Civil servants should emulate Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s passion for service: Peter Ong
Head of Civil Service Peter Ong. Photo: Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE — Civil servants should seek to emulate the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s passion and dedication in serving the country, said head of Civil Service Peter Ong in a message to public officers yesterday (March 23).
“As we mourn the passing of a great leader, an astute statesman and an exceptional Singaporean, let us seek to emulate his passion and dedication in serving Singapore and Singaporeans. Let that be Mr Lee’s legacy to the Singapore Public Service,” Mr Ong wrote to about 141,000 public officers in 16 ministries and more than 50 statutory boards.
Underpinning Mr Lee’s leadership was his unwavering dedication to keeping Singapore successful, he noted.
“For Mr Lee, if something was worth doing for Singapore and Singaporeans, it was worth doing it very well. We saw this, for example, in his dedication to the cause of the trade unions, so workers can have a share in the fruits of the nation’s progress; his promotion of home ownership so every Singaporean has a stake in the country; his personal attention to the greening of Singapore that he saw as a means of gifting to every Singaporean, no matter his station in life, a very conducive urban environment. This list is endless,” Mr Ong said.
Mr Lee was also “singularly instrumental” in creating the Public Service ethos — clean, efficient, effective and exceptional — that exists today.
“Those of our colleagues who have worked closely with him speak of his legendary attention to detail, his exacting performance standards and the clarity of purpose he applied to every problem. They also found the side of him that was a caring boss,” said Mr Ong, adding that Mr Lee’s leadership had left a deep impression on him as a young civil servant.
Urging Singaporeans to participate in public events held to commemorate the nation’s first Prime Minister, Mr Ong said: “Mr Lee’s passing is a poignant moment in Singapore’s history, a moment for all of us to pause and reflect on his contributions
to Singapore.”
