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june 2004 5 www .ps2 1.gov .sg/challenge www.ps2 .ps21.gov 1.gov.sg/challenge Public Service for the 21st Century Lighting the way Find out what the Public Service is doing to facilitate public consultation 10 Goodbye to long queues with OnePay.Hub 4 “Wow” service at CMPB 7 Now you can predict the weather 15 1 Challenge is published monthly by the PS21 Office, Prime Minister’s Office (Public Service Division), The Treasury, 100 High Street, #02-02, Singapore 179434. Tel: 6835 8345 • Fax: 6333 4010 Email: [email protected] • Website: www.ps21.gov.sg Editor: Yee Wei Zhen, PS21 Office Editorial Advisors: Boo Chong Han and Tan Chee Seng, PS21 Office Editorial Team: Pauline Mah, Organisational Review Committee • Josie Kang, Quality Service Committee • Cheryl Lee, Staff Well Being Functional Committee • Inthira Mailvaganam, PS21 Office Publishing Consultant: Pagesetters Services Pte Ltd Printed in Singapore: Utopia Press Pte Ltd VOLUME TEN ISSUE FIVE We would like to hear your views and suggestions on the cover story, “Building capacity in public consultation”. Please write to the Editor of Challenge at PS21 Office, The Treasury, 100 High Street, #02-02, Singapore 179434, fax to 6333 4010 or email to [email protected] . Give your name, ministry, ministry address and telephone number. Published contributions will receive an exclusive gift from the PS21 Office. VIEWPOINT june 3 A LINE FOR YOU Listen — if you want to see 4 WHAT’S HOT Goodbye to long queues! Make an e-donation today Fostering awareness about the environment Real learning through virtual games “Wow” service at CMPB 8 AT THE MINISTRIES To be the best in the world Another step towards excellence for DMG 10 COVER STORY Building capacity in public consultation Gaining insights into public consultation A new, hot workshop Gateway to a wealth of resources 13 AT YOUR SERVICE Thumbs up for SCT! On call, on hand, online, 24 x 7 Mystery fountain Water, water everywhere Predict the weather 16 INNOVATION IN ACTION Journey of innovation 17 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PUBLIC OFFICER Catching up with a trailblazer 18 STAFF MATTERS A fun-filled date with singles 19 HEALTHY BODY, ACTIVE MIND Some pointers to prevent injuries to your child 20 CHALLENGE QUIZ You can savour juicy updates, bite-size stories, fresh tips, choice ideas and plenty of food for thought. So hurry, don’t miss out! Log on to www.ps21.gov.sg/challenge now! 2004 CONTENTS LISTEN — IF YOU WANT TO SEE There is an Indian story about seven blind men deciding what an elephant looked like. The first man felt the ear and said, “The elephant is a large leaf.” The second man took hold of the leg and said, “No, the elephant is a tree trunk.” The third man had the tail and said, “The elephant is a thick rope.” The fourth man touched the body and said, “The elephant is a wall.” The fifth man held the trunk and said, “No, the elephant is a snake.” The sixth man put his hand in the elephant’s mouth and said, “The elephant is a bag.” The seventh man felt the tusk and said, “The elephant is a spear.” Which of the seven men was correct? All of them were right, in a way. Which of the seven men had the correct picture of an elephant? None of them! They can each get a better picture of what an elephant is actually like if they listen to each other, accept their differences in opinion, and agree that an elephant is quite complicated because it has a whole lot of different parts. But if each blind man sticks to just his view, he can never get the total picture. What about us in our work? We will be able to understand things much better if we work as a team with other people, listen to their views, respect their opinions, and together come to a more complete picture of what the problem is like. The better we understand a problem, the more we will be able to work out good solutions. So if we want to know the total picture, listen carefully to what others feel and see and think, and put the parts together. Lim Siong Guan Head, Civil Service What’s Hot 4 Goodbye to long queues! On 9 D the O ecembe r 20 nePa 03, proj ect w y.Hub as a the wa Mi Tran nistry o rded f spor t Inn Awa ovat rd! ion By LTA magine this: You are standing in line at a counter at the Land Transport Authority (LTA). You are waiting to make a payment. Time is ticking by and you feel that you can make better use of your time than waiting in a queue. Have you ever had such an experience? Well, with the introduction of OnePay.Hub as part of LTA’s OneMotoring.Com portal, you no longer have to wait in line to make payments to LTA. Now you can do so at your convenience — through a computer or handphone, at anytime and from anywhere. I More convenience for customers OnePay.Hub came about following an internal review of the types of payment transactions in 2002. The review showed that LTA processes many different types of payment transactions. As part of LTA’s e-Services Master Plan to provide accessible and value-added e-services to the public, OnePay.Hub was introduced in 2003. It is a single, integrated gateway that facilitates payments to LTA through multiple service delivery channels and payment methods. OnePay.Hub has enabled LTA to serve its customers better by providing greater convenience and accessibility to payment channels. Payments which can be made online include those for traffic offences, ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) fines and purchasing Learn how to pay your LTA fines via your