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The Nanny is leaving the country

Govt will cut the apron strings as society opens up more, says DPM Lee

Wednesday • January 7, 2004

Teo Hwee Nak 

hweenak@newstoday.com.sg 

AFTER months of speculation since he was officially pronounced the next Premier, Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last night gave his clearest answer on whether he will continue Prime Minister Goh ChokTong's "open" style of leadership.

"Many Singaporeans ask: Moving forward, will the society continue to open up? I have no doubt that our society must open up further," he said in a speech at the Harvard Club of Singapore's 35th anniversarydinner.

In fact, Mr Lee has been part of the machinery "push(ing) the process" of opening up Singapore societysince 1985.

Then, aged 33 and fresh in politics, he had drafted the report proposing that the Government emphasisefeedback and consensus building. It led to the Feedback Unit being created.

That same year, he also chaired the Economic Committee, gathering feedback from Singaporeans throughan "unprecedented consultation exercise" to review the country's economic policies.

Bearing out his commitment last night was a speech with detailed guidelines on how to promote participationfrom the people "on the threshold of a new era".

For a start, the Government will "cut the apron strings" and refrain from being a "nanny" who looks after everything all the time. "In fact, nanny shouldn't be there at all," he said.

The Ministry of Home Affairs will soon also relax the rules to make it easier for Singaporeans to form and

register societies, he revealed.

As for those oft-debated out-of-bounds (OB) markers, Mr Lee said that it would be "difficult" and "undesirablein principle" to mark them all out upfront explicitly.

"Had we pre-defined all the parameters for discussion, civil society would have lost the spark and autonomythat allows fresh areas to be explored, limits to be redefined and both Government and civic groups todevelop a certain responsiveness to each other and engage each other to move society forward," he said.

Mr Lee also laid out the "terms of engagement" for public consultation on new policies, based on a set of guidelines the Remaking Singapore Committee had come up with.

The Government, he said, not only has to make clear the process of decision-making and the scope for 

change — it also has to give enough time for the consultation exercise and information for people to studythe issue.

Encouraging "rigorous debate", he said: "Some people are afraid to speak up for fear of saying the wrongthing or being taken to task. But for debate to be fruitful, it has to be rigorous and not held back out of concern for egos or sensitivities."

The Government will not view all critics as adversaries, he assured, and will look at "the spirit of thecriticism".

But when asked if a different set of OB markers applies for non-Singaporeans, he was quick to reiterate theGovernment's stand that politics remains off-limits for them.

Rebuttal will come in where there is a need to defend the Government's standing or moral authority, headded in his speech.

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Mr Lee also lamented that Singaporeans are lacking in activism compared to the Americans and he admittedthe Government had a role to play in that.

Relating to laughter how a constituent had complained to him about mosquitoes in his flat, he said: "Perhapsour Government has taken on responsibility for many things which citizens should really deal withthemselves."

Another commitment Mr Lee made was that the Government will develop a more vibrant media "for debatesand contending ideas to flourish".

In fact, he was heartened by what he is reading in the newspapers nowadays.

"I read letters that need a proper reply, but before the department has drafted one, some other member of the public has published a good rebuttal," he said. "This is a very positive sign."

He cautioned, however, that civic participation "must not degenerate into Government by opinion polls".

And while some wish to open up even faster, there is a less articulate majority Singapore must look after.

"The Government must keep faith with this less articulate majority, to deliver jobs, security, and a better 

future for their children," he said. "The test of our policies is not how closely we approach an idealised model,but how well we move the majority forward so that we remake Singapore into a dynamic global city and thebest home for citizens."