Social Studies Revision Resource –Governance in Singapore

A government is responsible for making important decisions to meet the need of the nation and its people. When the government makes these decisions, they are guided by a set of principles: Guiding Principles of Governance.

Factors: Guiding Principles of Governance (Which is most important?)

  • Leadership is Key
  • Anticipate Change and Stay Relevant
  • Reward for Work and Work for Reward
  • A Stake for Everyone, Opportunities for All

These Guiding Principles of Governance ensure stability in the country and build confidence among the people.

Principle / What is it about? [Elaboration] / Examples / Link [Why is this an important Principle?]
Leadership is Key / It is about choosing the right peopleto run the government.
Leaders must have the moral courage to do what is right and not what is popular.
They are key to ensuring the successful development of the country.
Leaders must have certain qualities like fairness, courage, honesty, capability. / 1] The introduction of the ERP to manage traffic flow shows leadership is key is an important principle.
  • not popular because motorists must pay for the use of the roads but necessary to ensure that traffic jams do not disrupt our economic development
2] The arts scene in Singapore made progress under the capable leadership of Mr Liu Thai Ker who saw the need for a more vibrant arts scene. Under Mr Liu’s capable leadership, local talents had more opportunities to participate locally and internationally in Arts-related activities.
  • Singapore became internationally recognised and vibrant making it an attractive place for tourism.
/ This is an important principle because:
  • capable leaders help win the confidence and respect of the people leading to stability in the country.
  • country’s success depends on good leaders. They make decisions with the country’s interest at heart and not just what is popular with the people.
  • good leaders win confidence of foreign investors because of honest practices, good diplomatic ties and sound policies implemented.
  • good leadership looks at the needs and aspirations of the people to create a sense of belonging.
Therefore, a country’s success depends on good leaders
Anticipate Change and Stay Relevant / It is about being forward lookingto deal withpresent and future challenges facing the country.
It is about coming up with policies to help the country overcome challenges and stay competitive. / 1] Water Policy.
Singapore has limited waterresources and we are heavily dependent on Malaysia for water.
  • Our water agreements will end in 2011 and 2061.
  • In the face of this challenge, Singapore has diversified its water resources through a number of ways to meet our water needs like expanding our reservoirs and setting up NEWater plants to process sewage water into drinkable water.
2] The decision to build the 2 integrated resorts at Marina Bay and Sentosa in 2005.
  • came about because the tourism sector faced stiffer competition with more countries in Asia developing major tourist attractions.
  • The new IRs would be able to help Singapore’s tourism sector stay relevant and compete with new emerging Asian tourist attractions by offering multiple world-class attractions in one location.
3] Taking Risks and Being open to new ideas.
  • Singaporeans are encouraged to anticipate change and stay relevant byupgrading their knowledge and skills so as to contribute effectively to the nation’s economy.
/
  • Important principle because a country’s long term success and continued development depends on the government’s ability to look ahead and make sound decisions to overcome challenges that may affect the country’s development and progress.
  • It is also important because the citizens by staying relevant through skills upgrading will be able to contribute to sustaining the country’s development and progress in the face of new economic competitors.

Reward for Work and Work for Reward / It is about practicing meritocracy.
People are rewarded for their hardwork and talent and not on race, religion or social background
‘Reward for Work and Work for Reward’ is an important principle of governance because when people are rewarded based on their abilities and hard work, they are encouraged to do well.
Thus, for example, hardworking students who excel in their studies and co-curricular activities receive rewards in the form of Edusave Scholarships and Merit Bursaries.
All Singaporeans also received a share of the surplus from Singapore’s growth through the Progress Package. / [1] Education
  • Hardworking students who excel in their studies and co-curricular activities receive rewards in the form of Edusave Scholarships and Merit Bursaries.
  • Educational institutions in Singapore are open to all, regardless of race or religion. Qualifications are based on Merit and talent
[2] Progress Package
  • All Singaporeans also received a share of the surplus from Singapore’s growth through the Progress Package.
/
  • Important principle because when citizens of the country has an equal chance to succeed regardless of the race, religion or social and economic background, it encourages them to trust and support the government and work hard to contribute to the country’s development.
  • Singapore’s only resource is human resource. This principle ensures that there will always be talent to help Singapore develop. - Meritocracy helps ensure stability and harmony in a multi-ethnic Singapore which would boost investments into the country.

