Guiding principle of governance – Anticipate change and stay relevant

Guiding principle of governance – Anticipate change and stay relevant Done By: GuoYue Jun Hao Wei Jie Sherwin

Anticipate change and stay relevant • Definition • Be open to new ideas and never be trapped in the past • While we cannot forecast change in an increasingly volatile environment, we can anticipate it by staying nimble and flexible, and at the same time, exploiting opportunities that come our way

Anticipate change and stay relevant • Features • Stay nimble (quick to understand, think, devise) and flexible • Be better organised than competitors • Exploit opportunities even in adversity • Turn constraints into advantages

Feature: Stay nimble and flexible • In a rapidly changing world, Singapore needs to continually find new ways of staying relevant. • To achieve this, we must be able to exploit opportunities faster than our competitors. (NIMBLE!) • Society must be adaptable to change. (FLEXIBLE!)

Feature: Be better organised than competitors • Being organised, Singapore has gained the upper hand in many areas. • However, many regions are catching up hence we’ll have to be even better organised than our competitors so that we will not fall behind.

Feature: Be better organised than competitors • How can we be more organised? • Closer coordination and integration between government sectors, government agencies, etc • Better teamwork and organisation in the society • Strategic leverage on technology. Example: The Singapore Government has been an early adopter of technology, especially IT, since the early 80s. Technology is a force multiplier that will help maintain Singapore's competitive edge across all fields.

Feature: Exploit opportunities even in adversity • Opportunities do not only present themselves when times are good. • While we anticipate and plan for the worst-case scenario, we should be continually on the lookout for opportunities in times of crisis and find ways to turn them to our advantage.

Feature: Turn constraints into advantages • Singapore’s constraints have compelled us to seek ingenious solutions to our problems. • For example, we turned our small size island into an advantage by better utilising resources and minimising wastage. • What we lacked in quantity, we also made up in quality to remain competitive.

Relation to government policy: Singapore’s Housing • The housing and development board (HDB) was created to promote public housing on a large scale.

Relation to government policy: Singapore’s Housing • As a result of acute land shortage in Singapore, land utilisation has to be maximised and thus all public housing built by the HDB is in the form of high-rise flats. • In addition, HDB flats also plays a role in nation-building and giving an identity to a city-state where various communities can learn to live and work together.

Relation to government policy: Singapore’s Housing • In recent years, the architecture of buildings have changed to meet the needs of the country. Malls such as Jurong Point and the upcoming Junction 10 are all built under apartments, so we have the mall right below and the houses just above. • Evaluation: The creation of HDB flats and these new malls-cum-apartments has indeed brought about advantages. (Turning constrains(shortage of land) into advantages)

Successes of this Principle of Governance: NEWater • NEWater is the brand name given to reclaimed water produced by Singapore’s Public Utilities Board. • The water is potable and is consumed by humans, but is mostly used for industry requiring high purity water.

Successes of this Principle of Governance: NEWater • The Singapore Water Reclamation Study (NEWater Study) was initiated in 1998 by the Public Utilities Board and the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. • NEWater and desalination were explored as means to reduce reliance on water imported from Malaysia, which has been a source of friction over the years.

Successes of this Principle of Governance: NEWater • Also, while the Malaysian government is bound by two treaties to sell Singapore water until 2011 and 2061, it is under no obligation to do so after these dates. • In 2001, PUB began an effort to increase water supplies for non-potable use. Using NEWater for these applications would reduce the demand on the reservoirs for potable water.

Successes of this Principle of Governance: NEWater • The quality of NEWater consistently exceeds the requirements set by USEPA and WHO guidelines and is, in fact, cleaner than the other sources of Singapore’s water. • NEWater now meets 30% of Singapore’s total water demands.

Successes of this Principle of Governance: Boost tourism sectors • Integrated Resorts – brings many benefits other than tourism (e.g. economical) • Tourists visiting the Integrated Resorts and spending more there • Attracted foreign investors • Created over 100 000 Jobs • Compete with neighbouring countries in the tourism and economical sector

Grievances in this Principle of Governance: • Cost of HDB flats People are unable to afford HDB flats • due to low income ceiling for loans. • because of the rising cost of the flats

Thank You! :D • Any Questions? :X

Guiding principle of governance – Anticipate change and stay relevant