SS WA2 revision NA Sec 3

Chapter 2 Roles of the governement

Maintains law and order

[P]oint: One of the role of government is to maintain law and order.

[E]laboration: The government preserves safety and security by ensuring that citizens' lives and property are protected from harmful acts. They also maintain law and order by ensuring justice.

[E]xample: For example, the Singapore Police Force aims to prevent, deter and detect crime through its wide-ranging work. It engages students to fight scams and worked consistently and rigorously to build awareness that disobeying law will not be tolerated. This awareness helps deter potential crimes. Similarly, the Courts and law enforcement agencies seek to ensure justice is served in every case. This includes the example where a former CPIB assistant director was jailed 10 years for misusing money entrusted to him.

[L]ink: Therefore, when there is justice in society and efforts to preserve safety and security, laws are respected and this deter unlawful behaviour and ensure order within the society. There is also confidence within the society that they will be treated fairly by the government and this encourages peace and harmony for everyone in society.

Ensures the economic and social well-being of citizens

[P]oint: One of the role of government is to ensure the economic and social well-being of citizens.

[E]laboration: This means that the government ensure that an individual has his basic needs for food, water and shelter met while also having the opportunity to pursue his goals and enjoy a satisfactory quality of life.

[E]xample: For example, the government denotes significant resources to provide public goods and services such as the polyclinics and one – stop healthcare centres that provide subsides primary care such as outpatient medical treatment and diagnostic tests. Similarly, in ensuring economic well-being, the government implements the Skillsfuture programme that provides skills-focused courses relevant to industry needs which promotes career development of Singapore and encourage lifelong learning.

[L]ink: Therefore, when the government ensures the economic and social well-being of the citizens, the citizens are able to pursue their goals and achieve better career prospects and income. Similarly, when their healthcare and social needs are met, they also are able to live a comfortable and fulfilling life.

Promotes and protects a country’s national’s interests

[P]oint: One of the role of government is to promote and protects a country’s national interests.

[E]laboration: Singapore’s national interests include ensuring the country’s trade with others to promote economic growth, ensuring that the population has sufficient food and water for survival as well as ensuring it is safe from attacks by other countries. Singapore achieves this via diplomacy and deterrence.

[E]xample: For example, with diplomacy, Singapore promotes multilateral relationships as a member of ASEAN. Through this, we are able to establish partnerships like the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) with 14 other Asia Pacific countries to deepen economic cooperation in the region. Similarly, to deter aggressors, our Ministry of Defence develops the SAF to respond to military threats by tapping on advances in technology and AI to build capabilities such as the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and the Hunter Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs).

[L]ink: Through diplomacy and deterrence, when our national interests are protected, Singaporeans will be assured that they are always safe while having access to basic needs and opportunities for development.

Chapter 3 Challenges of Deciding What Is Good For Society

Challenge 1 Differing needs and interests

Elaboration: While people share similar basic needs such as food, water and shelter for survival, they generally have different needs when it comes to their well-being.

Example: For example, an individual may see a job as a need because it provides him with an income for greater well-being. However, another person who has more wealth may not see a job as a need. Similarly, while one individual may have an interest in having access to affordable public transport, a person with high income may not have similar interest because he can afford a car.

Link: Therefore, due to the varied needs and interests of people, there would be less agreement on what is considered good for society and this makes decision making in the government more complex.

Challenge 2: Differing priorities

Elaboration: Although individuals may agree on certain needs and interests of society, it may still be challenging to decide what is good due to differing priorities and limited resources. Example: In Singapore, land is needed for various purposes such as education, housing, business and recreation. Given the limited land area, it is crucial that land use is optimised so that the current and future needs of the people are met. However, it is difficult to determine how to prioritise the different needs of the people. For example, elderly Singaporeans with medical needs would like a hospital to be build in their area while those with school going children would prefer a school to be built instead. Link: As there are differing priorities among different sections of society and limited resources, it is also difficult for the government to decide which needs and interests are to be addressed.

Challenge 3: Unequal sharing of costs

Elaboration: Decisions on how to address the various needs and interests of people may lead to varying impact on different groups of people. While a decision may benefit society in general, it can have a negative impact on certain groups of people.

Example: For example, building expressways would improve traffic flow for commuters. However, this may come at a cost for those living near the expressways who may be affected by the noise generated by the traffic. Therefore, those who benefit from the expressways would say it is a good decision. However, residents who are negatively impacted will say that it is not a good decision

Link: Therefore, while a decision may benefit society in general, it can have a negative impact on certain groups of people. This complexity makes it challenging to decide what is good for society.

The 4 Principles of Governance

Principle 1: Having good leadership

Elaboration: As government representatives or leaders have the authority to make decisions on behalf of the people, they must thus be honest and capable. They must also have the moral courage and integrity to do what is right, including making decisions that may not be popular with the people.

Example: For example, Dr Goh Keng Swee is an example of a good leader. He was appointed as Singapore’s first Minister of Finance in 1959. In order to address challenges Singapore faced, such as poor housing conditions and high unemployment, he cut government spending, including the pay of civil servants and ministers. His prudent approach to spending remains a feature of how Singapore spends and saves its money.

Link: Incorruptible leaders will make decisions for the good of the country, rather than for personal interests. Should leaders be dishonest, they will be dealt with by the law. This helps ensure that leaders in power are working with the right intent, in the interest of the society.

Principle 2: Anticipating change and staying relevant

Elaboration: By being forward looking and taking sound actions early, the government can minimise threats and maximise opportunities for the people of Singapore.

Example: For example, at the National Day Rally 2019, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke about the challenge of climate change and how Singapore should respond. He informed Singaporeans about the government taking early and vital action to prepare the country for rising sea levels caused by climate change. In 2020, a budget of $5 billion was set aside for the Coastal and Flood Protection to help the country meet the significant risks of rising sea levels.

Link: It is important that the government is able to foresee the needs of Singapore in future and make necessary plans in order to ensure we are prepared and not left behind as the world progresses.

Principle 3: A stake for everyone, opportunities for all

Elaboration: This principle means giving citizens a say in decision-making. Opportunities are created to encourage Singaporeans to share their view on policies and decision-making.

Example: For example, launched in 2019, the Singapore Together movement encourages Singaporeans to partner the government and one another to shape and act on areas they care about, so as to bring about a better future. The Emerging Stronger Conversations (ESC) were launched in 2020 as part of the Singapore Together movement Involved 16,900 Singaporeans from different backgrounds who expressed their hopes for how Singapore can emerge stronger from the COVID 19 pandemic.

Link: When citizens feel that they have a stake in Singapore’s future, they develop a greater sense of belonging and become more willing to be involved in working towards the good of society.

Principle 4: Practising meritocracy

Elaboration: This principle refers to a system that distributes opportunities and rewards according to merit. People are rewarded according to the effort they put in rather than factors such as race, religion and family background.

Example: For example, students in government and specialised schools are offered awards based on their character, leadership, conduct, learning attitudes and academic performances. This includes the Edusave Award for Achievement, Good Leadership and Service (EAGLES) awarded to 10% of students from each school who have demonstrated leadership qualities, service to community and schools, excellence in non-academic activities and good conduct. Other awards are the Edusave Good Progress Award and Edusave Scholarship.

Link: When people are rewarded based on their abilities and effort, they are encouraged to work hard. This ensures that the society progre