FTrashisation - FAP Traitors is Playing with Fire!

[makapaaa]

http://www.cscollege.gov.sg/Knowledge/Ethos/Issue 4 Oct 2005/Pages/03Reflection.pdf

Reflections on Thirty-Five Years of
Public Service: From Espionage
to Babies

By Eddie Teo

On 30 November 2005, Mr Eddie Teo retired
as Permanent Secretary (Prime Minister’s
Office) as part of the scheme to renew public
sector leadership. Mr Teo spent most of his
35 years in the public sector in the Security
and Intelligence Division and for several
years he also ran the Internal Security
Department. He was Permanent Secretary
at the Ministry of Defence from 1994 to
2000. He then became Permanent Secretary
at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). At PMO
he tackled a diverse slate of national issues
ranging from encouraging Singaporeans to
have more children to National Education.
What follows is an edited version of Mr Teo’s
farewell address to the Public Service
Division and the Civil Service College in
November 2005. In February 2006, he will
become Singapore’s High Commissioner to
Australia.

....
Population Issues

In PMO, I have also been given jobs that my
previous jobs did not prepare me for. For
instance, trying to persuade Singaporeans to
marry and produce babies. When this was first
announced, a journalist friend, who is single, emailed
me to wish me luck. She said that I would
find it more difficult to raise the total fertility rate
(TFR) than to go to war. She was right. After all
the goodies we gave out in the last five years,
the TFR dropped last year and this year it is likely
to rise only a little from 1.24, well short of the
replacement rate of 2.1. I guess one could argue
that if we had done nothing, the TFR could have
dropped even lower, below 1.24.

Experience elsewhere seems to suggest that we
should temper our expectations. A comprehensive
RAND study on the population problems of
European Union countries concludes that
government policy is likely to slow down the fall
in fertility rates, as opposed to halting the fall or
bringing them back to replacement level.1
The saving grace for Singapore is that unlike
countries like Japan, we can fall back on
immigration as a solution. If Singaporeans still do
not produce the babies we need, we will have to
rely more on foreigners and new citizens to top
up our population. Increasing our population
through immigration is a delicate exercise that
requires deft political handling and public
servants must be aware of the social and political
issues that have to be addressed. But we may have
no other choice as our population continues to
shrink and age.
If we succeed in attracting more foreigners to
become citizens, we have to ensure that they are
properly integrated and share Singapore’s core
values. Otherwise, we may end up with all sorts
of political, social and economic problems which
could tear our nation apart. However, if the
change is well-managed, we must also be
prepared to accept a Singapore which is very
different—a more diverse, vibrant and
cosmopolitan Singapore, enhanced in its creativity
by the richness and depth of a variety of cultures
and individuals.

Israel is one rare example of a society that recently
struggled with absorbing Russian and Ethiopian
immigrants but has survived the traumas to
emerge richer for the experience. Many European
countries have not done so well and are only now
waking up to the need to better integrate their
immigrants.

Another task I have had is to establish a
sustainable structure to get many government
agencies to work together in engaging
overseas Singaporeans—students, businessmen,
professionals—so that the Singapore diaspora can
continue to contribute to Singapore and some will
eventually return. We must stay in touch with
them and show them we care if we do not want
to lose them for good to other countries. We must
put in at least as much effort and resources to
engage Singaporeans abroad as we are in
reaching out to foreigners. I am happy that
agencies have moved from a position of benign
neglect to one of keen interest in this subject.
its political masters. If its reputation is tarnished
as a result of the constant bashing of public
servants whenever things go awry, no selfrespecting,
bright Singaporean will want to join
the public service, no matter how attractive the
pay.

By convention, public servants do not defend
themselves when they are criticized and vilified.
If the complaints against them are fair, they
should own up, apologise, endeavour to do
better, and move on, or move out if the mistake
is very serious. But if they are attacked unfairly,
public servants depend on the politicians to
defend them and speak up for them. Some
younger public servants have pointed out that this
is happening less frequently nowadays than in the
past. Given a more demanding and vocal public,
public servants ought to expect more complaints
than before, and we will have to establish a new
balance which acknowledges the quality of our
public service while recognising its shortcomings
and the need to constantly improve.

Foreigners and new citizens appreciate that we
have a first-class Public Service, one of the best in
the world. It is only Singaporeans who seem to
doubt it. One of the challenges ahead is to
realign perceptions so that our Public Service is
regarded by all—Singaporeans as well as non-
Singaporeans—as first-class.

=> No wonder the FAP Traitors are so fervent in giving FTrash freebies cos the FTrash are able to sayang their lumber 1 ego, unlike the 'ungrateful' SGs that they are actively sabotaging and trying to replace! Any more doubt that Traitors are running the country now?

 

[RiderX]

FT are just taking a hitch ride, anything happens, they will chabok!

 

[mei mei]

Israel is one rare example of a society that recently
struggled with absorbing Russian and Ethiopian
immigrants but has survived the traumas to
emerge richer for the experience.