handphone at OnePay.Hub. Get access to OnePay.Hub via LTA’s OneMotoring.Com portal. One.Pay.Hub is an effective one-stop payment gateway. publications. LTA’s customers have the flexibility of paying with their VISA Card, MasterCard or eNETS V Card (an electronic Cash Card from NETS). More information can be found at https://onepay.onemotoring.com.sg/onepay. Over 7,000 transactions The response to OnePay.Hub has been very encouraging. Since its launch, there has been a steady and consistent increase in the volume of transactions. As of May 2004, more than 7,000 transactions have been conducted. c h a l l e n g e j u n e In the future LTA is working towards providing a one-stop payment service solution for all motorists. To achieve that, it is exploring the feasibility of offering other vehicle-related services such as payment of fines of other public agencies like the Housing and Development Board, Urban Redevelopment Authority and Traffic Police. 0 4 What’s Hot 5 Make an e-donation today With the Online Donation Portal (OLDP), you can now donate to charity from anywhere and at anytime, so long as you have Internet access. The OLDP is Singapore’s first online donation channel to multiple charitable organisations. By Ms Chan Mei Chern, Planning & Research Department, NCSS n eCitizen initiative, the OLDP is administered by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). The OLDP aims to promote philanthropy by making it easy and convenient for users to make their donations. The portal will impact many facets of our society. Beneficiaries of the donations include charities for social services, health and medical services, education, youth groups, community organisations and the arts. Members of the public have the option of making a donation via credit card or by converting their allotted Economic Restructuring Shares (ERS). To help donors decide, information on the charities and organisations, A such as their mission statement, services provided and financial details, is posted on the OLDP. This enables donors to make informed choices. The donations, which are tax-deductible, can start from $20. All donations will go directly to the respective charitable organisations chosen by the donors. Your contributions will go a long way in helping people in need. To make a donation, log on to www.eCitizen.gov.sg and select “donate to charities online” under “Government Services — Do it Online!” Fostering awareness about the environment hermal imaging cameras. Digital mapping system. CCTV monitoring system. What do these gadgets have in common apart from being high-tech gizmos? They are actually part of the ammunition that the National Environment Agency (NEA) deploys when it wages a war against rats. Now, the public can read more about such rat-busting efforts and other environmental issues with the introduction of a new quarterly publication, milieu, by the Ministry of the Environment (ENV). The newsletter is a collaborative effort between ENV, the NEA, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) and its 3P (Public, Private and People) partners. T ad or downlo You can o milieu at et subscrib bsites: ese we h t f , o any /milieu .gov.sg v or n e . u w ie ww /mil .gov.sg a e . u .n ie w ww /mil .gov.sg b u p . w ww Splashed with colour, the light-hearted newsletter provides news and information about the environment in a fun way. Said Karolyn Poon, Editor of milieu, “milieu is your quarterly newsletter about the world we share and the environment we care for. The preservation of our shared environment is our shared responsibility, and through milieu, we hope to foster greater awareness and encourage more active participation in caring for our world.” The newsletter will be an amalgamation of varied content. Readers will be able to take a peek at the often out-of-sight back-end operations and the services that the public can rely on. It will also put a face to the ENV family who brings the services to the public, as well as highlight people from the private, people and public sectors who make a difference to our environment. What’s Hot 6 Real learning through virtual games By Commonwealth Secondary School. This story was first published in Contact, newsletter of MOE ou are the mayor of a city, and you need to develop its biomedical, life science and industrial sectors as well as to meet various socio-economic needs. To do so, you need to collect enough revenue to build the necessary infrastructure, such as hospitals, research centres and biotechnology plants. This may sound like a daunting scenario. However, it is not only a lot of fun but also highly educational. This is because it is part of the “Virtual Metropolis” game. Y Building the metropolis “Virtual Metropolis” was the brainchild of a team of students from Commonwealth Secondary School. Together with their mentors, they sought to make use of e-learning platforms to enhance student learning and assessment. With funding from Citibank’s CitiSuccess programme, they went about turning their idea into action. In developing the system, the team members considered the importance of making learning enjoyable, interactive and self-reliant. They wanted to provide a fun, creative and motivational learning system that students could build upon to develop their creative skills and knowledge. They were also conscious of developing an assessment system which could be easily customised and adapted by teachers across various disciplines. Scalability of the system to link the information to different