2007-8 Semester 1

13 November 2007, 12.15-1.30pm, MM-03-01

Speaker: Yeo Cheow Tong, MP Hong Kah GRC
Chaired by Prof Kishore Mahbubani, Dean, LKYSPP

Yeo Cheow Tong was the former Minister for Transport from 2001 to 2006 and is the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Hong Kah Group Representation Constituency (GRC). Mr Yeo started off his career in the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) in 1972, and thereafter joined LeBlond Makino Asia (LMA) in May 1975.  In 1981, he was appointed Managing Director of both LMA and its subsidiary company, Pacific Precision Castings (PPC). Mr Yeo first entered politics in 1984 as the elected MP for Hong Kah Constituency and was appointed Minister of State for Health and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in 1985.

In 1988, he became the Acting Minister for Health and became full Minister in 1990.  An experienced political leader, he has handled different Ministerial positions including Health (1990-1994, 1997-1999), Community Development (1991-1994), Trade and Industry (1994-1997) and Environment (1997-1999). In 1999, he headed the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, which was subsequently renamed the Ministry of Transport in 2001.  In the 2006 General Elections, he was returned unopposed as one of five MPs for Hong Kah GRC, and subsequently retired as Minister for Transport, more than 20 years after his first Government appointment.

Mr Yeo will be sharing his insights on Policy Formation in Singapore. 

 

31 October 2007, 12.00 - 1.45pm, MM-03-01

Speaker: Professor Neo Boon Siong, Director, Asia Competitiveness Institute, LKYSPP
Chaired by Dr Kenneth Paul Tan, Assistant Dean (Academic Affairs) and Assistant Professor, LKYSPP

 Dynamic Governance

In a world of uncertainty and change, current achievements are no guarantee for future survival. Even if the initial chosen set of principles, policies and practices are good, static efficiency and governance would eventually lead to stagnation and decay. No amount of careful planning can assure a government of continual relevance and effectiveness if there is no capacity for learning, innovation and change in the face of ever new challenges in a volatile and unpredictable global environment. The lecture examines the concept of dynamic governance, the key to success in a world of rapid, increasing globalization and unrelenting technological advancements. The development of a dynamic governance system is explained and lessons drawn from examining the role of the public service in Singapore. Our framework for dynamic governance comprises the foundation of a supportive institutional culture and the development of proactive organizational capabilities.

The institutional culture is based on a set of beliefs and principles shaped by how leaders perceived the position of their country and what purposes they articulated to be important.  In an uncertain, unpredictable and rapidly changing global environment, leaders have to keep learning, adapting and innovating in order that governance may be dynamic. Proactive organizational capabilities need to be developed to ensure a country’s institutions’ continuing relevance and effectiveness.  If bureaucratic public institutions can evolve and embed the culture and capabilities that enable continuous learning and change, their contributions to a country’s socio-economic progress and prosperity would be enormous. The lessons from their efforts in institutionalizing culture, capabilities and change could provide meaningful and valuable insights for transforming organizations in other contexts.

Professor Neo Boon Siong is Director of the Asia Competitiveness Institute in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in the National University of Singapore.  He was formerly Dean of the Nanyang Business School at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. An expert in strategy, management and organisational change, he has over 26 years of experience in accounting and finance, information systems, research, business advisory, management education, and corporate governance.  He currently serves as Director on the Boards of OCBC Bank, Great Eastern Holdings Ltd, Great Eastern Life Ltd, Overseas Assurance Ltd, Keppel Offshore and Marine Ltd, J Lauritzen Singapore and English XChange Pte Ltd. He also serves as Member on the Boards of Securities Industry Council, Income Tax Review Board, and the Goods and Services Tax Review Board.  He has advised many major corporations and government agencies, facilitated strategy workshops, and led management development programs for senior executives and government officials

 

10 October 2007, 12-1.45pm, MM-03-01

Speakers:

- Willie Cheng, Former Chairman, National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre
- Benedict Cheong, CEO, Temasek Foundation

Chaired by Dr Scott Fritzen, Assistant Professor, LKYSPP

Willie Cheng

The charity scene in Singapore is facing great change. It has been rocked by a string of recent scandals. Regulations are tightening even as charities are asked to self-regulate and the public are asked to take responsibility for who they give to. Many people assume that the charity eco-system works much like the commercial world and will respond to the same levers. Does it really? Willie Cheng will look at the evolution of charities and what it means in the new era of leadership for the sector.

Willie Cheng is a former managing partner of Accenture, a global management and technology consulting firm. He retired in 2003 and currently sits on several commercial, government, and nonprofit boards. He is active in the nonprofit space. He was formerly Chairman of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre and continues to write a regular column for its SALT magazine. He is currently chairman of the Catholic Social and Community Council, a director of the Lien Foundation Centre for Social Innovation, and on the advisory or governing boards of several other nonprofits. 


