To be effective, public servants must understand political context, changing environment in which Govt functions: SM Lee
Public service must stay impartial as it renew ties with new leaders
By Goh Yan Han, Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 18 Sep 2024
Public servants must understand the political context in which the Government functions to be effective, but cannot get embroiled in political debates, said Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sept 17.
As the public service renews its relationship with a new generation of political leaders, and Singapore does its best to renew its systems amid a changing world, good policies and good politics will continue to be key, he said.
But the public service has to stay impartial and out of politics, he said, addressing more than 850 public servants at the Annual Public Service Leadership Ceremony held at The Star Theatre in Buona Vista.
He noted that the public service does not make policies in a “technocratic vacuum”, and must be aware of the external, strategic environment in which Singapore exists, the national challenges the country faces, the hopes and concerns of the people, as well as the overarching national objectives the Government is striving to achieve.
But he cautioned: “The public service has to stay out of politics. Public officers cannot get embroiled in political debates, or party politics. You need to stay impartial.”
In his speech, SM Lee sketched out the roles of Singapore’s public service and its political leaders, and the relationship between them.
The country must have a public service driven by the right values and ethos, with the capability and operational know-how to design and implement the right policies, and continuously improve and innovate.
And public servants must also work hand in glove with a political leadership that has the political courage, conviction and touch to convince and inspire people and win their mandate.
“To deliver what is very rare in the world, but what Singaporeans have shown we can do – good government and steady progress,” said SM Lee.
These factors have contributed to Singapore’s success since its early years of nationhood, he noted.
The public service is principally concerned with making and implementing policies – a very demanding task, noted SM Lee.
“Unless this hard work is done, and done well, all our goals and ambitions will remain empty slogans, and the Government will fail to deliver results to Singaporeans,” he said. “That’s why it is vital to have a competent, professional and high-quality public service.”
Ministers must master policies
Singapore’s political leadership is principally concerned with the political aspects – ministers set the overall direction for the nation, with the best interests of the country and its citizens at heart, he said.
They also make political choices on how the country should move forward, and hold their own in the political contest.
But ministers cannot confine themselves narrowly to politics, said SM Lee.
“Ministers who just preside ceremonially over their ministries, setting grand objectives and then leaving the hard work of getting things done to their public officers, add no value. To be effective, ministers must master the policies too,” he said.
This way, they can give clear guidance and direction, make sound political decisions and navigate unavoidable trade-offs, and carry conviction when pitching their policies to the public.
“We have held ourselves to this standard over these years. It is an important reason why we have been able to come up with and implement good policies for the nation,” he said.
For the system to work properly, lines must be properly drawn between the public service and political leadership, with respective responsibilities kept clear.
“But at the same time, both sides must work closely together, with mutual trust, respect and understanding, to achieve the ideal combination of the policies and politics, to deliver results for the country,” said SM Lee.
“This is how we have been able to maintain political stability and deliver good government for Singapore, and kept it going through many terms of government.”
He pointed out that this happens in very few countries, despite them not lacking talent or ideas.
“In those countries, governments find that doing the right thing is not politically feasible, and then political leaders of all parties default to populism or short-termism to stay in power,” he said.
While Singapore has also faced political pressures to spend more or tax less, successive generations of ministers chose to do the opposite by being prudent with spending and building up the reserves, said SM Lee.
The Government has been able to keep its finances sustainable, while delivering high-quality public services, because it runs a tight ship, he said.
Being lean and efficient requires political leaders to be disciplined – spending only on what is really needed – as well as a first-class public service, he added.
“It also requires political nous and courage because as our spending needs increase, we need to make sure revenues continue to keep up. This means taking difficult political decisions to raise taxes when we need to.”
He cited the plan to increase the goods and services tax rate as an example – it would cost the ruling party some votes but was needed to support the needs of an ageing population.
Choosing to increase the tax rate over two steps, first in 2023 then again in 2024, was a political decision, he said.
“I highly doubt that the public service on its own would have preferred such a two-step increase. It means twice as much administrative overheads, twice the system updates for businesses, twice the engagements with businesses and the public. But doing it in two steps would acknowledge the public’s concerns about the tax increase,” said SM Lee.
Raising taxes is never easy, but in Singapore, ministers and the public service worked closely together to do so, and neither could have done it without the other, he added.
“The political leadership and the public service will need to work closely together like this on a whole range of other strategic issues, whether it is public transport, immigration, or income inequality,” he said.
Working together on future challenges
If electoral margins get slimmer, the Government will have less political space to do the right things, said SM Lee. This will make it harder to disregard short-term considerations in decision-making and make political dynamics very different, he warned.
“Singaporeans must understand the dangers this creates, and so must the public service,” he added.
SM Lee noted that Singapore faces formidable internal and external challenges in the years ahead, and that the task of preparing for the future never ends.
Singaporeans’ expectations and aspirations are rising, and so are their demands on the Government, he said. As growth becomes harder to come by and politics becomes more fiercely contested, things can go wrong for Singapore too, he said.
“I am sounding this caution because it is a different world out there. As the world changes, and as the generations change, we must do our best to renew our system – to ensure that it continues to work well for us, even as things change,” SM Lee said.
At the ceremony, where a new cohort of 30 public service leaders were appointed, civil service head Leo Yip said the mantle of leadership of the public service was being assumed in a new phase of nation building.
On behalf of the public service, he paid tribute to SM Lee for his leadership, adding that he had led with “clarity, courage and conviction”.
Mr Yip called for the public service to see the purpose of its work through the broad lens of what is in the best interests of the Government and the country, rather than its respective organisations.
He reiterated SM Lee’s point that the public service has the responsibility of working closely with its political leadership.
“We have to be politically sensitive and understand the need for policies and public services to be responsive to the needs of citizens and businesses,” he said.
“However, there will be occasions when our assessment may not align with what our ministers want to hear. In those situations, as leaders, we must never flinch from the duty of speaking truth to power.”
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