Public servants who act professionally, with integrity have nothing to fear: Head of civil service
Public service officers have nothing to fear so long as they act professionally and with integrity, said civil service head Leo Yip in the wake of several incidents that have rocked the country’s political scene.
In a message sent on Tuesday that was seen by The Straits Times, Mr Yip sought to reassure the public service following the spate of incidents that he said has raised concern among many Singaporeans and public officers.
He listed the Ridout Road debate in Parliament to address allegations of misconduct against Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan over renting state-owned bungalows, the corruption probe into Transport Minister S. Iswaran and the resignations of Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and Tampines GRC MP Cheng Li Hui over an extramarital affair.
Mr Yip said it is an unsettling time for the public service, with some officers questioning what has gone wrong and others worrying about how this will affect the Government and the system of governance. Others are disappointed by or angry about what has happened, he noted.
“These are natural and understandable reactions,” he said. “I appreciate that the morale of some officers and in some agencies has been adversely affected.”
While senior public service leaders are addressing these issues and supporting officers, Mr Yip encouraged officers to raise their concerns to their senior leaders.
“What we can be certain about is that these events show that our system of governance, of upholding integrity, transparency and accountability, is working,” he added.
The Singapore Public Service employs about 150,000 public officers working across 16 ministries and more than 50 statutory boards. Within the public service is the civil service, which comprises about 86,000 officers working in the ministries.
On the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) probe, Mr Yip said the investigation will take time, and advised officers to allow it to take its course and not speculate or comment.
He quoted Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean who said in Parliament on July 3 during the Ridout Road discussion that upholding a system of governance with a high standard of integrity is a collective and continuous effort, and urged officers to focus on delivering their work with integrity, service and excellence.
“You all do good work for Singapore and Singaporeans, across our public service. The events of the past few weeks have not changed that,” Mr Yip wrote.
“I am confident in the sense of mission and dedication of you all, my fellow public officers, and that we will draw strength from these events, to make for a better public service that will in turn further strengthen our system of governance in Singapore,” he added.
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