To succeed, S'pore needs high-quality public servants to work with first-class political leaders: PM Lee

SINGAPORE - A high-quality public service is critical but, for Singapore to be successful, it must work closely with a "first-class political leadership", said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday (Jan 17).

It must also be fundamentally aligned with elected leaders, he added.

"Some people argue that since we have a capable civil service to keep things working, Singapore already is in good hands. Hence, we need not be so stringent in our expectations of political leaders - expectations of capability, or mastery of their portfolios, of the experience they bring to the job," he told 900 public servants at the annual Public Service Leadership Dinner.

"And (that) we can even survive a bad election, or a bad government, because the civil service is there. I believe this is totally misguided. Leadership does matter, and political leaders play a specific, vital role in any country, but especially in our system of government."

PM Lee added that a competent civil service may be able to keep the country going on "autopilot" for some time, even if its politics are divided, or its political leaders well-meaning but mediocre.

But under such circumstances, the civil service cannot launch major policy, set new directions or mobilise the population to mount a national response to major challenges, he said.

Citing the example of the United States, where there is widespread agreement that the country's ageing infrastructure is due for an urgent upgrade, PM Lee noted that the necessary work cannot be done because of deep political divisions.

In Singapore, the political climate and leaders support and enable the public service to operate in a rational, efficient, systematic way, he said. The country therefore has the luxury of looking beyond the short-term, and the confidence that it will be able to fund and carry out longer-term plans.

Organisations like Temasek and GIC have been created as companies rather than government departments, insulating them from political pressure and bureaucratic interference. This allows them the space to make sound investment decisions, he said.

"It works not only because we have the right organisational structure, but because we have the political will to do things the right way and see things through, and have built up the right culture and values in the public service," PM Lee said. "This arrangement has enabled us to steward and build up our reserves, and greatly benefited our people."

And just as public servants must understand the political context, ministers are expected to be "hands-on executive leaders" rather than simply providing strategic guidance, PM Lee said. This means that if they are not up to scratch or cannot play their roles properly, the public service will not function well.

Decisions will be delayed or fudged, and officers will not be able to get things done, PM Lee said. Enterprising and idealistic officers will become frustrated and disillusioned, and some will leave the service.

"Maintaining an outstanding public service will itself be in jeopardy," PM Lee said. "The quality of government will go down, and it will take years to recover, if at all."

Overseas, splits between the political leadership and the public service have produced unhappy results, he added. In the United Kingdom and Australia, for example, political leaders have brought in political advisers and appointees to do the work that "apolitical" civil servants do not want, or cannot be trusted to do.

He pointed out that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's chief adviser, Mr Dominic Cummings, has publicly lambasted the civil service as dysfunctional and incompetent, making clear his belief that it is subverting his government and Brexit.

In his speech, PM Lee also stressed that the public service must be "fundamentally aligned" with the elected government.

This means being sensitive to the political context and sharing the fundamental values and priorities of the political leadership, he said.

Only when senior public service leaders work closely with their elected political counterparts will both parties be able to give effect to the will of the people, and deliver on Singaporeans' expectations and aspirations, PM Lee added.

"It is a fine balance - for the public service to be neutral and non-political, insulated from the hurly-burly of party politics, and yet politically sensitive and responsive to the nation's priorities and aspirations," he said. "But this is inherent in the role of a public sector leader."

He added that a political transition will happen in a few years, with the fourth-generation political leaders coming to the fore. And while their working style may be different, one thing cannot change, he said. This is the "fundamental alignment, close working relationship, and mutual trust between the ministers and civil servants".

PM Lee said he is confident that the 4G leaders and the public service leadership share the same fundamental values, including meritocracy, clean government, multiracialism, inclusive development, and economic growth.

"And the conviction that an outstanding government is a vital differentiator for Singapore, and that Singapore has to be exceptional to thrive," he added.