Engagement has been the buzzword in the wake of the last General Election. During the recent Budget debate, ministers spoke of new efforts to review policies and engage Singaporeans in some 50 areas. Insight looks at their significance.
By Janice Heng, The Straits Times, 16 Mar 2012
IF YOU want a road map for policy change in Singapore, a good place to start is the list of reviews that came to light during the recent Budget debate.
They range from the long-term and strategic to the nitty-gritty of HDB living.
For an idea of where population policies are headed, look to the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD). It is examining key goals, and plans to seek input from the public and issue a White Paper by year end.
Cyber-bullying? Three ministries are reviewing the laws to see if there is a need for more protection against such acts.
Rules on keeping pets? A government taskforce is studying how to update them.
Based on what ministers said during the nine-day debate, there are at least 50 areas where policies are being relooked.
Political reviews have long been part of the political landscape. Previous efforts included the Remaking Singapore and Singapore 21 committees, for example, which saw ministers holding extensive meetings to discuss policy options and directions.
But veteran Members of Parliament say they sense a difference in how the Government is now going about them.
Joo Chiat MP Charles Chong, who has sat through 24 Budget debates, recalls a time when reviews were far less public because the ministry in charge would just 'get some wise men together'. Discussions then were mostly held behind closed doors, and the public told of the outcome once the issues were all but settled.
These days, the Government's approach is more collaborative. It engages stakeholders, including non-government organisations. Mr Chong describes it as 'a brave new start'.
But how significant is this shift in approach? What impact is it likely to have on policy outcomes?
With so many reviews taking place concurrently, is there a need for more oversight of both process and results?
Review the reviews
AS BEFITS a small city state ever anxious to keep its edge in the face of change and competition, Singapore has made policy review part of its DNA.
That is how it strives to adapt and keep pace with developments around the world.
Among its most high-powered and best-publicised review committees are those that have driven economic change. These include the 2001-2003 Economic Review Committee, chaired by then-Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and the 2010 Economic Strategies Committee, chaired by then-Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
These types of reviews continue to play an important role in charting future policy direction. They are carried out by a cast of policymakers, experts and industry players.
The current NPTD study on a sustainable population strategy is in that league. That the Government plans to put out a White Paper - a policy document that may be debated in Parliament and form the basis for legislation - signals that tackling population and immigration issues is a top priority in the years ahead.
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is the minister in charge of NPTD, assured Parliament that the Government will engage Singaporeans on issues such as the size and composition of the country's population, and ensure their views, aspirations and concerns are considered.
That contrasts with the closed and confidential nature of population and immigration planning in the past, when such matters were considered perhaps too sensitive to be discussed openly.
Today, though, there is a greater realisation of the need to engage and consult. Mr Teo acknowledged that MPs were right to point out the impact of population changes on Singaporeans' access to housing, public transport and public spaces.
Mr Chong says the way Government conducts policy review must take into account citizens' changing attitudes and expectations.
Where once they were willing to accept government decisions on the basis that experts had been consulted, today's voters adopt a different stance. Mr Chong sums it up in these words: 'Don't just tell us what you'll do, but tell us how you came to decide that. Did you take this and that into consideration?'
MPs say better-educated citizens are not only more interested in the thinking behind government decisions, but also more willing to come forth with their views.
That might account for the perception that the Government has stepped up its feedback-gathering efforts, says Nee Soon GRC MP Lee Bee Wah.
'I think that all the while, we were trying to get feedback as well - it's just that recently, there are more people coming forward.'
She welcomes the greater desire of citizens to be involved: 'We would like to see more ground-up action, instead of always top-down.'
Another big area of strategic review centres on education and manpower needs.
Reviews in this area include one on the supply of lawyers, which is being carried out by a high-level panel chaired by Judge of Appeal V. K. Rajah. A separate industry-led taskforce is tackling manpower issues in the power sector.
Minister of State Lawrence Wong heads the Committee on University Education Pathways beyond 2015 - a big job for the first-term office holder.
That is another dimension of the political significance of such reviews - they act as a testing ground for new inductees.
The successful steering of a review on as weighty a matter as university education enables a newcomer to showcase both strategic thinking and political judgment.
Open to change
AT A level closer to the ground, ministries also constantly review existing policies and regulations.
By Janice Heng, The Straits Times, 16 Mar 2012
IF YOU want a road map for policy change in Singapore, a good place to start is the list of reviews that came to light during the recent Budget debate.
They range from the long-term and strategic to the nitty-gritty of HDB living.
For an idea of where population policies are headed, look to the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD). It is examining key goals, and plans to seek input from the public and issue a White Paper by year end.
