Unique Experiment to involve People in Governance “Our Singapore Conversation”: Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

Unique Experiment to involve 

People in Governance

“Our Singapore Conversation”

Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

At this year’s Singapore National Day Rally on August 26, 2012, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged the people to come together in a national discourse. The Prime Minister called on Singaporeans to support a move by the government to ensure Singapore would remain a success story in the next 20 years. Earlier In his National Day message to Singaporeans on August 8, 2012, he has tasked Education Minister Heng Swee Keat to chair a committee of younger ministers to take a “fresh look” at existing government policies. In revising its policies, he said the government would keep "Singaporeans at the heart of all we do" and would engage citizens in the review in order to build a broad consensus going forward. “To be a shining red dot twenty years from now, we must rethink our approaches, and reinvent ourselves. We must anticipate changes and prepare for what lies ahead,” he said, while asking Singaporeans "for your support in this exercise". 

The National Day Rally is an annual address that the Prime Minister of Singapore makes to the entire nation, on the second Sunday after August 9, the country's National Day. A yearly event since 1966, the Prime Minister uses this rally to address the nation on its key challenges and its future directions, and can be compared to the State of the Union Address delivered by the President of the United States. 

 Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Every August, after the hype and excitement of the Singapore National Day Parade has died down; Singapore Prime Minister makes the National Day Rally speech. Of course, there would be the easily predictable buzzwords. Even before a single word is uttered on live television every Singaporean knows that there would be mention of increased engagement between the government and the people, and of course, almost excessive use of the word “inclusive”. This year, three ministers – Education Minister Heng Swee Keat, Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports Halimah Yacob and Senior Minister of State for Education and for Information, Communications and the Arts Lawrence Wong – gave speeches before Prime Minister took centre stage. Promises were made about a “national conversation”, an attempt to include Singaporeans more in building the future of the country. There was a marked emphasis on hope and heart.

            Education Minister Heng Swee Keat said government will engage all Singaporeans in a national conversation about how to take the country forward by "putting Singaporeans at the heart of our concerns". In his speech, Heng touched on the details of "Our Singapore"- an initiative that PM Lee Hsien Loong had tasked him to do in his National Day Message. He highlighted three goals that the national conversation will seek to achieve: reaffirm what is good and still relevant, see what has changed and recalibrate accordingly and, refresh and innovate by charting new directions. "It will be an opportunity for Singaporeans to come together, and ask: What matters most? Where do we want to go as a country, as a people?" 

  Education Minister Heng Swee Keat

Drawing the example of Singapore's education, Heng cited that although the "focus on grades and achievements maintain standards, it comes at the expense of a holistic education, a happier childhood and quality time with parents". "Extreme meritocracy and competition can lead to a winner-take-all society, with the winners thinking little of others. We need to restore a balance to hard-nosed material pragmatism," he said. Heng also called for Singaporeans to take part in the national conversation as it will be as "inclusive as possible". 

            Subsequently, a 26-member “Our Singapore” Committee chaired by Education Minister Heng Swee Keat was announced with its members coming from all walks of life which include a taxi driver, social entrepreneurs, artists, students, academics, media and politicians. The committee decided to engage the public in over 30 dialogue sessions, each involving 50 to 150 people and to be conducted in different languages and dialects. About 3,000 to 4,000 people are expected to be polled by November or December this year. 

            The National Conversation on Our Singapore, announced by Prime Minister in his National Day Message and elaborated during the National Day Rally, is gathering momentum in social media. The official "Our SG Conversation" Facebook page has garnered number of responses since it was launched by Minister for Education, who is fronting the national conversation effort. One contributor hopes that the Facebook page will help facilitate an authentic conversation for the benefit of Singaporeans. A working mother of two shared her challenges and said she was "tense" about whether her children could excel in school and succeed in life. She added that working takes up time and energy, leaving little of her time for her children. There were also calls for the conversation to have multi-language platforms for all Singaporeans, and not just focus on the English-speaking group. Political watchers said that while social media is likely the people's preferred platform to express their views, it is important for the government to also reach out to the silent majority. 

            According to the media reports, the first of at least 30 citizen dialogues being planned for the national conversation will be held early October and some 100 people have already expressed interest. Each session is expected to involve 50 to 150 people, who will be split into groups of 8 to 10 with a facilitator encouraging deeper conversations about the country’s future. Other groups including some community groups, unions and grassroots organizations, have also indicated that they may organize their own dialogues, with a Singaporean in Beijing even offering to run one in the Chinese capital. This offer has been accepted.

            As part of the facilitation of the dialogue, one activity that has been planned is to come up with a “story headline” for Singapore 20 years on. At the dialogues, participants will get a chance to rub shoulders with high-level panel members such as the ministers. While the panel members will nominate names for the dialogues, the public can also sign up. 

            The government announced a toll free number and an e-mail to reach easily by the public as well as its preparedness to post the details of the sessions on a website. 

Why not AP Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy emulate from this experience and involve people in a better manner in the governance?