Application for incoming Exco 2009

Hello! Those who intend to take up the challenge as part of the incoming Exco, please download the application form from KM under the NE Club page and email the completed form LATEST by 7th October Tuesday, 10pm to Aaron at imkianwee@hotmail.com

Please note that applicants are to be present for an interview held on Wednesday at 340pm in LT2.

Thank you.

Feedback and Exams

Hey everyone!

Dreadfully sorry about the posts (or lack thereof) although we'll definitely be keeping everyone updated on the major NE announcements! If anything, our House Coordinators will still pass down a message should there be urgent matters to attend to, but you guys have got to do your part and write into the chatbox at times so as to help us make this club an effective and responsible one. Feedback, comments, suggestions.. anything. We're all open to whatever ideas everyone have here and will seriously consider implementing them. (but only if they actually sound reasonable, ok? Nothing that'll fry our brain cells or anything...) =D

In the mean time, please get serious about the upcoming academic exams and if there's no pressing need to be on the internet... Why, do consider getting right back at preparing for them!!

Good luck, all the best and work hard everyone!! :)

NE Dialogues and Applications

Hello everyone! We're all a little busy at the moment and apologise for any inconvenience and the like..

In any case, we've a few upcoming matters to attend to.

1. JC2/IP4 NE Dialogue Session

• Closed door session with guest
• JC2 and IP4 NE ambassadors, please read the notice on KM and be prepared to ask relevant questions
  

2. JC1/IP3 NE Dialogue Session

• We are in need of volunteers
• Please note that your contributions, if any, will be included in your CAAL portfolio

3. Application for 08-09 Exco

• We strongly encourage all NE club members (with the exception of J2s and IP4s) to apply for the next exco.
• Please do seriously consider an application. Thank you. =)
  

Ignis Article III

EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE APPLICATION OF THE EXISTING FRAMEWORK OF PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNANCE.

Ever since Singapore government gained independence in 1965, it has been guided by four key principles: “Reward for work; work for reward”, “leadership is key”, “opportunities for all” and “anticipated change, stay relevant”. These principles have guided Singapore through many challenging times despite the country’s unique environment. In my opinion, the application of the existing framework is effective in terms of the economic, social and political stability it has brought us. Although it has some drawbacks like the rising income gap, these drawbacks are actively being minimised by the government.

The existing framework of principles of governance is effective as it has helped Singapore attained political stability. The principles have been focusing on the theme that leadership is not just to lead by democracy nor systems to hold bureaucracies; it is mainly to eschew corruption, to do what is right and be pragmatic. After the fall of communism in Asia in the 1960s, Singapore government has been taking measures to ensure strong political foundations. One measure is to promote meritocracy. This is done by electing people based on their own ability and performance. This is evident in the processes of the selection of government ministers and civil servants. Consequently, the government sector has people who work at their maximum potential and rarely succumb to corruption. This provides the solid foundation for social and economic stability.

Also, the framework has improved Singapore economy. It has allowed Singapore to adopt and continue to prosper economically. Despite the recent entry to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) by China, which drastically diverted many investments from Singapore manufacturing sector to china, Singapore managed to implement counter measures. Firstly, it turned its focus to tertiary industry, making Singapore a financial hub and a tourist attraction spot. Moreover, it has exploited the opportunity of investing in the biomedical industry, which has been a thriving industry since the recent epidemics. Just beginning this year, Singapore has organised talks with foreign firms to further invest in this industry. Such development of new industry is not new to Singapore. The Jurong Island was created to spur Singapore’s economy by investing in the oil refinery industry. To date, it is one of the major oil refineries in the world. As such, the principle of staying relevant to global economy has benefitted Singapore by giving it a stable economy.

Moreover, the framework has promoted social stability. The principle of “opportunities for all” promotes collective responsibility. An example is the “Many Helping Hands” approach. It brings into play family support, community support and government support for the needy. Moreover, Singapore government has taken great lengths to ensure almost equal rights to all the ethnic groups in Singapore. This is in hope of preventing another possible social riot from occurring in Singapore again.

However, in reality, the issue is more complex. No matter how ideal the principles are, it is almost impossible to apply all the principles and gain total positive impacts from them. One evident drawback is the increasing income gap. This is shown by the rising GINI coefficient. The detrimental effect is worsening by the recent spike in inflation rate. The lower income group are currently facing problems of not being able to support themselves with the spike in prices of goods and services. To curb this problem, the Singapore government has been giving out tax rebates and financial packages to defray the rise in the food prices for the lower income families. This way, the government is actively trying to minimise the drawback of the principles.

In conclusion, the principles have been rather effective and Singapore should continue to apply them in the future. However, it still has to pay attention to the potential drawbacks of the implementation of the principles.

Goh Wei Yang Brian

07S08

Terra NE Article-Priciples of Government

ARTICLE [To be done by assigned J2/IP4 from each house]

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the application of the existing framework of principles of governance [with substantial research material as support]
• Standard rules in writing the article apply

According to me, the existing framework of principles of governance is largely effective. Of course, it depends largely depends on what we define as being effective. Firstly, we have to concede that any framework of principles cannot be 100% perfect. But, I feel that our framework has managed to be largely effective in providing each of us equal opportunities, implementing meritocracy, giving the citizens are desirable environment to live in and lastly helping out the disadvantaged people in our society.

Our government’s principles have been largely in emphasizing meritocracy. Starting from getting the best colleges, to getting a good career preference is given to those who show the best qualifications and abilities. In this way, our government has provided the right incentives to Singaporeans to continually improve themselves. It has also gotten rid of any biasness in terms race, religion, sex or nationality or corruption. These benefits have helped to create a sense of fairness and equality emphasized in all aspects of Singaporean life which makes Singapore feel as a desirable country to reside in. Even though some critics argue that Singapore is creating a elitist culture in this process in the sense that only the best get the opportunities, we have to understand that the governments gives out ample help to the groups get disadvantaged in each of its policy. We can see this in the creation of ITEs and polytechnics that are continually being developed to remove the elitist stigma that only those who get into JCs will do well in life. In work places, we see people are able to discover their talent from a multitude of career options. In this way, Singapore has continued to remain as a desirable country for both the smart and talented and the average workers.

By:

Santhiya

NE Ambassador

07S17

Terra House

Aqua Article III - Principles of Governance

One of the key principles of governance of Singapore is 'Reward for work; work for rewards.' In Singapore, the government places great emphasis on meritocracy for the best use of talent. This is commendable as the only resource that Singapore has is people. This is extremely important in order to ensure a pool of local talent that will chart the future of Singapore, lead the people into the future and lead Singapore to success.

However, this has led to rising inequalities in Singapore which has caused much unhappiness among those negatively affected. The problem with meritocracy is that it favours the talented, i.e. the smartest, strongest and all the high-end people. Due to the problem of elitism, there is greater segregation within the society than before. With the incidence of elitism, there is much concern over the social gap between the elite talents and the non-talent. This is due to the fact that the elites have an seemingly unfair advantage over the rest and are able to scout for a higher paying job than their counterparts. This in turn leads to greater income disparity as can be seen that the Gini coefficient of Singapore has been rising over the years from 0.436 in 1990 to 0.481 in 2000. This raises dissentment amongst the non-talent, non-elite majority due to the emphasis placed on meritocratic talent. The Ministry of Education (MOE) also implemented the Gifted Education Programme (GEP) in 1984 to allow students with higher learning capabilities to progress at an accelerated pace. This GEP programme caused much public concern and whenever the mass media reports of any changes or improvements to this programme, there seem to be Singaporeans who start groaning.

Although it seems that the meritocratic use of talents is not the best solution as it neglects the minority who are non-elites, in my opinion, countrites do require talents in order to progress even further in future. Elitism permits the government to select and groom only the most capable and efficient amongst the rest as well as those who are academically-inclined. This gives these talents the more opportunities to be guided properly and to excel. Should a policy not apply in Singapore or in any country, there would be a compromise of leadership standards and this would surely negatively impact the future of Singapore.

In Singapore, it is commendable that the government is trying their best to reduce elitism in society as we can see from the fact that the government is channeling additional funds to create more opportunities in every domain so that everyone (not only the talented) can benefit.

Thus, I conclude that the use of meritocracy for the best use of talent is justifiable and effective to a large extent. Society needs to remove the social stigma attached to the non-elites and learn to treat elites and non-elites more fairly. Only then can Singapore truly benefit from meritocracy.

-Chin You Chuen, 07S15

Topic III - Principles of Governance

Hey everyone! We are terribly sorry for the delay in updates. From now on, updates will mostly be bi-weekly.

This week's topic is about Singapore's principles of governance. Do scroll down to the bottom of the page in the link and note the governance imperatives and key principles.


ARTICLE [To be done by assigned J2/IP4 from each house]

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the application of the existing framework of principles of governance [with substantial research material as support]
• Standard rules in writing the article apply

QUESTION [Opened to all]

• Give a real life example [whether a narrative account, a reflection etc.] on how one or more principles of governance have been applied.

Please note that the blog is still used to track members' participation and attendance. [especially for J2s and IP4s!] This will be one of the main avenues through which we can account for your contributions so please do visit and share more of your viewpoints on National Education!!!

We really appreciate each and every one of our members' viewpoints. =D

Thanks!!