A Stake for Everyone, Opportunities for All / It is about Consulting the people and involving them in the decision- making process
‘A Stake for Everyone, Opportunities for All’ is an important principle of governance because it allows Singaporeans to develop a sense of belonging towards Singapore when they participate in the decision-making process of the country.
For example, the government consulted the public on the issue of having casinos as part of the IRs. / [1] Feedback Unit
  • The government set up the Feedback Unit to gather feedback on public issues and government policies and proposals eg feedback on the IR
/
  • Important principle because it develops sense of belonging and rootedness in the citizens.
  • helps people feel that they are being valued for their part in decision making and this helps build social cohesion and promote stability
  • they are more prepared to support the government and its policies that is important to sustain development because they have been involved in the decision making process
  • Singapore would be better able to retain its own talent which is important for the development and progress of the country.

Analysis of Importance of Principles of Good Governance

Leadership is Key / Anticipate Change and Stay Relevant / Reward for Work and Work for Reward / A Stake for Everyone, Opportunities for All
The most important principle because all the other principles of good governance are dependent on ‘Leadership is Key’ because if you do not have the right leaders, with the right values then none of the other outcomes of good governance like meritocracy or being forward-looking would happen. / Important because leaders need to be forward-looking in order to anticipate the challenges that Singapore might face in the future and stay relevant so that Singapore can retain its competitive edge over other countries. / Important because the government also needs its citizens’ contribution to help Singapore retain its competitive edge over other countries. With a motivated work force that will work for Singapore and a government which recognizes the hard work of the people and rewards them, Singapore will retain competitiveness. / Important because when Singaporeans have a say in decision-making, they develop a sense of belonging towards the country ad would be more motivated to work for the benefit of the country and help it retain its competitiveness over other countries.

Social Studies Revision Resource –Governance in Singapore

Factors: Understanding Governance (Traffic Flow)

  • Area Licensing Scheme
  • Electronic Road Pricing
  • Park-and-Ride Scheme
  • Vehicle Quota System

Measure / What is it about? [Elaboration] / Examples / Link [How does it control / manage Traffic Flow]
Area Licensing Scheme / A way to control traffic flow.
Motorists had to buy a special license which enabled them to drive into restricted zones in the CBD.
Traffic police officers would be stationed in booths by the roadside to check if motorists were in compliance with the scheme. /
  • The extra cost of the license meant that many drivers were discouraged from driving into the city area thus resulting in fewer vehicles entering the CBD. As a result, traffic flower was smoother as less vehicles entered the CBD.

Electronic Road Pricing / Introduced when technology was more efficient.
Replaced the labour-intensive Area Licensing Scheme.
Used for roads which were prone to congestion.
Gantries were erected at the start of roads which were prone to congestion. Money would be deducted from cashcard stored in an in-vehicle unit (IU) each time motorists would pass through an ERP gantry. /
  • Some motorists were unwilling to pay the fee to enter these roads so traffic flow was smoother as theyused other roads or avoided the ERP gantries during the hours the gantries were switched on.

Park and Ride Scheme / Park and Ride Scheme was intended to help control traffic flow into the CBD.
The idea was that motorists would park at specific car parks outside the city and then use public transport to go to work.
Several car parks were thus built outside MRT stations to facilitate the scheme. /
  • Effective in controlling traffic flow because it would mean that fewer vehicles would be entering the city area.

Vehicle Quota Scheme / The Vehicle Quota Scheme helped to control the traffic flow by determining the number of new motor vehicles allowed for registration by implementing the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) system.
Under the COE system, a specific number of new cars are issued based on the quota set by the LTA.
Prospective car owners would have to bid for the COE and can only buy their cars when they are successful in gaining the COE. /
  • Effective in controlling traffic flow because this limits the number of cars which can be purchased. This means that fewer cards will be allowed on the road and traffic flow will be controlled.

NB: Students, please take note that due to the similarities between ALS and ERP, please do not use them together in the same question, choose other factors instead.

NB: When questioned about the effectiveness of each measure in controlling traffic flow, explain only what is above in the boxes. In your weighing, you can bring in the other side of the factor’s ineffectiveness. If you put both together, you are contradicting your answer.

Analysis of Measures to Control Traffic Flow (Limit of Success)

Area Licensing Scheme / Electronic Road Pricing / Park-and-Ride Scheme / Vehicle Quota System
Effective in managing traffic flow in the CBD area. Many people supported the ALS as there was smoother traffic flow in the city. However, the ALS was inconvenient and labour intensive. / Effective in managing traffic flow as motorists were discouraged by having to pay a fee to use certain roads. However, flow is only controlled on certain roads which have ERP gantries. / Not successful as many parking sites were not used. Motorists also chose to travel earlier or later to avoid the ALS operation time. / Most successful as the VQS actually reduced the number of cars that could be on the roads, leading to better traffic flow.

