government subsidies,
thus Medifund was set up & the interest earned is given to public hospitals
to provide help for needy patients. The government also gives direct subsidies to government’s hospitals,
polyclinic and some nursing homes for elderly to ensure healthcare services are
available to all. More subsidies for different classes of wards e.g. Class C
gets the most subsidies. It provides good basic medical care at an
affordable rate. Government has given assurance that sufficient wards would be
built to cater to lower-income Singaporeans. Under means testing, the system of pegging how much person
pays to his income, well-to-do will get fewer subsidies than lower income.
This is
essential as it is unhealthy for social cohesion if lower income feel their
needs are not taken care of and there’s no scheme to help them level up.
It
is necessary to reduce healthcare cost in view of rising health cost or the
government has to increase taxes. This
can be done through for e.g. Many
Helping Hands approach – which involve the community. Healthcare policies must also be able to sustain
economic growth. Singapore
aims to develop itself into a medical hub that provides world-class health care
services for the region. It has ventured into new areas like the Life Sciences,
which involves the study of genetics and the development of new medical
treatments using gene therapy, new drugs and food products that have been
genetically engineered.
Reducing healthcare cost means there
will be more fund for other sectors e.g. education, defence. By diversifying
into services e.g. healthcare, we sustain our economic growth better. Good
healthcare services will attract patients from other countries to engage our
services.
- Inculcate self-reliance: Social/Shared responsibility
With rising health costs due
to use of more expensive equipment and latest technology and increased wages of
medical profession, government cannot give very generous health subsidies to
the public as it had no wish to raise funds through taxes. Self-reliance must
be inculcated – give people good incentives to stay healthy and not use medical
services he or she does not really need by making them pay part of their
medical expenses through Medisave and Medishield. Medisave scheme is a
compulsory savings scheme to help Singaporeans pay for their family members and
their hospitalization fees, especially after retirement. It constitutes 6%-8%
of a worker’s salary. Medshield scheme is a voluntary insurance scheme to help
pay medical fees incurred by serious or prolonged illnesses such as cancer and
kidney failure.
Health education is also
necessary to help people make informed choices, educate them on importance of
regular physical exercises and a well-balanced diet. An example is the launch of the National
Healthy Lifestyle Campaign in 1992 which includes screening programmes for
early detection of diseases like hypertension, diabetes and heart diseases.
Encouraging self-reliance will reduce
abuse of the healthcare system and also make more effective use of resources.