subjects and across different schools was a consideration. The team decided that a virtual game would best meet these objectives. c h a l l e n g e j u n e Potential for learning In this virtual metropolis, students assume the role of the city’s mayor. The city is divided into sectors, and students need to answer the questions in each sector before they can proceed with the game. Correct answers earn them revenue. In order to construct a building in a sector, students must answer at least 50% of the questions in that sector correctly. The questions are curriculum-based and easily modified by teachers in accordance with desired learning outcomes. They challenge students to learn independently, and to explore and review lessons delivered by teachers. Reference materials associated with the questions are provided via the school’s e-learning system. The team developed a fun, creative and motivational learning system for students. Once satisfied with the city that they have built, students proceed to the Report Section and summarise in 200 words why they built the city the way they did. This improves students’ writing and analytical skills and enables teachers to assess students’ learning and address areas of deficiency that require remediation. A discovery process After two months spent pilot-testing the prototype, the final system was rolled out for student use in January 2004. It met with an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response from students, who felt that it had helped to captivate their interest and motivate their learning in a new way. While the product was a runaway success, the process of developing the game system also proved to be a creative learning experience for the team members. Besides honing their skills in multimedia authoring, digital imaging and logic coding, working together helped foster team cohesiveness. Every member of the team learnt the value of cooperation and being open to opinions from fellow students. Said Secondary Three student Stanley Ang, “We spent countless hours brainstorming to discover possible creative solutions to problems before acting on them. The process helped us to enhance and build upon our multimedia, research and creative planning skills. Through frequent interaction with our mentors, we gained confidence and learnt crucial people and business skills.” In retrospect, it was a continuous journey of self-discovery for the team members. It has also been a lesson for everyone in appreciating the value of integrating technology with creative and innovative thinking for learning and teaching. 0 4 What’s Hot 7 “Wow” service at CMPB By MINDEF he Central Manpower Base (CMPB) has once again garnered a feather in her cap by being the first organisation in the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) to be conferred the Singapore Service Class. T Reaching for service excellence Since CMPB embarked on her journey towards total organisational excellence in 1991, there has been no turning back. CMPB began major reviews of her business processes to provide the public with excellent service. From the time CMPB attained the ISO certification in 1993 to the time she received the Singapore Service Class in 2004, she gained much recognition for her relentless pursuit of customer-focused service. A quality experience for National Servicemen In MINDEF, CMPB plays an important role as the regulatory agency for National Service. CMPB’s challenge is therefore to strike a balance between executing National Service policies and providing a quality experience for the National Servicemen. CMPB’s approach to service excellence includes integrating her services and transforming work processes to reduce human intervention. This, together with a committed workforce, provided the foundation to build a customerfocused culture in CMPB. All levels of staff in CMPB were involved in this process of change. They began to take a fresh look at issues and challenged the status quo when providing service to the public. This included going the extra mile when called upon. From the one-size-fits-all approach, CMPB began Commander CMPB Colonel Toh Meng Soon (right) receiving the Singapore Service Class award. to customise her services and worked to “wow” her customers. CMPB has a strong belief in questioning the fundamentals of customer service. Hence CMPB’s ”wow” initiatives were a move towards providing personalised services for customers. The initiatives include direct enlistment at Units, e-registration for National Service, e-application for exit permits, re-registration of civilian ICs for in-service personnel, decentralising the resetting of the SAF Card PIN/passwords, and the provision of gowns during medical screening. What’s next Achieving the Singapore Service Class marked an important milestone in CMPB’s journey towards excellence. It is testament to the effort put in by all staff of CMPB. CMPB has laid the foundation for organisational excellence as its people and processes work together seamlessly. She will not rest on her laurels but will continue to develop her people to meet the challenges ahead. Some of the dedicated staff behind CMPB’s achievement. At The Ministries MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS 8 To be the best in the world By MHA “ ow can we work towards being the best in the world?” This was the question 250 officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs Headquarters (MHQ) asked themselves as they gathered for their 2004 Corporate Retreat, held on 7 and 8 May. This theme did not come about by chance. The Ministry’s management has always placed great Permanent Secretary Tan emphasis on the one of our recipients. importance of organisational excellence. Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tan Guong Ching, had earlier set the goal for the Ministry to achieve the Singapore Quality Award (SQA), and directed that the annual Corporate Retreat focus on achieving excellence. Following from this, Deputy Secretary (Security and Corporate Services), Dr Mimi Choong, suggested the theme “Being the best in the world”. As one senior SQA Assessor commented, the key to organisational excellence is commitment and personal involvement from the senior management. Here at MHQ, this is truly the case. H c h a l l e n g e j u n e MHA’s senior management viewing one of the many divisions’ work plan booths. Guong Ching putting the Phoenix Award blazer on At the Corporate Retreat, the staff brainstormed three pivotal questions: • Who are we? • Who do we serve? • How do we serve them? These questions were in keeping with the Organisational Profile, Customer and Processes segments of the SQA Report. Participants also discussed the desired culture that would support the Ministry’s drive for excellence. MHQ staff agreed that they wanted a “united, open and people-centred culture”. To wrap up the retreat, Mr Tan presented two of the Ministry’s outstanding staff with the inaugural Phoenix Award. This award was introduced to recognise staff who have contributed significantly to organisational excellence initiatives, and have displayed the Home Team values of honour and unity in their daily work. Said one of the award recipients, “I was surprised to receive such an award, and I feel greatly honoured by this accolade. Organisational excellence is something I believe in passionately, and I believe that it is an integral part of an organisation’s development.” With staff like these, the Home Team is well on its way to achieving its goal of excellence. 0 4 MINISTRY OF DEFENCE At The Ministries 9 Another step towards excellence for DMG Staff of DMG celebrating their ISO 9000 certification. By MINDEF n June 2003, the Defence Management Group (DMG) marked a milestone in its exciting journey towards organisational excellence when it attained the People Developer Standard. As of April 2004, there was cause for yet another celebration when all 32 departments in DMG received the ISO 9000 certification. I A proactive approach Faced with increasingly sophisticated customers with ever-rising expectations in a dynamic, highly competitive business environment, forwardlooking service providers are always striving to exceed the expectations of their customers by consistently providing value-added services. DMG is always eager to improve the way it does things and to do things right. Attaining the ISO 9000 certification serves as validation of what the organisation had already been doing. DMG’s success is largely attributed to its proactive approach called “customership”, which is the constant anticipation and pre-empting of customer requirements, as well as the relentless drive for continuous process improvements to ensure the highest quality in all her products and services. Common goals, measurable targets With a strong customer orientation and a genuine desire to involve people at all levels in its pursuit of organisational excellence and effectiveness, DMG continues to forge ahead with clearly defined goals that are made known to all staff. The staff in turn ensure that the measurable targets aligned to these organisational goals are met in a timely manner. Said Mr Bernard Chung from the DMG Corporate Office, “The ISO standard is used as a foundation upon which DMG’s quality system is developed. Through the use of internal and external audits against the standards, DMG can identify shortfalls or ‘non-conformances’ in the process. This helps DMG to find opportunities to close the gaps and improve further. “During the entire ISO certification process, everyone in my department exhibited teamwork and ensured that we had a strong and robust system in place to achieve our quality objectives.” The future in view Having attained the ISO certification, DMG is not resting on her laurels. Its staff have been encouraged to be part of a Learning Organisation by constantly enhancing their work processes to improve the way things are done so that customers can be served even better. This way, DMG may qualify for the Singapore Quality Class and ultimately the Singapore Quality Award! Cover Story 10 Building capacity in public consultation By Feedback Unit and Civil Service College “DPM Lee…argued that the government needs to consult others because it is not infallible. Public consultation not only enables the government to refine and improve its policies, it also gives Singaporeans a greater sense of ownership towards Singapore and strengthens the bond between the Government and the public,” said Mr Eddie Teo, Permanent Secretary (PS) of Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), in his opening address at the Public Consultation Forum on 28 May 2004. ublic consultation is a key component of the PS21 strategic thrust “Openness, Responsiveness and Involvement”. To encourage public officers to be more consultative, a slew of measures have been taken to build up the capacity of public officers to conduct effective public consultation exercises. In this issue of Challenge, we feature the newly launched Public Consultation Resource