But a government-appointed panel wants the rule reviewed, saying the civil service has a very talented pool of citizens who can comment on policy with insight.
The Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (Aims) made this recommendation in its final report to the Government.
'We can be proud of our civil service as a whole. They are efficient, they are knowledgeable,' said Aims chairman Cheong Yip Seng at a news conference on the report, released yesterday (Dec 2).
'Why should such a large segment of the population with that kind of background knowledge and understanding of policies be denied a public voice?'
Aims is suggesting that the Government find a way of tapping this expertise, he said.
Nine academics, government employees, consultants and designers who are passionate about new media had found each other on the Internet and sent feedback to Aims on this and other e-engagement themes recently.
In their submission, the group, who are in their 20s and 30s, pointed out that the personal perspectives of civil servants may be 'more pragmatic' than official sentiments.
They have no group name and are not the Bloggers 13 - which includes prominent bloggers like Mr Alex Au of the Yawning Bread website - which also sent feedback to Aims.
Even if the civil servants espouse views contrary to Government positions, the group noted that they have a positive, balanced effect on policymaking. All this helps 'reduce groupthink and tunnel vision', they added.
Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.