Benedict Cheong

Having worked in the non-profit social welfare umbrella organization for nine years, Benedict Cheong will share his views on some key tensions faced in the ecosystem of non-profit organizations and by non-profit leaders in Singapore and the sources of these tensions.  These tensions can constitute a strength of the system as well as a weakness. Some of these tensions are faced by non-profit organizations in many other countries – and the sources of these tensions are also similar. Not intending to be prescriptive by any means, he hopes there can be an exchange of ideas as to what can be done to mitigate the negative effects of these tensions.

Benedict Cheong is the first CEO of the Temasek Foundation – a non-profit philanthropic organization set up by Temasek Holdings, Singapore, with a mandate to operate in and across communities in Asia, with a focus on four broad areas: (1) investing in future generations through education, healthcare, knowledge, and research, (2) building bridges among people of diverse races, languages, religions, and cultures, (3) promoting better governance and regulatory capabilities, and (4) supporting disaster emergency relief and recovery. Before this, he was the CEO of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) in Singapore where he served for nine years after a fifteen-year stint with the Singapore Police Force. The NCSS is the national coordinating body for some 350 non-profit social service organizations that provide or are involved in social services for disadvantaged persons, families, or communities in Singapore. In the Police Force, Benedict held various appointments at Police Headquarters and in police operational units. Benedict also serves on the National Heart Centre Medifund Committee, the Medifund Advisory Council, and the Film Appeals Committee.



12 September 2007, 12-1.45pm, MM-03-01

Speaker: Janadas Devan, journalist
Chaired by Dr Kenneth Paul Tan, Assistant Dean (Academic Affairs) and Assistant Professor, LKYSPP

Janadas Devan will be speaking on the challenges that globalization will pose political leaders in developed countries, including Singapore. 

Janadas Devan is a senior writer with The Straits Times (Singapore). He writes leaders for the newspaper as well as columns on international relations and language. In addition, he also does a weekly broadcast for Radio Singapore International. He divides his time between Singapore and the United States, where he lives.



29 August 2007, 12 – 1.45pm, MM-03-01

Speakers:

- Indranee Rajah, Member of Parliament
- Constance Singam, President of AWARE (Association of Women for Action & Research)

Chaired: Dr Suzaina Kadir, Assistant Professor, LKYSPP

Indranee Rajah

In the Singapore context where meritocracy is the order of the day, women have some of the best opportunities in the world to make it to leadership positions. Despite this, however, an issue that crops up frequently is whether we have sufficient women leaders, be it in politics, the civil service, industries, or in the corporate world. Ms Rajah will discuss some of the reasons why we seem to have fewer women leaders than we should, and the challenges that women face in leadership positions. Her talk will also cover the essentials of leadership, and what women bring to the table in leadership roles. She will also discuss the role of women in policy making, and the perils of failing to take into account gender differences in policy formulation.

Indranee Rajah is a trial lawyer and a director in the dispute resolution department of Drew & Napier. She began her career as a Legal Assistant with Freshfields, Singapore in 1987. In 1988, she joined Drew & Napier’s Litigation Department as Legal Assistant and became a Partner in 1994. With the corporatisation of the firm to Drew & Napier LLC, she is now a Director of the company. She is a member of the Law Society Disciplinary Committee. She was appointed Senior Counsel by the Chief Justice of Singapore with effect from 4 January 2003. She is also a director of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and a board member of the Land Transport Authority (LTA). Ms Indranee Rajah is also an elected Member of Parliament for the Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency. She is the Deputy Speaker of Parliament and the Chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (“GPC”) for Defence and Foreign Affairs and member of the GPC for Community Development, Youth and Sports.

Constance Singam

Politics is the play for power, the right to have a say about what goes on in our nation state. In this ultimate arena, women’s participation has been, at best, modest. This was due in part to a lack of public space for not just women but Singaporeans in general; but also due to the patriarchal attitudes toward women in the last 30 years. This is not to say that women at large have not played an important role in national politics and national life. For this exercise of influence and leadership, we have to study the history of women beyond the political arena. In the modern world, however, this is not enough. Women must be seen to be exercising power – out there in the open, on the political platform.

Constance Singam holds an MA in Literature. She is a teacher, social activist and writer. She is the president of AWARE (Association of Women for Action & Research), a past president of the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO) and a founder member of TWC (The Working Committee), TWC2 (Transient Workers Count Too), and MediaWatch. As a writer she has been a columnist for several publications. Her research interests over the past twenty years have included Singapore women’s history, feminist issues, and the state of civil society activism in Singapore. She has published several essays on these subjects. Her latest book—co-edited with Audrey Chin—Singapore Women Re-Presented was launched in December 2004.