Channel NewsAsia: National education has failed to create public-spiritedness: Sylvia Lim

By Hoe Yeen Nie


Sylvia Lim

SINGAPORE : Non-Constituency MP Sylvia Lim questioned the view that Singapore's ministers would succeed in the private sector had they not opted for public service instead.

And if Singapore cannot interest good people to enter government, she asked if this was because government leaders had yet to create a culture of high public-spiritedness, despite years of National Education.

Ms Lim made these points during the debate on the civil service and ministerial pay revisions in Parliament on Wednesday.

The NCMP also stressed that in comparing ministerial pay with other countries, the issue was not the level of a country's development, but the skill sets required of an office holder.

To add value to the lives of the people, Ms Lim felt ministers should understand the people's aspirations and lead with both head and heart.

But with ministerial pay pegged at the current benchmarks, she said this has created a disjunct with the income of the average Singapore worker.

It also sends out the message that one's sense of duty to Singapore could be similarly measured in material terms. - CNA /ls