Civil Servants Rapped for Sloppiness - Hui Chit Xiang

As Singapore’s National Day draws ever nearer, I am subtly reminded of lofty notions such as National Unity and Harmony, tenets upon which the stability of our social fabric so essentially depend. On the other hand, apart from all the warm fuzzy feelings that the impending National Day has drummed up, a Straits Time article I read earlier in the week had a chilling effect. Titled “Civil servants rapped for sloppiness”, it reported that various lapses by government ministries/agencies were found, leading to a loss of $9.8 million dollars.

This has serious implications as these lapses could potentially threaten the national fabric which wove us together – it creates doubts in the efficiency and trustworthiness of our government. The article moves on to reveal the details of the lapses, and these lapses, to me at least, were totally unacceptable. The resources that were wasted through these lapses could have bettered the lives of many; worse, the signals that were sent out to the public suggest that some of our government agencies do not act prudently when they are most expected to, i.e. when they are using public funds. Taking it further, it revealed that the internal controls within each of these affected organisations were either absent or too weak to prevent such lapses. These agencies have since promised the Auditor–General to tighten their processes. However, we need to know what additional measures that they have taken since the discovery so as to be reassured and reestablish the trust in the government that has been partially impaired. And I think that there would be a general consensus from the public that we will need deterrent measures in place so as to prevent future lapses and regulations that will hold those responsible of these lapses accountable.

Moving forward, as we strive towards progress together as a nation, we should be constantly reminded that no system is infallible and the reliability of our systems rests on us, the people who implement it and are in turn affected most directly by it.

Lastly, I want to wish our country and countrymen a Happy National Day.