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
