Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong spoke about good leaders
and good government yesterday at the Institute of Policy Studies
SG50 conference. We touch on some key points.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD
LEADER?
Integrity - honest,
incorruptible and morally upright;
Competence - able, practical,
innovative and effective;
Compassion - fair, just and
looks after the weak, the poor and the vulnerable
citizens;
Think ahead - anticipates
challenges and strategises for the long term while attending to
current problems;
Conviction - prepared to
introduce necessary but painful measures out of conviction and
eschews populist policies;
Selflessness - serves and not
exploits power for personal and party (political) gain; and plans
for leadership succession; and
Adaptability - adapts to
changing political and social environments and is in tune with
people's aspirations, especially the young and the new middle
class
SO WHAT MAKES A GOOD GOVERNMENT?
Mr Goh said there are two
basic conditions which he calls the "necessary condition" and the
"sufficient condition".
1. Necessary condition
Those Singaporeans who can
best run the office must step forward to run for office, said Mr
Goh.
"The rest of us must be
prepared to support them, because they represent our best hope for
collective success. If they go down, Singapore goes down along with
every one of us."
He said these candidates and
the people must see political leadership as both a noble calling
and a worthwhile profession, he said.
"It has to be a calling, first
and foremost, because political leaders must have the conviction
and the passion to work for the people and the country and be
willing to sacrifice their time and lucrative careers. But it must
also be a worthwhile 'profession' for them, like medicine, law and
directors of corporations.
"Here, I certainly do not mean
for us to have professional politicians, as that would be a
disaster. I mean political service must be highly respected as a
profession and devotion," he said.
He said that if politics is
just a calling, in good times, Singapore will see fewer and fewer
people in their prime prepared to make the sacrifices.
"The task for all political
parties then is to seek out and encourage good people who can
govern to run for elections. Then, at the end of the day, whichever
party wins, it would be in a position to form a Cabinet which is
exceptional," he said.
2. Sufficient condition
Mr Goh said Singaporeans
should not treat elections like circuses, auctions, beauty
contests, or tikam tikam (traditional game in which players pick
random numbered tickets to try to win prizes).
Said Mr Goh: "On the evidence
of past GEs, Singaporean voters are astute in their collective
vote, choosing when and how to calibrate between showing approval
and unhappiness. May they remain rational and wise."
TWO FEATURES THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO DEAL WITH TO
SUCCEED IN FUTURE
1. Higher and changing expectations of the
citizenry
Mr Goh said our standard of
living is at an all-time high, so it is only human to have higher
expectations.
He added that expectations are
also changing, saying: "...when I first became an MP, it was 1, 2,
3, 4 - one wife, two children, three-room flat, four wheels. For
the generation after me, it was 5Cs - cash, car, condominium,
credit card and country club.
"I do not know what the
current mantra is but 'work-life balance' seems to be a
priority."
The task for the Government, he said, is to encourage
and help people meet these goals.
2. Impact of technology and social media
The Internet and social media
is value-neutral, said Mr Goh.
"These technologies level the
playing field and democratise information in the hands of the
people..."
Social media allows leaders to
get closer to people, he said. "It also enables leaders to consult
with citizens in a more timely fashion, rather than communicating
decisions only after they have been made."
But social media makes
governing, a job which is already challenging, more complex. Said
Mr Goh: "For example, the Government's voice is not as dominant as
before. To get its messages heard, read or seen is a
challenge."
"The responsibility of
democracy producing good governance lies with the citizens and the
political parties which contest to govern them. This is stating the
obvious but what is not obvious is the difficulty of discharging
this responsibility. This is the challenge of democracy — the most
difficult political system to operate successfully."
- Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong