http://kentridgecommon.com/?p=4038
The Kent Ridge Common, 7 Jun 2009, Kelvin Teo
Same old numbers game, same old story
SINGAPORE - We have another game in numbers, and this time round, it is the ranking of Singapore’s civil service vis-à-vis that of other nations in Asia. The study was interestingly conducted by the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy culminating in a 12 page report. Its verdict? Singapore’s civil service is the most efficient as compared with its Asian counterparts, but on the negative side and I quote “during difficult times - or when mistakes are made that reflect badly on the system - there is a tendency among bureaucrats to circle the wagons in ways that lack transparency and make accountability difficult.”
The interesting aspect of the study was that it was conducted through a poll of 1,274 expatriates working in 12 North and South Asian nations on the efficiency of bureaucrats in those countries. The first criticism that comes to mind is sample bias. Why is this so? The first reason is due to the fact that companies would usually get their local employees to deal directly with the bureaucrats from the civil service. It is a common sense approach because the locals would be more familiar with the civil service of their countries. Thus, one will query if the 1274 expatriates deal with the bureaucrats directly. Secondly, even if these expatriates do deal with the civil service, it is possible that the bureaucrats could have adopted an accommodating approach, especially if the government wants to attract multi-national corporations (MNCs) or foreign-direct investments (FDI). And since the civil service is the face of the government, obviously they would want to leave behind a good impression. For instance, when the Singapore government went into Suzhou, the latter had the support of the Chinese president. And the Singapore consortium was accorded freedom over planning and land-use, something that was unprecedented in China, and enjoyed a break from handing tax revenues to the provincial and central authorities.
Thus, it would have been more appropriate if the studies surveyed those who have dealt directly with the civil service which would obviously include the locals. And they should have solicited the views of representatives from local businesses of every country who have dealt with the civil service. Not only would the results be more accurate, but they would get insightful feedbacks from the local representatives on the nitty gritty realities of dealing with the civil service.
The part which criticizes the civil service for circling around difficult issues with lack of transparency and accountability is an old story, which has been rehashed over and over again in the blogosphere. Type in the words “SAF” + Cover + up + Singapore” on the Google search engine and one could find pages alleging cover ups by SAF, especially in incidents which reflect badly on the latter. And such have arisen due to the lack of disclosure regarding major incidents, which resulted in injuries or deaths. And who could ever forget the 2 NTU professors who were chided by then Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen for alleging in a report that 90% of the jobs went to foreigners? And the professors’ defense was that they got their data from the Manpower Ministry! Back then, everyone was asking this question - why consider Singaporeans and Permanent Residents as a whole? What is the exact numbers of Singaporeans and Permanent Residents? Obviously, observers were hoping that the Manpower Ministry would disclose such exact numbers with regards to employment. Up till today, this question remains unanswered.
The headlines screamed:”Most efficient civil service” because the report of the study reflected well on our civil service. Another feel good piece. But this 12 page report by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy reads more like “An opinion piece by 1274 expatriates on the civil services of Asian countries” as opposed to an objective ranking exercise.
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Latest update as Singapore News Alternative:
1. Civil Servants Ranking - Same old numbers game, same old story
2. MM Lee’s trip to Malaysia next week sparks cynicism
.
The Kent Ridge Common, 7 Jun 2009, Kelvin Teo
Same old numbers game, same old story
SINGAPORE - We have another game in numbers, and this time round, it is the ranking of Singapore’s civil service vis-à-vis that of other nations in Asia. The study was interestingly conducted by the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy culminating in a 12 page report. Its verdict? Singapore’s civil service is the most efficient as compared with its Asian counterparts, but on the negative side and I quote “during difficult times - or when mistakes are made that reflect badly on the system - there is a tendency among bureaucrats to circle the wagons in ways that lack transparency and make accountability difficult.”
The interesting aspect of the study was that it was conducted through a poll of 1,274 expatriates working in 12 North and South Asian nations on the efficiency of bureaucrats in those countries. The first criticism that comes to mind is sample bias. Why is this so? The first reason is due to the fact that companies would usually get their local employees to deal directly with the bureaucrats from the civil service. It is a common sense approach because the locals would be more familiar with the civil service of their countries. Thus, one will query if the 1274 expatriates deal with the bureaucrats directly. Secondly, even if these expatriates do deal with the civil service, it is possible that the bureaucrats could have adopted an accommodating approach, especially if the government wants to attract multi-national corporations (MNCs) or foreign-direct investments (FDI). And since the civil service is the face of the government, obviously they would want to leave behind a good impression. For instance, when the Singapore government went into Suzhou, the latter had the support of the Chinese president. And the Singapore consortium was accorded freedom over planning and land-use, something that was unprecedented in China, and enjoyed a break from handing tax revenues to the provincial and central authorities.
Thus, it would have been more appropriate if the studies surveyed those who have dealt directly with the civil service which would obviously include the locals. And they should have solicited the views of representatives from local businesses of every country who have dealt with the civil service. Not only would the results be more accurate, but they would get insightful feedbacks from the local representatives on the nitty gritty realities of dealing with the civil service.
The part which criticizes the civil service for circling around difficult issues with lack of transparency and accountability is an old story, which has been rehashed over and over again in the blogosphere. Type in the words “SAF” + Cover + up + Singapore” on the Google search engine and one could find pages alleging cover ups by SAF, especially in incidents which reflect badly on the latter. And such have arisen due to the lack of disclosure regarding major incidents, which resulted in injuries or deaths. And who could ever forget the 2 NTU professors who were chided by then Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen for alleging in a report that 90% of the jobs went to foreigners? And the professors’ defense was that they got their data from the Manpower Ministry! Back then, everyone was asking this question - why consider Singaporeans and Permanent Residents as a whole? What is the exact numbers of Singaporeans and Permanent Residents? Obviously, observers were hoping that the Manpower Ministry would disclose such exact numbers with regards to employment. Up till today, this question remains unanswered.
The headlines screamed:”Most efficient civil service” because the report of the study reflected well on our civil service. Another feel good piece. But this 12 page report by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy reads more like “An opinion piece by 1274 expatriates on the civil services of Asian countries” as opposed to an objective ranking exercise.
------------------------------
Latest update as Singapore News Alternative:
1. Civil Servants Ranking - Same old numbers game, same old story
2. MM Lee’s trip to Malaysia next week sparks cynicism
.