Those are Russian Jews and Ethiopian Jews.

Absorbing own people.

 

[winnipegjets]

You have to be fair to your agents and take care of them and their families if they are caught

Interesting comment but did not reflect reality on the ground...I heard during his time, a member of the Kwa family working for him was caught for espionage and the agency went through heaven and hell to secure his release while in another situation, an agent was caught and they didn't go as far to help him. Words have it that the latter agent was tortured and killed.

It is your connection that matters. It is typically PAP attitude ...everyone is dispensable unless you are part of the elite. Look at how SAF regulars are treated after they are used up in the prime career age ...they are dumped into the private sector with NO skills that can enable them to have a compatible second career. Any thinking sinkee should think twice on joining MINDEF and the military.

Security & Intelligence Division by Eddie Teo, former SID Director

Those of you who are familiar with a talk I gave to SID a few years ago will realise how much I loved the 24 years I spent in SID. Where else are you privy to the most sensitive secrets held by government and to the deepest thoughts of our political leaders? In what other job can you expect Mr. Lee Kuan Yew to so frequently turn to you for advice and information before he decides on national policy? Intelligence work is never boring and always
exciting because you deal with real life and real people, and you are expected to know the capability, judge the character and assess the intentions of Singapore’s adversaries.

There is here is nothing like a difficult, seemingly impossible, assignment to inject excitement into a job. I felt privileged working in intelligence, but I also
felt humbled every time SID got things wrong. After one particularly bad mistake, I accepted responsibility and offered to resign. But my letter was ignored. I guess they thought it was an honest mistake.

Working in SID taught me many things. First, that people are not always what they seem to be. At cocktail parties and during negotiations, people
sometimes lie, tell half-truths, float trial balloons and pass a line. Second, that personal friendships with foreign officials are useful to smoothen interactions but national interests always transcend sentiments, goodwill and friendship. By all means play golf, socialise and build ties with foreign officials, but never forget that the purpose for you (as well as for them) is to further the national interest. If the political winds change, personal friendship
will mean nothing. Third, that every intelligence operation involves risk-taking. You have to ask if the intelligence requirement is of strategic importance to
Singapore before you push an agent or an officer to take that extra risk.

Finally, intelligence requires integrity. You have to tell your political masters the truth, no matter how unpleasant and unacceptable they may find
it. You have to be fair to your agents and take care of them and their families if they are caught

Otherwise, your agency’s reputation will suffer and you will find that nobody will want to risk his life working for you again. But there were some downsides working in SID. Because you see so much duplicity and skulduggery, you sometimes forget that there are
also good people in this world—people who are decent, loyal, sincere, compassionate and generous. You can become over suspicious, even
a little paranoid, and suspect everybody’s motives, sometimes unfairly. You also learn to listen more than you speak, because you are trained to absorb
as much intelligence as you can and to reveal as little as possible. So when I moved out of SID to Mindef and then PMO, I had to learn to communicate better so people would know what was required of them.

 

[winnipegjets]

By convention, public servants do not defend themselves when they are criticized and vilified. If the complaints against them are fair, they should own up, apologise, endeavour to do better, and move on, or move out if the mistake is very serious. But if they are attacked unfairly, public servants depend on the politicians to defend them and speak up for them. Some younger public servants have pointed out that this is happening less frequently nowadays than in the past. Given a more demanding and vocal public, public servants ought to expect more complaints than before, and we will have to establish a new balance which acknowledges the quality of our public service while recognising its shortcomings and the need to constantly improve. - Eddie Teo

That's why the NEA vs WP TC squabble over cleaning of hawker centres was troubling. The NEA had crossed the line of neutrality and attacked elected officials who were given mandate by voters. How can an unelected agency, purported made of public SERVANTS, think it has the right to attack elected officials?
And to this day, the CEO, a public SERVANT, has not explained himself.

And the MINISTER in charge, instead of putting the fire out, came out with more attacks in a feeble attempt to change channels.

The line has been crossed and the PUBLIC SERVICE can now be attacked by ALL sinkees who oppose the PAP.

 

[cunnosieur]

SPORE RIVER IN TIME TO COME

Oh pls....not the pundeks...

 

[halsey02]

That's why the NEA vs WP TC squabble over cleaning of hawker centres was troubling. The NEA had crossed the line of neutrality and attacked elected officials who were given mandate by voters. How can an unelected agency, purported made of public SERVANTS, think it has the right to attack elected officials?
And to this day, the CEO, a public SERVANT, has not explained himself.

And the MINISTER in charge, instead of putting the fire out, came out with more attacks in a feeble attempt to change channels.

The line has been crossed and the PUBLIC SERVICE can now be attacked by ALL sinkees who oppose the PAP.

NEA job is to enforce the rules & govern, period.

 

[iAgent]

SPORE RIVER IN TIME TO COME

Oh pls....not the pundeks...

Long lost art piece from Da Vinci??