Portal, the Public Consultation Workshop and the Public Consultation Forum. P Gaining insights into public consultation • “If the government listens only to those who shout the loudest, it will suffer from an affliction which many western democracies suffer from, viz capture by lobbyists and pressure groups.” – Mr Eddie Teo • “Like civil servants, citizens are relatively new to this game of public consultation, so we should be The Public Consultation Forum held on 28 May 2004 was attended by more than 200 public officers. Jointly organised by the Civil Service College, the PS21 Office, the Feedback Unit and MITA’s PR Academy, the forum covered wide-ranging issues and provided many learning points for public officers. Challenge reports the highlights. tolerant, and not dismissive, if the quality of feedback is sometimes poor.” – Dr Wang Kai Yuen • “We have to want to listen to feedback because of what it does to the person giving the feedback. It gives a sense of ownership, a sense of belonging, and a sense of participation in being a responsible and committed citizen in this country… At the end of the day, getting the public engaged in the consultation process is more about the heart than it is the head.” – Mr Han Fook Kwang • “Treat responsible media as partners. Trust them. Take their feedback seriously. Understand that their responsibilities include reflecting public c h a l l e n g e opinion, no matter how negative they are, so don’t shoot the messenger. Be seen as sincere in wanting to consult the public.” – Mr Lim Jim Koon on how the government can play a constructive j u n e role in the public consultation process Honing the art of public consultation “Public consultation is new to the Public Service,” said Mr Eddie Teo, Permanent Secretary of Prime Minister’s Office. Hence, “conducting effective public consultation is not easy for many public servants.” He elaborated that as many do not have experience handling the media or the public, it is imperative to provide public officers with proper training and tools before they are sent to consult the public. However, he cautioned against accepting all suggestions and feedback indiscriminately. “While the government must actively listen and consider all suggestions, it must also be prepared to reject demands that are against the public good. This calls for public servants to be more savvy in managing expectations and more able in communicating our thinking to the public.” To signal its resolution to build tools for consultation, the government has allocated more than $6 million to develop IT tools to achieve the outcome of “Connected Citizens” in the eGovernment Action Plan II. 0 4 Cover Story 11 Panel members fielding questions from the audience at the Public Consultation Forum. Mr Teo invited public agencies or others with ideas on how to leverage on IT to conduct better public consultation to come forward and propose the ideas to PSD. Expectations about public consultation Dr Wang Kai Yuen, Chairman of the Feedback Supervisory Panel, drove home a strong message when he spoke about what the public expects of the government feedback process. “First, Singaporeans want to be consulted. Second, they want to know what happened to their contributions. Third, they want quality responses. Fourth, they want an open and transparent feedback process.” Dr Wang urged government ministries and agencies to institutionalise public consultation and make it a routine part of the policy-formulation process. When public consultations are being conducted, government organisations should also realise the importance of closing the feedback loop. “It is a common perception among feedback contributors that their feedback ends up in a dark and bottomless pit. I call this the ‘Black Hole Syndrome’,” he said. Even when ministries and agencies respond to feedback, they have to “package and communicate their replies effectively, in a manner that suggests that they have listened seriously to the people’s voices.” Dr Wang said that openness inadvertently allows poor quality public discourse to seep in as not all people will provide relevant and useful feedback. Dr Wang advised that “public officers will have to be prepared to live through the teething problems and growing pains as our society matures.” Role of the media in public consultation The media undoubtedly plays a vital role in public consultation. Mr Han Fook Kwang, the Editor of The Straits Times, shared with the audience the three basic roles the media plays in public consultation — as a platform to disseminate information about government policies, a platform to reflect the views of different stakeholders, and a mouthpiece for the public to voice opinions about issues. Mr Han expressed concern about how some public officers view feedback from the public. “I sometimes get very worried when I hear civil servants say that they dread reading the Forum page of The Straits Times but it’s the first thing they read every morning because that will tell them what sort of day it’s going to be, whether they’ll get a call from the minister asking them to look into the complaints.” He urged public officers to welcome feedback as it gives the public a sense of ownership and belonging when Singaporeans are able to participate in the process. Feedback channels for different communities Mr Lim Jim Koon, the Editor of Lianhe Zaobao, spoke fervently about the need to include all stakeholders in the consultation process. He brought the house down when he asked “E-government and