Minister of State (Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of Health) Chee Hong Tat attended the 8th Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) today. The BDF, which was initiated by Indonesia in 2008, is an annual forum on the development of democracy in the Asia Pacific.
MOS Chee delivered a statement in connection with this year’s theme, “Democracy and Effective Public Governance” during the General Debate of the BDF. The text of MOS Chee’s statement is appended below.
MOS Chee also met with Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi on the sidelines of the BDF. MOS Chee and Retno reaffirmed the deep and longstanding bilateral ties between Singapore and Indonesia, including information and communication technology (ICT) cooperation as well as economic cooperation in the Batam, Bintan and Karimun Special Economic Zone.
. . . . .
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
10 DECEMBER 2015
STATEMENT BY Minister of State (MINISTRY OF communications and information & MINISTRY OF HEALTH) chee hong tat AT THE EIGHTH BALI DEMOCRACY FORUM, 10 DECEMBER 2015
Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen. I am very happy to be here to share with you some views and perspectives from Singapore.
Principles of Good Governance
2 As a small country, good and effective governance has never been an option for Singapore. When we became independent in 1965, we were a poor country. The odds were stacked against us. However, successive governments and leaders of Singapore had invested time and energy into ensuring that the country was run on the principles of good governance. And it is this which has helped Singapore overcome many of our intrinsic challenges over the past 50 years.
3 From our nation-building experience, good governance has three key principles. First, there must be a clean system in place, and this must be at all levels from the very top leadership, to the young officer who has just joined the civil service. There must be a sense of integrity encoded in the DNA of those who serve the nation – such as the elected Members of Parliament, the civil service, the judiciary, the police and the military.
4 Second, having a good system of governance alone is not sufficient. Even the very best systems will fail if we don’t have good people to manage them efficiently and effectively. This includes attracting committed and capable people into the various levels of public service, and paying them competitive salaries so that they are not tempted or feel the need to supplement their incomes through other means.
5 Third, there must be rule of law. If those in government seek to earn the trust of the people, the people must believe that there is a fair system of justice in place. This means regardless of status, wealth, race or religion, you are treated no differently from anyone else under the law. An extension of this is the enforcement of the law. It is no use having the best designed laws if these are not effectively enforced. Importantly, citizens and foreign investors must have the assurance that their rights will be protected under the laws of the country.
6 All these do not happen overnight or by chance. This ideal of good governance needs to be nurtured, reinforced, and inculcated into the people time and time again. Indeed, one of the many legacies that our founding father, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, had left Singapore was a system of good governance, which is now ingrained into successive generations of Singapore leaders.
A Responsible Global Citizen
7 Ladies and Gentlemen, good governance does not only apply within a country’s borders. In today’s integrated world, there is something to be said for good global governance. We all need to be responsible global citizens and work together towards shared goals and overcome common challenges to bring about an effective global order where all countries are able to thrive and develop together.
8 There are a multitude of challenges today – this morning we heard from His Excellency Vice-President of Indonesia – where it is in all our collective interests to cooperate closely. Now in the interest of time, I will highlight just three. First, we have experienced recently of the horrific terrorist attacks in Paris, Bamako and Bangkok over the last few months and weeks. These have been stark reminders to everyone that terrorism is a global problem which affects all of us. And if we do not work together to tackle this problem, we are all at risk.
9 Next, a very important item on the global agenda is climate change. As I speak, the 21st United Nations Climate Change Conference is into its final days. As greenhouse gases reach record highs, there is an even more urgent need for international cooperation to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the effects of global warming.
10 Finally, enhanced co-operation between states is required to achieve the goals set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September this year, including important areas such as eliminating poverty and reducing inequality.
11 So all countries, whether big or small, have a part to play to promote good governance domestically and to be a responsible global citizen internationally. I want to conclude by thanking Indonesia and Minister Retno Marsudi for organising this forum, and I am glad that the countries attending have continued to place emphasis on discussing ideas of democracy and governance. Thank you very much.
. . . . .