News

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean

and Mrs Teo

 

Acting Minister for Education (Schools) Ng Chee Meng

and Mrs Ng

 

Excellencies

 

Chairman and Members of the Public Service Commission

 

Ladies and Gentlemen

 

Good evening

 

Every year, the President’s Scholarship is awarded to exceptional young men and women who pledge to serve Singapore and Singaporeans through a career in the Public Service. Recipients of the President’s Scholarship are among the most outstanding in their cohort. Besides achieving academic excellence, the recipients are distinguished by their leadership qualities, sound values and commitment to improving the lives of the people in our community.

 

2016 President’s Scholars

 

This evening, the Public Service Commission recognises five outstanding young men and women for their leadership capabilities and strong passion to contribute to the continued success of Singapore.

 

They are Mr Joshua Chin Zen Jie, Miss Natasha Ann Lum Mei Seem, Mr Timothy Ong Kah Yong, Miss Olivia Ong Si Hui and Mr Sean Ong Zhi Han. Joshua and Natasha will be serving in the Singapore Armed Forces. Joshua will be studying Environmental Science. Natasha is the second ever female recipient of the SAF scholarship and President’s scholarship. Timothy will read Law and join the Singapore Legal Service upon graduation. Olivia will be reading Psychology, and Sean History.

 

My heartfelt congratulations to the five of you.

Continuing our Forefathers’ Legacy

 

            Two weeks ago, we gathered to celebrate Singapore’s 51st year of independence. Our forefathers dedicated their lives to transforming Singapore from a small trading port to a successful first world nation. Despite hailing from diverse cultures and backgrounds, they shared the vision of creating a better future for Singapore, and took on challenges with courage and determination.

 

            In the formative years of our nation, we were blessed with leaders, like former President S R Nathan. Mr Nathan dedicated his life to serving Singapore. He struggled side by side with others of his generation, united in the same purpose – to help our fledgling Singapore flourish. He truly embodied the values of public service, placing country before self even to the point of quite literally risking his life, during the Laju hijacking incident. He was a fearless defender of Singapore’s interests abroad, and a passionate nation-builder at home, patiently weaving the fabric of a caring and cohesive society.

 

            From starting the President’s Challenge to encourage more Singaporeans to help the less fortunate, to investing in Singapore’s future through education, to promoting racial and religious harmony, his heart for and commitment to the people of Singapore were clear and inspiring. Mr Nathan will be missed.

 

            As we reap the fruits of this previous generation’s labour, we continue to need leaders with resilience, commitment and foresight, who will build on the foundations laid for us.

 

Building a Future-Ready Singapore

 

This year is a turning point for Singapore as we enter our next half century as an independent nation. While those who came before have left us a rich legacy, we remain a small country with no natural resources apart from our people. We constantly need to refresh our knowledge and renew our system to safeguard Singapore from external threats and prepare ourselves for the future.

 

As recipients of the President’s scholarship, you bear a special responsibility to continue the efforts to take Singapore forward. I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and seek opportunities to broaden your outlook. In doing so, you will acquire fresh perspectives that enable you to connect the dots from global developments to national issues.

 

As leaders of our future generations, you play an integral role in leading by example to inspire fellow Singaporeans to become forward-looking citizens. This future-orientation is necessary because Singapore and the world around us are changing ever faster. The effects of globalisation and rapid technological change can be seen in everything from the volatility of our external environment, to the growing threat of trans-national terrorism and to the changing aspirations of our citizens.

 

To keep pace with these changes, you will need to challenge yourselves and continually push boundaries in acquiring new skills that are pertinent to the future. As public officers, you will need not just to forge ahead yourselves, but to inspire fellow citizens to come with you, cultivating citizens’ sense of ownership as you build Singapore together. To do this you must stay closely connected to the ground, and listen closely and respectfully to the concerns and opinions of the people.

 

As you lead Singapore towards a brighter future, remain true to our culture, heritage, values, and the core principles that our forefathers believed in. Never lose sight of the mission to serve the people and our nation.

 

Conclusion

 

Let me conclude by congratulating the families, principals and teachers of our new President’s Scholarship Recipients. You were essential in shaping their character, values and strong ethos for service. Your support and guidance throughout the years have nurtured them into outstanding individuals.

 

Joshua, Natasha, Timothy, Olivia and Sean - I am confident that all five of you will do Singapore proud, and be role models of the Public Service values of Integrity, Service and Excellence for those around you. Embrace your responsibility to become exceptional public service officers, and dedicate yourselves to going the extra mile in serving our nation and our people.

 

I wish you success in your journey ahead, and look forward to you serving the nation with passion and pride when you begin your career in the Public Service.