e-services have been actively promoted and they’re laudable efforts, but what does the ‘e’ stand for? English?” Through the laughter, a serious message was sent — that public officers should not inadvertently leave out certain communities during the consultation process. He asked that public agencies do more to reach out to communities which may be less proficient in using English to provide feedback. Participants enjoying the Forum. Cover Story 12 A new, hot workshop The two-day Public Consultation Workshop is organised by the Civil Service College to build the capacity of public officers to conduct effective public consultation exercises. The first workshop was held on 14 and 15 April 2004, and attended by 23 public officers. he workshop brought participants through a range of issues about public consultation. Apart from finding out the meaning of public consultation and Singapore’s model of public involvement, participants learnt about the “why”, “when”, “who” and “how” of consultation. The workshop was conducted in a fun-filled, interactive and practical way. Participants walked away with a better idea of why it is important to consult and how they can benefit from it. They also examined the reasons why T their organisation For more deta ils on th might not want works is hop, con tact Rink consultation, and Ghosh at oo 6874180 4 or rinkoo_g were challenged hosh@cs college.g or Kevin ov.sg on how they could Tang at 6 8741767 K e v in_Tang@ or overcome these cscollege .gov.sg. barriers to consultation. The workshop was conducted by two public officers with extensive experience in public consultation — Mr Tan Yew Soon, Director of the Feedback Unit and Ms Sulosana Karthigasu, Managing Director of MITA’s PR Academy. The workshop was a great hit and received rave reviews. If you are interested to learn about public consultation, you can apply to attend this workshop via TRAISI. Gateway to a wealth of resources The Public Consultation Resource Portal developed by the Feedback Unit is the latest addition to the government intranet. The portal was launched by PS (PMO) on 28 May 2004. his website on the government intranet contains rich and comprehensive materials public officers would need to conduct effective consultation. The materials in the portal dwell on the concept of consultation and the “why”, “when”, “who” and “how” of consultation. The portal is also a window to learning best practices from other countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and United States. Public officers can find useful hyperlinks to consultation websites of Send an these countries. email t o victor_ seah@ Case studies of mcds.g phang_ ov.sg o chin_sia r real-life public n @mcds if you h .gov.sg ave inp c o n s u l t a tion u ts and enquirie s. Log o exercises conducted n to ht intrane tp:// t.consu ltation.g to learn by public agencies are ov.s T c h a l l e n g e j u n e 0 4 more a g bout pu consult blic ation. also posted on the portal. Currently, there are three case studies — the Body Worlds Exhibition by the Media Development Authority, the junior college/upper secondary education review by the Ministry of Education, and the Amendment of the Human Organ Transplant Act by the Ministry of Health. The case studies highlight useful lessons for public officers. There are pointers about scoping the objectives of public consultation, the selection of stakeholders and the tools used. These agencies also share the challenges they faced when consulting the public and the lessons learnt. “The resource portal should be a living portal, vibrant and up-to-date, as we explore the art of public consultation together,” said PS (PMO) during the launch of the portal. Indeed, there is much to learn about public consultation. Start honing your skills and enhancing your understanding of public consultation now, by logging onto the Public Consultation Resource Portal on the government intranet! At Your Service 13 Thumbs up for SCT! By SCT ingapore is a well-known shoppers’ paradise. Tourists from the Western and European countries are especially enticed by the very competitive prices of electrical goods sold here. However, as with all products, there will inevitably be defects in some. Apart from defects, tourists are sometimes misled into purchasing products by retailers hoping to make a fast buck in the belief that they can escape from liability as the tourists would not discover the misrepresentation until they are well away from Singapore. Or even if the ore m n r a tourists do, they do not have the To le the SCT, t // : u luxury of time to pursue the matter p o t b t a h n to laims. o g through legal proceedings. o c l ll .sma If there is no avenue for www . sg gov. tourists to quickly seek redress against unscrupulous retailers, Singapore’s economy as well as her reputation for excellent service standards could be severely damaged. S Swift service delivery Established in 1985, the Small Claims Tribunals (SCT) aims to provide a speedy and inexpensive machinery to handle small claims by consumers. In response to a growing number of tourists seeking redress for defective goods or misrepresentation by retailers, the SCT introduced a 24-hour timeline for urgent local cases or those involving tourists. A mediation session, and if necessary a hearing within 24 hours upon the filing of a claim, will be fixed for such cases. This 24-hour timeline was launched soon after the SCT was formed and is a distinctive feature of the SCT. In addition, each claim is served personally