Cyber-bullying? Three ministries are reviewing the laws to see if there is a need for more protection against such acts.
Rules on keeping pets? A government taskforce is studying how to update them.
Based on what ministers said during the nine-day debate, there are at least 50 areas where policies are being relooked.
Political reviews have long been part of the political landscape. Previous efforts included the Remaking Singapore and Singapore 21 committees, for example, which saw ministers holding extensive meetings to discuss policy options and directions.
But veteran Members of Parliament say they sense a difference in how the Government is now going about them.
Joo Chiat MP Charles Chong, who has sat through 24 Budget debates, recalls a time when reviews were far less public because the ministry in charge would just 'get some wise men together'. Discussions then were mostly held behind closed doors, and the public told of the outcome once the issues were all but settled.
These days, the Government's approach is more collaborative. It engages stakeholders, including non-government organisations. Mr Chong describes it as 'a brave new start'.
But how significant is this shift in approach? What impact is it likely to have on policy outcomes?
With so many reviews taking place concurrently, is there a need for more oversight of both process and results?
Review the reviews
AS BEFITS a small city state ever anxious to keep its edge in the face of change and competition, Singapore has made policy review part of its DNA.
That is how it strives to adapt and keep pace with developments around the world.
Among its most high-powered and best-publicised review committees are those that have driven economic change. These include the 2001-2003 Economic Review Committee, chaired by then-Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and the 2010 Economic Strategies Committee, chaired by then-Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
These types of reviews continue to play an important role in charting future policy direction. They are carried out by a cast of policymakers, experts and industry players.
The current NPTD study on a sustainable population strategy is in that league. That the Government plans to put out a White Paper - a policy document that may be debated in Parliament and form the basis for legislation - signals that tackling population and immigration issues is a top priority in the years ahead.
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is the minister in charge of NPTD, assured Parliament that the Government will engage Singaporeans on issues such as the size and composition of the country's population, and ensure their views, aspirations and concerns are considered.
That contrasts with the closed and confidential nature of population and immigration planning in the past, when such matters were considered perhaps too sensitive to be discussed openly.
Today, though, there is a greater realisation of the need to engage and consult. Mr Teo acknowledged that MPs were right to point out the impact of population changes on Singaporeans' access to housing, public transport and public spaces.
Mr Chong says the way Government conducts policy review must take into account citizens' changing attitudes and expectations.
Where once they were willing to accept government decisions on the basis that experts had been consulted, today's voters adopt a different stance. Mr Chong sums it up in these words: 'Don't just tell us what you'll do, but tell us how you came to decide that. Did you take this and that into consideration?'
MPs say better-educated citizens are not only more interested in the thinking behind government decisions, but also more willing to come forth with their views.
That might account for the perception that the Government has stepped up its feedback-gathering efforts, says Nee Soon GRC MP Lee Bee Wah.
'I think that all the while, we were trying to get feedback as well - it's just that recently, there are more people coming forward.'
She welcomes the greater desire of citizens to be involved: 'We would like to see more ground-up action, instead of always top-down.'
Another big area of strategic review centres on education and manpower needs.
Reviews in this area include one on the supply of lawyers, which is being carried out by a high-level panel chaired by Judge of Appeal V. K. Rajah. A separate industry-led taskforce is tackling manpower issues in the power sector.
Minister of State Lawrence Wong heads the Committee on University Education Pathways beyond 2015 - a big job for the first-term office holder.
That is another dimension of the political significance of such reviews - they act as a testing ground for new inductees.
The successful steering of a review on as weighty a matter as university education enables a newcomer to showcase both strategic thinking and political judgment.
Open to change
AT A level closer to the ground, ministries also constantly review existing policies and regulations.
It is here that MPs sense most clearly a greater responsiveness to feedback, on the part of both ministers and civil servants.
One minister who made explicit in Parliament his commitment to engaging stakeholders and making changes in response was Mr Khaw Boon Wan.
He told the House on March 5: 'I think since I stepped into the Ministry of National Development (MND), quite a number of rules and policies have been changed. I don't think that's the end of it and we'll continue to press on.'
Mr Khaw volunteered to take charge of housing last year, in the wake of public anger that spilled over during last May's general election.
During Parliament's scrutiny of his ministry's budget earlier this month, Ms Lee, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee on National Development, pressed Mr Khaw to help divorcees. They are barred from buying a second subsidised HDB flat for five years after their divorce, unless their ex-spouses pledge not to make such a purchase during that period.
'Why make her life so difficult?' was Ms Lee's plaintive plea on behalf of a divorced constituent.
Mr Khaw then revealed that the Housing Board had decided to lift the time bar for divorced parents with full custody of young children. He would also review the time bar of five years, in response to feedback that it was too long.
On whether she senses winds of change blowing through Government, Ms Lee says yes, and she hopes it translates into prompt action when requests are reasonable.
'Previously maybe I need to speak for three, four years before I get a lift at Khatib! Now hopefully I won't have to wait so long,' she says of a previous effort to lobby on behalf of elderly constituents for lifts at an overhead bridge at Khatib MRT station.
Mountbatten MP Lim Biow Chuan describes the current state of play as 'not business as usual'.
Previously, the Government tended to interact with MPs on the basis of 'we decide what is best, and we hope you support us', he says.
'Now, it's more 'Let's work together',' he adds.
Transport and health are two other areas where ministers agreed on the spot, during the Budget debate, to review existing rules which MPs said were hurting their constituents.
Review the results
WHILE MPs welcome the new approach to policy review, some are still waiting to see what it yields in the form of outcomes.
Review the results
WHILE MPs welcome the new approach to policy review, some are still waiting to see what it yields in the form of outcomes.
Among them is Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Inderjit Singh, another veteran of Parliament.
'If the Budget debate is anything to go by, I think some of the new ministers are willing to listen, but whether that translates into concrete policy changes remains to be seen,' he tells Insight.
To make the point that the giving and receiving of feedback does not always influence policy decisions, Mr Singh cited the Government's liberal policy on foreign worker inflows in the last five years.
'The ground feel is that the feedback was not really taken into consideration,' he says.
Since 2010, the Government has been tightening its policy by raising foreign worker levies and raising criteria for employment passes.
Former Nominated MP Viswa Sadasivan argues that, in the face of a more critical electorate, it is important to go beyond form and focus on substance.
'It is no more about how many committees are formed or how many dialogue sessions are held, but whether the Government is sincere about listening to the ground and responds promptly and substantively.'
For instance, the Government should be more willing to engage critical stakeholders, especially professional groups with knowledge and insight on the issues, he adds.
For Pioneer MP Cedric Foo, a good test of whether fresh thinking is being applied to perennial problems is the review of the public transport fare formula.
A new committee is being convened to review the formula this year. It will be headed by former senior district judge Richard Magnus, who recently joined the Public Transport Council (PTC).
Announcing this in Parliament, Mr Lui said Mr Magnus 'brings a new pair of eyes and a fresh mind to the task'.
The current fare formula dates back to 2005 and was refined in 2008. It pegs annual fare changes to inflation, wages and the productivity of the two operators, SBS Transit and SMRT.
PTC chairman Gerard Ee says he expects the new committee to comprise other faces new to this area of policy review.
'It will mainly be people who have not been involved previously, so that they can have a fresh outlook,' he predicts.
Mr Foo, who heads the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, thinks the current formula is too generous to operators and their shareholders.
Their returns 'should be commensurate with the nature of the business and the risk involved', he says.
As the two operators are dominant players in public transport, they face no 'volume risk'. Their ridership - or volume of business - is unlikely to fall.
They face only a low regulatory price risk, which hinges on whether the PTC approves their requests for fare hikes.
He hopes for a revised fare formula that takes into account the low level of risk and gives shareholders reasonable, but not excessive, returns.
There is, however, one area in which MPs and political observers alike say the new collaborative approach to policy- making is already yielding fruit.
That area is social policy.
Mr Singh applauds how this year's inclusive Budget incorporated quite a few ideas from MPs and stakeholders on improving the social safety net.
'This is one area where feedback has been applied quite seriously,' he says.
That area is social policy.
Mr Singh applauds how this year's inclusive Budget incorporated quite a few ideas from MPs and stakeholders on improving the social safety net.
'This is one area where feedback has been applied quite seriously,' he says.
National University of Singapore assistant professor Reuben Wong has observed a significant increase in support for the disabled.
He sees it as the Government responding to input from members of the disabled community and civil society activists, including Moulmein-Kallang GRC MP Denise Phua.
The Government's move to require employers to give foreign maids one day off a week also reflects its receptiveness to input from non-government organisations, he says.
Nominated MP Eugene Tan says ministries should, of their own accord, find ways to keep the public updated on the status of ongoing reviews.
'People are following the issues and keeping track. There is a need to keep them informed because that is also keeping them engaged,' he says.
The Government can also do a better job of informing the public about the various alternatives considered, and explaining why these were not workable.
He cites the move to put forth $1.1 billion in government funds to improve bus services as one decision 'that could have benefited from better articulation'.
