Tuesday, February 24, 2009 11:34
What is public service?
In Low Hansiong, TOC International, Top Story, Youth Focus • 1,571 views • 21 Comments
Low Hansiong
In November 2008, the Economic Development Board (EDB) announced in the Straits Times its intention to market Singapore as regional hub for Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) and Non-Profit Organisations (NPO). This brings me to an opaque question: what is considered public service among Singaporeans? This is of particular interest to me because I am currently doing my studies in public administration at New York University.
Antiquated Thinking in Singapore
Most people tend to envision public service as working altruistically, for little or no money, for the greater good. Is it really important that one must work for no money to be considered doing a public service? This is a particularly sensitive issue, given that fat ministerial salaries are already a sore point among Singaporeans. However, my idea of public service is not towards the civil service but rather the men and women who brave their lives and bare their souls to work in appalling conditions in the most dangerous and poorest nations among us, helping people in whatever manner they can.
The nature of public service is changing: thirty years ago, most Singaporeans would say defining ‘cheng-hu-lang’ (Hokkien for civil servant) as public service would probably be apt. However, in New York and the world, public service is taking a drastic turn today: no longer do most people think that the civil service is the sole agent of public service, rather it is now perceived that NGOs and NPOs play this role with far greater efficacy.
Yet Singaporeans remain cocooned. Singaporeans expect the government to provide for everything that is lacking in the free market. This is antiquated thinking. NGOs and NPOs have proved themselves to the world that they are the answer to the future. Organisations such as Mercy Corps, International Rescue Committee, International Red Cross and even the United Nations are now stellar examples of how non-sovereign and multilateral intervention can become agents of change and relief in the third world, war zones and major disaster sites.
It is essential to realise that public service is not necessarily a selfless endeavour. It is a business and profits or not, any organisation will aspire to expand its operations and be in healthy financial shape. As such, the staff behind a public service organisation should be well incentivised to do an excellent job. This would benefit recipients among the public and maximise the impact on society in the long run. Such incentives should include a competitive salary package, adequate medical benefits and a professional training scheme. After all, which labour market does the invisible hand not govern?
The State of Public Service in Singapore
Currently, Singapore has a handful of NGOs and NPOs, such as Mercy Relief, National Kidney Foundation (NKF), TWC2 and AWARE. With exceptions to NKF and Non-Profit Hospitals having a significant professional staff, many organisations are made up mostly of volunteers complemented by a small number of full-time professional staff. Such a set up hardly inspires Singaporeans to take up public service as a career because one ultimately needs to balance one’s lofty ambition with bread and butter needs.
To get things started, NGOs in Singapore could approach the myriad of foundations such as Hong Leong Foundation, Lee Foundation and Shaw Foundation to form a truly trans-Asian NGO. This can be a starting point: forming an organisation that will tackle head-on the most vexing and basic of issues such as poverty, illiteracy and sanitation, and do something about it. The Youth Expedition Project has been funding teams of 15-20 persons to go abroad to alleviate such situations in the third world; yet such activities require continuity, so it would be better to have a trans-Asian NGO to manage and implement these activities on a day-to-day basis.
Think tanks form a special group of NPOs. They serve an important role in research, advisory, advocacy and promoting understanding and policy debate within public circles. Think tanks in Singapore include the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Think Centre (TC), Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA), Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) and NUS School of Public Policy (SPP). These think tanks serve a secondary role known as Track II Diplomacy. For example, SIIA negotiated the Singapore-Taiwan Free Trade Agreement with Taiwanese think tanks in October 2008 because the Singapore Government only recognises the People’s Republic of China as the sole representation of Greater China.
However, think tanks are not limited to Track II Diplomacy. Their research and advisory roles also enable them to act as advocator for a variety of non-state actors such as the private sector, political groups and special interest groups. For example, the Consumer Energy Council of America monitors development in the liberalised US electricity and gas trading markets and push for pro-consumer policies in Congress, the State Assembly and even the energy exchange itself. They make up for the lack of lobbyist capacity that is absent in a traditional consumer organisation such as CASE, since CASE is constrained by the diversity of consumers it represents. They also provide timely updates on policy development to the public that would not only increase the public’s awareness and understanding on policy and how it would impact them. With the exception of Think Centre, the other local think tanks in Singapore are directly or indirectly affiliated to the Government.
The Future of Public Service
Public service is also a global industry. Apart from public transport and healthcare, a notable example is international development consulting. Big players in this market include government and multilateral agencies (e.g. USAID, DFID, Asian Development Bank), international NGOs (e.g. Oxfam) and private firms (e.g. McKinsey, PA Consulting, Emerging Markets Group). Private firms in particular provide the much needed private sector expertise such as IT, logistics, project management, legal counselling and policy advisory.
Singapore is ideally positioned to be the regional hub for NGOs and NPOs. It has a highly educated populace, common culture, geographic advantage and most importantly, a ‘can-do’ spirit. Singapore is also home to some private sector expertise needed in international development projects. However, the Singapore Government needs to start taking the lead in the non-profit sector by abolishing archaic laws that prevent funds raised locally from being used in other countries and foster a new generation of Singaporeans who can and will take the lead in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, especially in South Asia.
Public service, in its simplest connotation, evokes grand imagery of sacrifice and noble aspirations, and it is still true. Call me a romantic but if the business of saving is left to the markets and dependency on inept corrupt administrations, there would be little left to hope for the people whom we call our friends.
———
About the author:
Hansiong is currently doing his Master of Public Administration at New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. His interest is primarily in economic development and poverty reduction. He believes that the Millenium Development Goals are attainable, but only if we cut the bull****.
If you would like to join the TOC International team, please do drop us an email at: theonlinecitizen@gmail.com
TOC International features every Tuesday on The Online Citizen.