by an SCT officer. The tourist accompanies the officer to the retailer’s premises. This provides an opportunity for the tourist to negotiate a private settlement directly with the retailer. If a private settlement is reached, the parties need not seek mediation at the SCT. In most cases, faced with the prospect of having to attend a mediation session at the SCT, retailers are more inclined towards having a private settlement. However, if a settlement cannot be reached at this juncture, the tourist and the retailer will have to attend a mandatory mediation session conducted at the SCT. If SCT launched the 24-hour timeline for urgent local cases or those involving tourists. settlement negotiations are still unsuccessful after the mediation session, a hearing will be fixed for the case. In the event that despite the 24-hour timeline, the tourist is unable to personally attend the hearing conducted at the SCT, there are provisions for the tourist to be represented by the Singapore Tourism Board or by a friend or relative residing in Singapore. Playing a critical role Mindful of the ever-changing needs of its customers, be they locals or foreigners, consumers or suppliers, the SCT always strives to improve its procedures to fulfil the Subordinate Courts’ objective of enhancing access to justice. The 24hour timeline is just one of the features that the SCT has introduced to meet customers’ needs. By proactively responding to changing consumer/retailer behavioural patterns, the SCT not only meets the needs of its customers, but also contributes positively to the image and reputation of our country as a safe haven for consumers. At Your Service 14 On call, on hand, online, 24 x 7 The next time you turn on a tap or flush the toilet, take a moment to consider what it takes to supply water-on-demand to a nation of four million people. By Tony Soh, Water Department, PUB. This story was first published in milieu, newsletter of ENV magine the complex systems needed to transport water from reservoirs through kilometres of pipes and up multi-storey office and apartment blocks, not to mention the drainage system that collects water from all over Singapore and deposits it into our reservoirs. And there’s also the sewerage reticulation system that carries used water away from your home and into water reclamation plants for treatment. Keeping watch over such a complex, integrated network and ensuring that any problems are quickly corrected is the responsibility of the Public Utilities Board (PUB). The Board maintains a team of engineers and experts on a 24-hour watch. If residents encounter water, sewerage or drainage problems, they can turn to PUB’s 24-hour help centre — PUB-One. PUB-One is not only accessible 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, it is also accessible through a variety of media: toll-free hotline (1800- I Good service with a smile is just a phone call away. 284 6600), email ([email protected]), SMS (9034 3430), fax (6284 0363), webchat (http://www.pub.gov.sg/cindy/Pub-One.htm) and even Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Computer systems, intelligent software, sophisticated databases and even handheld communication devices are tools the call centre uses to investigate and solve customers’ problems. The calls concern a whole array of issues and problems ranging from low water pressure and blocked sewerage pipes to more unusual incidents and issues. For a look at two recent cases handled by PUB-One, read the following stories. Mystery fountain On 17 December 2003, PUB-One received a rather unusual report. Read all about it here. 1524 hours: A caller, Amy, reported to PUB-One that there was a very tall “fountain of water” shooting out from the ground in front of her block at West Coast Road. She was worried that her water supply might be affected. c h a l l e n g e 1526 hours: A PUB-One officer jumped into action. He cross-checked information in the database, raised the job ticket and simultaneously alerted the technical staff to conduct field investigations. Information from the PUB-One “nerve-centre” was transmitted to the field crew’s personal digital assistant. The operations staff were alerted and activated. j u n e 1600 hours: Within 34 minutes, a team from the Water Service and Operations Centre, assisted by related technical staff who were simultaneously alerted, arrived at the site and proceeded with investigations. The officers were quick to observe that the water coming out from the ground was not a tall “fountain of water” as reported. Instead, the water flow was weak and irregular. Further checks showed that the spot was also in the vicinity of a nearby gas mains. For safety reasons, the officers barricaded the area and alerted the gas company. The integrity of all the water mains in the vicinity was checked. It was confirmed that there was no leak in the water mains. PUB officers personally explained to Amy that the water mains were not leaking and that her water supply was not affected. On hearing that, Amy heaved a sigh of relief. 1700 hours: The investigations ended and the case was closed. 