Public officers must never ask for gifts or favours: Chan Chun Sing
"Officers should not just understand the letter of the rule, but also the spirit," said the Minister-in-charge of the Public Service.
File photo of Education Minister and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing speaking in parliament on Feb 5, 2024.
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SINGAPORE: Public officers must never ask for gifts or favours, especially when they are in a position to influence or affect any decision involving the other party, said Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing in parliament on Monday (Feb 5).
This was in response to parliamentary questions from MP Derrick Goh (PAP-Nee Soon) and MP Edward Chia (PAP-Holland-Bukit Timah) about rules on gifts to public servants, one of many raised in relation to an ongoing corruption case involving former Transport Minister S Iswaran.
Mr Chan, who was replying on behalf of the Prime Minister, said that officers must not accept any gifts offered on account of their official position or work.
"Our first instinct must be to decline any unsolicited gifts and return them if possible," said Mr Chan, who is also the Education Minister.
He then explained that if it's not possible or impractical to return the gift, the officer should declare it.
If the officer wants to keep the gift, he can do so if he pays for it. For operational simplicity, the officer can retain gifts worth less than S$50 (US$37) without paying for them if it does not affect the integrity of the civil service, said Mr Chan.
"But should an officer accept multiple gifts of S$49 repeatedly, I think we know the answer from the spirit of the rule: If such a pattern of behaviour is observed it must stop."
Iswaran is accused of obtaining items worth more than S$384,000 from billionaire hotelier Ong Beng Seng, such as Singapore F1 Grand Prix tickets and a paid-for trip to Doha. Some of these were allegedly in exchange for advancing Mr Ong’s business interests.
On questions from other MPs about whether the system needs to be reviewed, Mr Chan said that the rules are meant to keep public officers from being compromised but should not be too onerous.
"When an incident happens, we should not have a knee-jerk reaction and immediately tighten or add more rules," he said.
To understand if the system needs to be updated or tweaked, one needs to know the facts of the case - which is still before the courts, he added.
"While we endeavour to do our best and keep improving at a system level, no system is ever perfect ... when incidents happen, we respond decisively and transparently to restore trust and confidence in our system. This is what we have done and this is what we will continue to do."
And for some matters, judgement will still be required, he said: "Officers should not just understand the letter of the rule, but also the spirit."
When it comes to meals, Mr Chan said that officers "must have good sense to know when they are being cultivated and reject such attempts", but this does not mean that they should not go out and interact with others to understand the business and social communities.
"As a practical measure to protect ourselves. I've always advised our officers to avoid attending such events alone, where the risk of being compromised is harder to manage."
In response to questions on the codes of conduct for public officers, ministers and political office holders, Mr Chan said the rules were reviewed regularly. He also reassured MPs that whistleblowers are protected.
"If anyone suspects that any of their superiors have been compromised, they can report a suspicious activity to their heads of agencies or beyond the organisation including to agencies like the CPIB (Corruption Practices Investigation Bureau)."
House Leader Indranee Rajah also addressed Iswaran's MP's allowance - a matter that Non-Constituency MP Hazel Poa from the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) raised in September last year.
Ms Indranee had asked then to defer dealing with this until investigations had concluded.
"Prior to the formal presentation of the charges against him, Mr Iswaran resigned from Cabinet and as a Member of Parliament. Following his resignation, he also informed the Prime Minister that he would voluntarily return all monies he received by way of ministerial salary and allowances as Member of Parliament that were paid to him since the commencement of the CPIB investigations in July 2023," she said.
"In these circumstances, the specific issues regarding Mr Iswaran which the house was concerned with have been addressed, there is hence no need for any further consideration of steps to be taken against Mr Iswaran by the House."
The case of former minister S Iswaran is before the courts and we should let the law take its course, said Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing. Replying to MPs’ questions in Parliament on Monday (Feb 5), he cautioned against jumping to conclusions or making statements that may prejudice the case or prematurely adjudge the processes that may have gone right or wrong. He pointed out that the case was picked up by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau and investigations were initiated without external pressure or interference. “In updating our rules, sharpening our implementation, and inculcating the right ethos and values (in) our officers, the Public Service and the Government will continue to draw lessons from this and other cases, whether local or overseas,” he said.
On whether MPs under investigation should be suspended, Ms Indranee said that this should not be the case.
"To do so would be to effectively pre-judge that the MP has committed a wrongdoing, even before details of the investigation are known," she said.
"Everyone who is alleged to have committed a wrongdoing, including MPs, should be given due process."
MP Yip Hon Weng (PAP-Yio Chu Kang) also asked if it was necessary to establish a committee of inquiry to look into the corruption case.
Ms Indranee said that the House should wait for court proceedings to conclude before deciding if anything else needs to be done.
The purpose of a Committee of Inquiry is to investigate something with a view to finding out how it happened, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah, in response to MPs' questions in Parliament on Monday (Feb 5). In the case of former MP S Iswaran, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) has investigated the matter. Based on the investigations, the Attorney-General's Chambers has taken the view that there is basis for criminal charges to be brought against Mr Iswaran. “Determination of criminal offences is a matter for the court, which is currently dealing with the case. We should wait for the court proceedings to conclude before deciding if anything else needs to be done,” she said. Ms Indranee also pointed out that Mr Iswaran has resigned as Minister and MP, and informed the Prime Minister that he would voluntarily return the ministerial salary and MP allowance paid to him since CPIB started investigations in July 2023. In these circumstances, the specific issues regarding Mr Iswaran, which the House was concerned with, have been addressed, she said. “There is hence no need for any further consideration of steps to be taken against Mr Iswaran by the House.”