 

Thank you.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY MR TEO CHEE HEAN, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, COORDINATING MINISTER FOR NATIONAL SECURITY AND MINISTER IN CHARGE OF THE CIVIL SERVICE AT 2016 PSC SCHOLARSHIPS AWARD CEREMONY ON 20 JULY 2016

 

“A Public Service with the Head, Hands and Heart to build a Better Singapore”

 

Mr Eddie Teo, Chairman of the Public Service Commission

Members of the PSC

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

 

1.             Good evening to all of you. Congratulations to our 73 scholarship recipients this year. I would like to congratulate the parents, principals and teachers who have helped, supported and guided you over the years.

 

A New Chapter, A New Generation

 

2.             Today marks the beginning of your public service journey to make Singapore better, and improve the lives of Singaporeans. You are now part of the new generation of public officers who will help to write the next chapter of our shared Singapore story. Each chapter is different from the previous one, and each generation has to tackle its own challenges.

 

3.             Today, we are facing a growing terrorism threat. Our economy is going through a transformation. Our population is ageing, and our young people have more diverse aspirations. But compared to the early years of our independence, we are better equipped to tackle these challenges and seize new opportunities. We are more united as a people than at independence. Our elderly can age actively, and still contribute in various ways. Singaporeans are much better educated, and there are many, many more pathways for Singaporeans to pursue their dreams.

 

4.             What this means for the Public Service is that simply doing the same things as before is not enough to help Singapore and Singaporeans progress further. You will need imagination, to develop new responses and solutions to tackle today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. You will need courage, to stop doing old things which might have worked in the past but are no longer right for the future. And you will need wisdom, to rethink policies and programmes that better meet Singaporeans’ needs.

 

The Public Service Needs a Diverse Team of Good People

 

5.             This is why we need to bring in good people to join the Public Service – dedicated public officers who are committed to making Singapore better for all Singaporeans. Who understand cross-domain issues and trade-offs, and can help strengthen policy development and implementation across the whole of Government. And at the same time, we need officers who have deep skills and specialised capabilities in areas such as technology and engineering, to help develop innovative solutions for complex problems in different specialised domains that are critical for our future.

 

6.             The PSC Scholarship together with agency scholarships is just one of many routes through which good people enter the Public Service. Others may join us as fresh graduates, or after they have gained some experience in other fields, including the private and people sectors.

 

7.             Regardless of the route of entry, we need our public officers to have three key attributes, which I summarise as Head, Hands and Heart.

 

Head

 

8.             Let me start with Head. Our public officers need to have deep knowledge and hard skills. Many of you are going to top universities in Singapore and overseas, to learn from the very best professors, across a wide range of subjects. You will benefit not just from classroom teaching and academics, but also learn and grow through your daily living experiences. Keep an open mind, and be prepared to learn from everyone around you, and to learn throughout life. Armed with a familiarity with new knowledge and where the new world is taking us, you will be able to help us think through issues and long-held assumptions, and come up with new and innovative solutions to make Singaporeans’ lives better.

 

Hands

 

9.             Next, Hands. Because just head knowledge is not enough. We also need public officers to be prepared to roll up your sleeves, get into the details, and do the implementation work. You will face more complex issues that require cross-cutting solutions straddling different government agencies. We are also seeing more Singaporeans come forward to offer their time and expertise to work with government agencies. So you will need to work hand-in-hand with partners, from other government agencies, from the private and people sectors, and ordinary Singaporeans, to develop and deliver good policies, programmes and services. The Public Service must not be an organisation unto itself. It must be out there with Singaporeans, working with Singaporeans, to make Singapore better.

 

Heart

 

10.          But most importantly, public officers must have a Heart for public service. You have to derive happiness from other people’s happiness. No amount of skill or knowledge can compensate for lack of heart. Take the time to listen to Singaporeans’ concerns and better understand their needs. Be empathetic, even as you have to make difficult decisions that may not be universally popular. Always seek to maximise the benefit for the majority of Singaporeans, even if not everyone will benefit from a specific policy or programme to the same extent. Make sure that every Singaporean is brought along through the totality of our programmes and policies. Live by the Public Service values of Integrity, Service and Excellence.

And always do what is right by the people of Singapore. Ultimately, this is what it means to be a public officer – to have Singapore and Singaporeans at the heart of everything we do.

 

Conclusion

 

11.          Our public officers have contributed much to Singapore’s development in our first 50 years. And there is much more to be done as we write the next chapter of the Singapore story together with fellow Singaporeans.

 

12.          I congratulate you once again. I wish all of you very best as you embark on your studies. And I look forward to all of you coming home, putting your Head, Hands and Heart, to make Singapore even better for all of us and for future generations.

 

13.          Thank you.