http://therealsingapore.com/content/pm-lee-i-want-reduce-corruption-and-want-public-servants-have-integrity
Post date:
13 Jan 2015 - 12:07pm
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said today that he wants to reduce corruption in Singapore and that he wants public servants to maintain their integrity in the public service.
To do so, he said that the government is reviewing the laws on corruption in Singapore and will increase the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau's (CPIB) manpower by more than 20 per cent.
A one-stop Corruption Reporting Centre will also be set up to make it easier to report on cases of corruption, he also said.
Mr Lee said this to 600 public servants.
Mr Lee said that public servants have been doing good work for the country and Singaporeans trust the public service.
He said that to maintain this trust, the public service should maintain its policy of zero tolerance for corruption.
"If any of you does something wrong, and breaches that trust, you not only let down the public service and yourself, but you are also letting Singaporeans down, and you can do a lot of damage," he said.
Mr Lee said that even though Singapore is a "shining exception" in the world because corruption is a problem in many countries, he said that Singapore must never take his for granted.
On Singapore's drop in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions index, Mr Lee blamed it on recent cases of corruption which even involved high-level executives.
One example is the misappropriation of funds by a CPIB branch head, in the organisation that Mr Lee now wants to increase the headcount in.
Singapore fell two places two places and suffered its lowest-placed ranking in recent years.
"These cases hurt our reputation - they hurt our reputation with Singaporeans, they hurt our reputation internationally," said Mr Lee adding it was a disservice to the many exemplary officers who had done their part in keeping the public service corruption free.
But he said that public servants should not be demoralised.
He also said that Singapore should instead be more resolved to punish those apprehended and to fix the weaknesses in the system.
"This level of trust that the Singapore Public Service enjoys, and this degree of cleanliness in the public service is a most unnatural state of affairs," Mr Lee also said.
"So work doubly hard to maintain the trust you've earned."
These have been more and more cases of corruption in Singapore in recent years and some have even involved high-level executives such as vice-presidents and directors in government-linked companies.
This has led many Singaporeans to question the high spate of corruption cases, even involving high-level executives and question if there is a more deep-seated problem which is not being addressed.
Tags:
Editorials
Post date:
13 Jan 2015 - 12:07pm
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said today that he wants to reduce corruption in Singapore and that he wants public servants to maintain their integrity in the public service.
To do so, he said that the government is reviewing the laws on corruption in Singapore and will increase the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau's (CPIB) manpower by more than 20 per cent.
A one-stop Corruption Reporting Centre will also be set up to make it easier to report on cases of corruption, he also said.
Mr Lee said this to 600 public servants.
Mr Lee said that public servants have been doing good work for the country and Singaporeans trust the public service.
He said that to maintain this trust, the public service should maintain its policy of zero tolerance for corruption.
"If any of you does something wrong, and breaches that trust, you not only let down the public service and yourself, but you are also letting Singaporeans down, and you can do a lot of damage," he said.
Mr Lee said that even though Singapore is a "shining exception" in the world because corruption is a problem in many countries, he said that Singapore must never take his for granted.
On Singapore's drop in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions index, Mr Lee blamed it on recent cases of corruption which even involved high-level executives.
One example is the misappropriation of funds by a CPIB branch head, in the organisation that Mr Lee now wants to increase the headcount in.
Singapore fell two places two places and suffered its lowest-placed ranking in recent years.
"These cases hurt our reputation - they hurt our reputation with Singaporeans, they hurt our reputation internationally," said Mr Lee adding it was a disservice to the many exemplary officers who had done their part in keeping the public service corruption free.
But he said that public servants should not be demoralised.
He also said that Singapore should instead be more resolved to punish those apprehended and to fix the weaknesses in the system.
"This level of trust that the Singapore Public Service enjoys, and this degree of cleanliness in the public service is a most unnatural state of affairs," Mr Lee also said.
"So work doubly hard to maintain the trust you've earned."
These have been more and more cases of corruption in Singapore in recent years and some have even involved high-level executives such as vice-presidents and directors in government-linked companies.
This has led many Singaporeans to question the high spate of corruption cases, even involving high-level executives and question if there is a more deep-seated problem which is not being addressed.
Tags:
Editorials
