Effective political leaders needed, civil servants no substitute: PM Wong

[SINGAPORE] Strong, effective political leadership is needed, even with a capable civil service, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong indicated on Tuesday (Sep 8), as he laid out the rationale behind an upward revision of Singapore’s political salaries.

And remuneration is relevant because it affects whether enough capable individuals come forward to take up the responsibilities of a minister, he added.

“Our starting point is this: good government depends on good leadership. Institutions are only as effective as the people who lead them,” he said.

He warned that having less capable ministers could degrade the quality of the civil service, since officers want to work for leaders who make sound judgements and can be respected.

“The more serious risk is that weak political leadership eventually weakens the civil service too,” he added, citing how unspecified countries that once had highly capable governments “have seen their civil services deteriorate when political leadership at the top weakened”.

PM Wong – whose civil service career included a stint as chief executive of the Energy Market Authority – also told the House that civil servants cannot and should not have to make strategic political decisions such as how much tax should be levied.

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“A strong civil service is no substitute for effective political leadership. Ministers have to set the direction for their ministries, decide the priorities, and make the strategic calls,” he said.