Social Studies Revision Resource – Governance in Singapore

Family Planning Measures 1966 to 1981

  • A series of three 5-year plans were implemented from 1966 to 1981 to control population growth.
  • The first plan emphasised the need for smaller families and aimed to encourage couples to change their mindset and accept that having smaller families was more beneficial than giving birth to so many children.
  • The second plan encouraged married couples to stop at two children. Once couples’ mindsets were tuned to having smaller families, the aim of the second plan was to get them to accept the idea of having two children, regardless of gender.
  • The third plan aimed to maintain the replacement rate level at 2.1 children so as to keep population figures in check.
  • At the same time, the government also encouraged contraceptive use and legalised abortion. Punitive measures were also rolled out to discourage couples from having more than two children. No paid maternity leave was given for the third and subsequent children. No priority was to be given to large families in the allocation of government flats. No income tax relief was to be given for the fourth and subsequent children while delivery charges in hospitals were increased with each additional child.

Why was there a Need to Promote Population Growth from the 1980s?

Factors: Why was there a Need to Promote Population Growth from the 1980s?

  • Declining Birth Rate from the 1980s
  • Unattractive to Multinational Companies
  • Ageing Population
  • Defence

Declining Birth Rate from the 1980s

Unattractive to Multinational Companies

  • With a small population, Singapore would not be able to produce enough talented people to sustain its economic development, making it unattractive to foreign investors and Multinational Corporations (MNCs). As it would be difficult and expensive to recruit local Singaporeans as compared to larger and cheaper labour markets in other countries, Singapore would not be able to sustain its economic development. Furthermore, it’s small population size makes Singapore a small consumer market. It was therefore important for the government to promote population growth from the 1980s onwards.

Ageing Population

  • Furthermore, with fewer babies being born, there would be fewer young people in the population. The number of older people would be proportionately larger, which means that Singapore would face an ageing population in the future. The smaller younger population would be burdened financially and more resources would be needed to take care of the increasing number of senior citizens, putting a strain on the country’s economic resources and reducing Singapore’s competitiveness. It was therefore important for the government to promote population growth from the 1980s onwards.

Defence

  • With a declining birth rate, there would be fewer young men to recruit for National Service. This would weaken Singapore’s defence force and make Singapore vulnerable to external threats and reduce its defence capabilities. It was therefore important for the government to promote population growth from the 1980s onwards.

Measure / What is it about? [Elaboration] / Examples / Link [Why is there a need to promote population growth?]
Declining Birth Rate from the 1980s / By 1980, the fertility rate hit 1.82 children per woman due to the success of the government’s family planning measures. At the same time, over the years, women became more educated and pursued their careers. Attitudes also changed over the time and couples also preferred to pursue their careers instead, marrying later and choosing to either give birth to one child or not have any children. As a result, less children were born and Singapore’s birth rate declined.
At the same time, more jobs were created in the industries and a larger workforce was needed to sustain Singapore’s development. Manpower was also needed for national defence. With Singapore’s declining birth rate, Singapore’s development and defence needs would not be met, making it vulnerable to external challenges. It was therefore important for the government to promote population growth from the 1980s onwards.
Defence / 

Factors: How did the Government Promote Population Growth after the 1980s?

  • The Graduate Mothers Scheme
  • Three or More If You Can Afford It
  • Other Pro-Family Measures
  • Attracting Foreign Talent

The Graduate Mothers Scheme

  • The Graduate Mothers Scheme was introduced in 1984 to encourage marriage and having children among graduates as it was felt that the education level of the parents would have a direct impact on the performance of their children in schools.
  • However, the scheme was unpopular as less educated people felt that they were discriminated against and would be left out under the policy. The scheme was withdrawn after a year.

Three or More If You Can Afford It

  • The government began to reverse the earlier policy against larger families and parents were encouraged to have three children or more if they could afford it.
  • To help relieve the financial burden of having children, the government introduced measures such as allowing the use of Medisave to pay for the delivery charges of the first three children.
  • However, these methods are not very successful as the number of children born per woman continued to decrease. Many newly married couples continued to have only one or two children and a sizeable number of Singaporeans either married late and had no children or chose to remain single.

Other Pro-Family Measures