———
Related posts:
21 Comments
Sgcynic
Civic Advocator believes that what we are doing is considered public service.
redkingkong
terms like “public service” or “civil servants” are a misnomer in singapore’s context and cannot be applied here as the entire so called “public sector” is being run like a coporation with the ministers taking the CEO, CFO, COO or whatever seats, and thus rewarding themselves extraordinarily large pay packages.
Small Time Businessman
they should be called “public masters”
mike
i read an article once of an ex PM of England, Margaret Thachet quote saying : if government involved in corporate world and own it as well, the public would suffer. is that sound familiar??..
Ah Tan
Wow, impressive, you are studying public administration at New York University.
Its kind of rare course for singaporeans right?
So, i wonder what sort of career would you intend to work for upon graduation?
There are many NGOs that are funded by governments too.
Jolovan
yes, govt funded NGOs are known as GoNGOs
WHOknowNEXT
Public service is PAY AND PAY, U are fed with information that are not useful, most to collect money, talk to U like public service, but they are doing the wrong way, just
like they own the place, they only answer to their Master on top.
THEY are well pay FATTEST CAT in the world…….
make it simple
So, in short , you mean you support the idea of paying high salaries for public service?
y/n ?
Donaldson Tan
make it simple (#10),
I believe the author meant the professional staff should be reasonably compensated for doing an excellent job. I share the author’s opinion that public attitude towards Public Service is quite outdated.
#11) Donaldson Tan
‘I believe the author meant the professional staff should be reasonably compensated for doing an excellent job.’
………………………………………………………………..
When the former CEO of NKF was paid a few hundred thousand dollars a year (much less than Cabinet Ministers) for bringing in a few hundred million dollars as reserves, his pay was considered as PEANUT.
When he got into trouble, he was considered overpaid.
radlife66
Can somebody shed light on the genesis of NGOs?
Will NGOs get so big and wealthy and thus get “absorbed” by the powers that be?
Will the big powers plant their own guys within the structure thereby negating it’s non-gov substance but only in name?
Will it get so big and powerful it has to maintain its wealth by also compromising, lobbying and being lobbied by interest parties/industrialist?
But i was thinking that perhaps NGOs has a role in this borderless globalized economy so as to balance the global system…
again, at the end of the day, it is still about getting the right person to run NGOs.
But the current global state is so unbalance. To put it simply, the “right” has complete dominance over the “left” to the point where they can really don’t give you a damn because they know they are super wealthy and you are not.
only when:
1) enough ppl with conscience said “enough is enough”
2) very intelligent but w/ a conscience ppl band together to “change the world”
3) Third World War.
pick one.
Donaldson Tan
Edward (#12),
Why should the focus be on the top management? They are only a select few but the majority of the work is actually done by entry-level to mid-level staff. The incentives for the entry and middle level staff should be enhanced to attract competent individuals. Currently, the lower rung of social workers, nurses, etc are really not well compensated for the hard work they perform for the public.
S J Xie
It is a valid and valuable point that you have made about how public service has evolved into involve the Tier II diplomacy ie think tanks and NGOs. But I think public service is more than just the various organizations from activist groups to government ministries. I think the next step is thinking about how the different orgs can collaborate to achieve the common aim, which I think will be the public good – but that itself, is open to a (re)definition.
Daniel
“When the former CEO of NKF was paid a few hundred thousand dollars a year (much less than Cabinet Ministers) for bringing in a few hundred million dollars as reserves, his pay was considered as PEANUT.”
Did NDF really bring something into reserves ? Any evidence from accounting statement ? How does NDF become profit-oriented company that link to the reserve fathom me.
Remember in ex-NDF, every ten cent out of $1 (If I could recall) contributed is for helping the patient, the rest is shared among GLC companies.
So what is left to contribute to reserve ?
Donaldson Tan
S J Xie (#15),
What you mentioned about activist groups collaborating with governments is already happening.
In the UK, Voluntary Welfare Organisations are working hand in hand with government agencies to care for the elderlies, disabled and the sick. Tax relief and additional healthcare benefit is granted to the caretakers.
If not for government collaboration, how is it possible that organisations like Red Cross, Oxfam have direct access and run crucial logistic supply lines in major disaster sites?
Daniel (#16),
Is NDF typo for NKF? Why is your focus on NKF’s top management when it is the lower level staff that actually contributed the bulk of work that makes NKF a success story to its beneficiaries? It is a scandal no doubt, but as radlife66 had mentioned, it all boils down to the collective integrity of the managers running NKF. NKF should have done better in picking a CEO.
Daniel
“Is NDF typo for NKF? ”
Oh… yes, it is typo error. It should have been NKF.
#16) Daniel
‘So what is left to contribute to reserve ?’
========================
The previous NKF accumulated $200 -$300 million in their reserve which according to the new committee that took over, could last for another 40 years of expenditure.This cash reserve was and is the biggest held by a charity or NGO. All these were reported in the ST and the news articles can still be retrieved from the National Library.
cm liew
What ’s Public service ?
is to serve the public. and who is their boss ??
The government. so where the fund come from ?? the public.
so who’s the public ?? the citizen.
so the public pay the tax that become the salary of public servant.
is that right ?? thus, the boss is the citizen.
So ..do the boss has the right to sack the employee ?? OF COURSE !!
Donaldson Tan
cm liew (#20),
You ought to differentiate public service from civil service. Moreover, with the emergence of NGOs and NPOs, public service has evolved into a public private partnership. It is no longer a clear cut case that the citizens own the public service. A good example of this is public transport.
If public service is defined as an “industry” and as a “business” and not necessarily a selfless endeavour, then be prepared to accept a purely transactional relationship between the provider and the recipient, for the provider has already to it that he is properly “incentivised”.