Doing the seemingly smallest task with pride — even if it’s disposing rubbish, focusing on engagements as a means to network — even if the person is seemingly junior.
These were two of three personal stories shared by Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Sing with 74 recipients at the Public Service Commission’s (PSC) scholarship awards ceremony held at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre on Friday (July 24).
In his usual candid candour, Chan, who is also Minister-in-charge of the Public Service and Minister for Defence, shared these personal anecdotes to encourage the recipients to go beyond finding meaning in the work they will undertake, but also, to “give meaning” to the work they will do.
How throwing rubbish became insights
Recalling his attachment with a unit while on vacation during his studies, Chan, who received the President’s Scholarship and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Overseas Scholarship in 1988, said he did not feel “particularly useful” since he hadn’t been trained in the work undertaken by the unit.
Despite feeling “rather useless”, Chan said he decided to volunteer for a “not particularly interesting task”, to try and make himself useful.
“And that was to throw rubbish on a Saturday afternoon,” the coordinating minister said, adding that this required him to take an army truck from the now defunct Tanjong Gul Camp in Tuas to Lorong Halus on the eastern side of Singapore.
He explained that it was a job that “nobody wanted to do” because they were tired by Saturday, but he chose to do so as it was the least he could do to make a contribution.
Chan said he ended up learning many things from this task.
Turning to a chapter later when he was a commanding officer, he recalled how there were allegations that some personnel may have been misappropriating Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) property.
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