Social Studies Project

Assignment 1 - Governance in Singapore

1. Set up a blog and give your URL to your SS teacher/ representative
2. For this first assignment, you are ti blog about your thoughts on the government.

a) Using the information you have learnt from Chapter 5, you are to find a current policy that portrays any one of the principles of governance,

b) Give your views on the policy that you have chosen.

3. Alternatively, you can choose to blog on problems that the government face and should tackle. For example, the problem of elitism in Singapore.

Social Studies (Governance in Singapore)

Hi. This, a later post, is going to touch on the topic on governance in Singapore. As required in the project, I am going to give views on a policy that portrays and one of the principles of governance.

Touching upon this point, principals of governance, I have incidentally found this website with an edited extract of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's address to the Commonwealth Association of Public Administration and Management Biennial Conference, Singapore, 24 October 2004. http://www.mfa.gov.sg/experience/Oct2004/Images/perspective.pdf

This extract talks about Prime Minster Lee Hsien Loong's perspective on principles of Governance. It talks about Singapore's four principals which summarizes our experience and value.

1. Leadership is Key
2. Anticipate Change and Stay relevant
3. Reward for Work, and Work for Reward
4. A Stake for Everyone, Opportunities for All
   

As, extracted from the extract,
" Successful governance must have at its core a set of principles or values that are enduring and relevant to the people living in that society, Strategies and tactics may change, but principles are anchors that give governments a firm footing even in uncertain or turbulent times. "

And this, explains:

1. Why are principals necessary
2. Why most, if not all, policies are made closely linked to these principles

There are policy that are clearly based on these four principles, and examples are: Meritocracy, Forward Looking and Pragmatism.

Now, here, I am going to talk about meritocracy.

What is meritocracy?

• It is a system of government or other organization based on demonstrated ability and talent rather than by wealth, family connections, class privilege, cronyism or other historical determinants of social position and political power. (extracted from wikipedia)

This policy is closely related to the third principle mentioned "Reward for Work, and Work for Reward".

Benefits of this policy

• There will be no favoritisms
  
• No corruption
• You get what you work for

Cons of this policy

• The society will get very competitive

Yes, indeed, there are benefits of this policy. In which for this policy, the benefits are that the government and workforce of Singapore's society will be "clean". The public will be able to trust the efficiency and competency of the Government. They will be sure that the people in the Government will be of the right choice and that non of them got in due to connection or bribery. This is unlike some other countries where corruption is everywhere. For example, if you speed or done something which arouse the attention of the police, as long as you have the money, it can be settled. This is too what sets Singapore apart from some other countries. Our is of one that no corruption can hope to blacken it as punishment towards corrupter are strict and rigidly enforced. In addition, everyone who hope to be the best will have to work for it, and with this strong competition between the people, it will lead to an increase in economy and will awaken the true potential of oneself.

Yet, like everything, this policy have its pros and cons. This con however, it is of perspective. However, I believe that this con does exist. The con of this policy is that it will cause the society to be too competitive.

Why? Why then you may ask. Didn't you said that it is this competitiveness which lead to the rise of the economy?

Yes, yes. It does lead to an increase to the ecomony. However, this problem that it causes is not of economically based, but actually inter-relation based. This problem is that it will cause tension between people. Although, it does not affect the economy, socially-wise it does cause problems. Leading to an inevitable problem that everyone will be so intense with competing with each other that there might be no time in socializing.

In conclusion, I feel that even though theres a con, this is a must have policy. With regards to the con, it is based on oneself how they can adjust to this themselves.

Problems that Singapore should tackle (II)

Another problem that Singapore too faces is of the casino issue. A casino, the hot topic for many people, and is starting construction by the end of the year.

The casino. is a place where perhaps about 40% of the world population has gone to, and about 100% of the world have heard of. It is a place where money come and go. You may enter with only a few hundred bucks in your wallet and come out with millions, or vice versa. It is a place of risks, high risks. Where people have died over it, due to losing or even bankruptcy. Yet, even this, due to the chance, be it how small it is, people still go there. Hoping that in their hearts, that 1 day it will be them, it will them who will be walking out of the big double doors, as a rich man, crying their happiness out into the dark sky.

Casino causes family problems and other problems too. It have been known that about a high percentage of family breaking up is related to gambling. People borrowing from loan sharks, whom ended up in more then what they can handle, suicides when they reach the end of plank, where theres nowhere else to turn to.

These are the cons of casino, however, as everything as its pros and cons, it is inevitable that there is also benefits of the casino that I have not yet mentioned.

Benefits of the casino

• Will bring in income to Singapore
• Singaporeans will not have to go overseas to casinos ( rather spend in Singapore then overseas)
• Will attract tourists to Singapore

With this pros and cons, perhaps what Singapore can do is to think of ways, to prevent Singaporeans to be "casino- addicts" and prevent them from becoming the prey of this "evil".

Problems that Singapore should tackle (I)

There's this problem which Singapore people have sort of mixed feelings towards. That is the problem of raising of GST charges, from the original 5% to 7%. This lead to the general public questioning if this is fair. However, in an article http://news.asiaone.com/a1news/20061113_story4_1.html . It says that this increase would help finance enhanced social safety nets to help lower-income Singaporeans, due to the reason that, GST will usually be charged when consumer purchases stuff, and that with this increase it will also encourages people to save and make prudent investments instead of consumption. However, I feel that this might not necessarily be so.

Yes, by the increase of 2% in the GST charges, people will be more wary of amount of things they buy, and will be more inclined to save then spend. Thus, able to achieve the goals to help the lower income group in Singapore as this will sort of force them to be careful on what are they spending and only buy what they need and not what they want. However, by the implemention of such increase, this may still cause problems for the people. Now, even household everyday stuff will be even more expensive then last time, and that for those family who are extremely poor, for those who are not even able to afford to spend much on their everyday needs, how then will they be able to cope with this increase.

Therefore, perhaps this issue can be looked into for a bit longer, thinking about its pros and cons, finding a way in which it will be satisfactory to the general public. Perhaps, voting can take place or the GST increase will be only for certain items in the market such Ipods, handphone, and that everyday household items can still be charged at 5% GST.

Introduction

This blog is mainly for Social Studies and that everything posted here, will be hopefully original and in standard English. This assignment will automatically be in operation right after this post.