Nee Soon GRC MP Louis Ng has given a widely-lauded Budget debate speechon Tuesday, Feb. 27.
In what has become a pet topic of his, Ng said in Parliament that public servants are afraid of speaking up in case they anger their superiors, have their appraisals affected and get passed over for promotion, just because they rocked the boat and upset the status quo.
This is a follow-up to his 2017 Budget debate speech when Ng said the Public Service has “lost its heart” in its pursuit to automate processes.
Public servant feedback
Ng said his speech is the result of candid conversations with public servants in closed door dialogue sessions.
He said some public servants he met told him directly that it is almost impossible to feel motivated to do more because mediocrity is rewarded.
Worse, he said he had even received messages forwarded to him to be careful, after he spoke up on this issue in 2017: “My sister was also passing me messages from her friends, telling me to be careful.”
This problem stems from a fear of speaking honestly.
Ng recounted an incident where a public servant stopped halfway when speaking behind closed doors with him and admitted to feeling afraid of speaking out because Ng is an MP.
Ng said, quoting what he was told: “… actually I’m feeling quite afraid of opposing your view, as you are an MP. And I realise that subconsciously I started my sentence by saying ‘with all due respect sir’, in hope that you will be less offended by what I was about to say”.
Change the appraisal system
Ng also said this culture of subordinates doing what they are told and not rocking the boat will be detrimental to the Public Service.
It will result in the “loss of good ideas, of better ways of doing things and the loss of good public servants”.
To prevent these from happening, Ng said the public servants whom he has spoken to have suggested revamping the appraisal system, which they felt prevents them from speaking up.
In what is perhaps the most radical recommendation, Ng said changing the appraisal system where superiors are being graded by subordinates will encourage public servants to speak up with less fear.
Ng said some multinational corporations, such as Google and Alibaba, already use a “360 appraisal review” that allows employees to review and grade their direct managers.
Ng said: “The current appraisal system (in the Public Service) does not incentivise risk-taking and innovation, and I suggest we change it urgently.”
At one point, Ng even quoted the comic Calvin and Hobbes: “If you care, you just get disappointed all the time. If you don’t care, nothing matters, so you are never upset.”
https://mothership.sg/2018/02/mp-louis-ng-public-servant-budget-speech-parliament/
