Public servants need to shift from doing things ‘for’ Singaporeans to ‘with’ them: Chan Chun Sing

Workforce transformation, for instance, must navigate the disruption brought about by artificial intelligence, while leveraging the opportunities it presents, all against the backdrop of an ageing population and sustaining economic growth, said Mr Chan.

“These issues before us are increasingly interconnected and cut across conventional organisational boundaries,” he said.

Hence, Singapore’s public service leadership must continue to evolve as the world changes, said Mr Chan.

“We start from strong foundations, built by generations of officers and leaders before us,” he said.

“But we are never complacent and we can never assume that what brought us here thus far will be enough to take us forward. Every generation must earn our relevance anew, and build what Singapore will need next.”

OVERSEAS EXPERIENCE

To that end, Mr Chan also urged public sector leaders to be “entrepreneurs” of governance excellence and strategic space.

Mr Chan said Singapore’s public service leaders must not only keenly understand the world and Singapore’s partners, but also actively forge new bilateral and multilateral partnerships.

“Where we can find common ground, we must grow those opportunities and forge new partnerships,” he said.

“Where we find differences, we must contain them and redirect our energies to those areas where we can still work constructively together with our partners.”

Where existing frameworks no longer work, they must reimagine and reinvent new ones rather than wait passively, said Mr Chan.

He cited how the government constantly refreshes Singapore’s network of free trade agreements and creates new frameworks, such as Singapore’s digital economy partnership agreement with Chile and New Zealand, which was a world’s first.

Mr Chan encouraged public servants to deliberately deepen their external and international exposure.

This includes pursuing development opportunities, such as civil service exchange programmes or overseas development programmes, and overseas attachments to international organisations or foreign public agencies, he said.

“These experiences give our officers a deeper understanding of our international partners and norms, and help us build critical networks and relationships,” he said.

The messier geopolitical landscape may seem like a challenge, but it is also an opportunity for new possibilities and partnerships with like-minded partners, said Mr Chan.

He cited the example of Singapore’s bilateral relationships with New Zealand and Australia, along with its ASEAN chairmanship next year.

“These are not partnerships of convenience. They are deliberate efforts to create new space for cooperation and advance our shared interests,” he said.

PROACTIVELY TACKLING CHALLENGES

Mr Chan said that even as Singapore addresses its own national challenges, it should do so in ways that develop solutions and capabilities others find valuable.

He cited Singapore’s semiconductor ecosystem and the government’s delivery of public services as positive examples.

“But the point is not a single successful initiative. The point is whether we continually challenge ourselves to experiment, innovate and reimagine what’s possible,” he said.

“Whether it is educating and supporting youths to thrive in an AI-driven world, strengthening social cohesion, or tackling the next challenge we cannot yet foresee, we must proactively scan the horizon and reimagine the solutions with courage and creativity.”

When governance is done well, it is not just good public administration, but a form of “strategic relevance”, said Mr Chan.