Such explanations 'can help to remove the strong hint of pre-determination in policymaking where the Government is concerned, and give the consultation and engagement process a vital boost', he adds.
As Mr Viswa notes, the framework is in place: in the proliferation of reviews, and the many attempts at consultation and outreach.
To MPs, the readiness to engage is also palpable, with ministers more receptive to suggestions both in and out of Parliament.
Now, it remains for Government and citizens to join hands in making the review process work better.
Now, it remains for Government and citizens to join hands in making the review process work better.
A sampling of the reviews
By Janice Heng, The Straits Times, 16 Mar 2012
ALL manner of committees and reviews were announced in the nine-day Budget debate, for issues as far-reaching as Singapore's population goals to niche concerns such as a radio broadcast quota for local music. Here is a sample:
POPULATION POLICY
Developing a sustainable population strategy is Singapore's 'most critical long-term issue' - and a White Paper on the topic is in the works, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.
At least six MPs had asked about population targets, sustainability of growth and problems such as integration.
They might get answers from the National Population and Talent Division's comprehensive examination of population goals and policies.
Singaporeans' 'views, aspirations and concerns' will be sought online and in focus groups, to be incorporated in the White Paper to be released this year.
SUPPLY OF LAWYERS
To reassess Singapore's supply of lawyers, the Fourth Committee on the Supply of Lawyers has been convened.
Chaired by Judge of Appeal V.K. Rajah, it will consider how to grow the pool of legal talent as well as possible adjustments to admissions policy.
The announcement came in response to queries by Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Hri Kumar Nair and Aljunied GRC MP Chen Show Mao, who had asked respectively about how the Government plans to ensure that there are enough lawyers, and if more lawyers with external degrees can be enabled to practise here.
ELECTRONIC ROAD PRICING (ERP) ON SATURDAY
Three MPs called for the removal of ERP on Saturday, especially on certain roads leading to the city.
By Janice Heng, The Straits Times, 16 Mar 2012
ALL manner of committees and reviews were announced in the nine-day Budget debate, for issues as far-reaching as Singapore's population goals to niche concerns such as a radio broadcast quota for local music. Here is a sample:
POPULATION POLICY
Developing a sustainable population strategy is Singapore's 'most critical long-term issue' - and a White Paper on the topic is in the works, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.
At least six MPs had asked about population targets, sustainability of growth and problems such as integration.
They might get answers from the National Population and Talent Division's comprehensive examination of population goals and policies.
Singaporeans' 'views, aspirations and concerns' will be sought online and in focus groups, to be incorporated in the White Paper to be released this year.
SUPPLY OF LAWYERS
To reassess Singapore's supply of lawyers, the Fourth Committee on the Supply of Lawyers has been convened.
Chaired by Judge of Appeal V.K. Rajah, it will consider how to grow the pool of legal talent as well as possible adjustments to admissions policy.
The announcement came in response to queries by Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Hri Kumar Nair and Aljunied GRC MP Chen Show Mao, who had asked respectively about how the Government plans to ensure that there are enough lawyers, and if more lawyers with external degrees can be enabled to practise here.
ELECTRONIC ROAD PRICING (ERP) ON SATURDAY
Three MPs called for the removal of ERP on Saturday, especially on certain roads leading to the city.
Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew began with the reassurance that the Government is 'prepared to fine-tune the system where there is room to do so'.
Completely removing ERP on Saturdays would cause congestion to return, he said. But he was prepared to examine if Saturday ERP hours could be shortened.
The Land Transport Authority will announce the outcome of the review when it is ready, he added.
MEDISHIELD FOR CONGENITAL CONDITIONS
The government health insurance scheme MediShield does not cover congenital and neonatal conditions, and this is a source of worry for some parents.
MPs such as Non-Constituency MP Gerald Giam echoed such concerns and called for coverage to be extended.
MEDISHIELD FOR CONGENITAL CONDITIONS
The government health insurance scheme MediShield does not cover congenital and neonatal conditions, and this is a source of worry for some parents.
MPs such as Non-Constituency MP Gerald Giam echoed such concerns and called for coverage to be extended.
These calls may soon be answered. The Government is consulting the public on whether to extend MediShield to cover medical issues that exist at birth, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong.
Moulmein-Kallang GRC MP Denise Phua wanted to know when the review will be completed. She had asked for such a move in her first Budget debate in 2007. 'We want to finish the review as soon as possible,' said Mr Gan, adding that it will be up for public consultation soon.
The Government is also considering extending MediShield to inpatient psychiatric care.
The Government is also considering extending MediShield to inpatient psychiatric care.
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