0 4 At Your Service 15 Predict the weather Mr Sim was part of the team that implemented Nowcast. e have all had picnics, golf games, and trips to the zoo ruined by the weather. Experience tells us that sunny skies early in the morning are no guarantee that a storm would not brew a few hours later. All this will be a thing of the past. We are now in a better position to beat the weather with the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) Nowcast system, which gives current, localised weather forecasts of up to three hours via your phone or the Internet. The forecast is close to 90% accurate. Developed by the NEA’s Meteorological Services Division (MSD), this weather forecast service has been made available to some 2 million SingTel and Starhub subscribers since last year. With a 90% accuracy rate, users would be better able to plan their business and social activities. W Said Mr Sim Choon Siong, a Senior Meteorological Officer from the MSD, “In Singapore, weather can and does vary over a short time and distance. Thus my colleagues and I decided to develop this service so that the public will be able to get location- and time-specific weather forecasts.” Mr Sim, who has been working with the MSD for 10 years, is on the team that made Nowcast a reality. He was a key member who implemented the Nowcast service and worked with the telecommunication companies to define their requirements. Seeing Nowcast as a valuable and efficient service for the public, he said, “In fact I use it myself to decide where I should bring my kids for an outing.” GET EASY ACCESS TO NOWCAST The next time you want to arrange a barbecue or a relaxing stroll on the beach, access Nowcast through the following channels: • Website: www.nea.gov.sg/nowcast • Weather hotline: 6542 7788 • M1 subscribers: Go to MiWorld Mobile, select <News and Info>, followed by <Weather>. • SingTel subscribers: Key in *109 and send it. Immediately, you will receive an SMS. You can then reply with the location you want the weather forecast for. • Starhub subscribers: Go to StarHub Gee!, select <News and Info>, followed by <Nowcast>. Water, water everywhere ew events in Singapore triggered as many calls to PUB-One as the flash floods that inundated parts of the island on 8 and 11 March this year. More than 500 enquiries flooded PUB-One, clearly showing that the call centre is a major source of information and help to citizens, especially in times of crisis. The call centre kept the public informed by providing constant updates about the situation. With information provided by the Drainage Department, PUB-One launched an Interactive Voice Recording (IVR) broadcast as part of the service provided by the toll-free phone line, so that callers could receive the latest updates immediately. When the Meteorological Services warned that heavy rains might cause more flooding between 21 and 23 March, PUB-One broadcast the flood advisory F A PUB officer explaining a flood advisory to a shopowner. and tended to calls from the public. The cooperation and connectivity between PUBOne and the Drainage Department enabled information to be communicated to the public as quickly as possible. Innovation In Action 16 Journey of innovation In May’s issue of Challenge, we featured the Singapore Police Force (SPF), a leading TEC (The Enterprise Challenge) innovator. The partnership between SPF and TEC has been a dynamic and enriching experience, with the former continually surfacing and piloting TEC proposals, and the latter providing support and various resources. The following story is an excerpt from the SPF-TEC video, a collaborative effort between SPF, TEC and technology partners. It illustrates how SPF’s TEC innovations* will bring about quantum leap improvements in SPF’s operational capabilities and delivery of services when fully implemented. By SPF and TEC S cenario: Kim Tan, a patron at XC KTV Lounge, was found unconscious in a KTV room at 10.17pm on 18 February. SPF was alerted. 18 February, 11.04pm. Crime scene. Investigation Officers (IO) Ravi and Eve searched for clues in the KTV room. Ravi found an empty plastic bag on the floor. Eve noticed an extra mug of beer and microphone. The lounge manager said he saw Kim with a man. Through mPOD, a PDA device which enables the screening of people and vehicles wirelessly via GPRS, the IOs were alerted to a car break-in at the car park. The car belonged to the victim and the break-in was detected by the car park’s Intelligent CCTV (iCCTV). The iCCTV analyses human behaviour and automatically alerts the Police on suspicious incidents. The IOs were also informed of a red light violation nearby. The Vision Based Red Light Enforcement System had captured the offender’s vehicle licence plate. The offender was traced — Vincent Rajoo. Meanwhile, Forensic Officers used the Rapid DNA Fingerprint Sensor, a portable DNA device to c h a l l e n g e j u n e Police officers using the mPOD on the job. analyse the saliva found on the microphone. Hair follicles were also collected from the victim’s car. The DNA profile obtained from the saliva sample was found to match that of the hair follicles. 19 February, 8.17am. Office. The IOs found that Kim had recently lodged a report on missing accounting files through ePC, a virtual police service point where the public can lodge nonurgent reports and feedback on police services over the Internet. Using the Rapid Automated Computer Examination Systems (RACES), the Computer Forensic Team gathered evidence on the misappropriation of company funds by Vincent Rajoo. A Home Team colleague accessed SPF’s RealTime Operational Information System (RTOIS) and learnt that a pusher was nabbed in a drug bust relating to Ecstasy. RTOIS is a collaborative system using Microsoft Excel/Word on a real-time basis, which reduces error from multiple sources of data entry. His fingerprints matched the ones on the plastic bag found at the KTV Lounge. The pusher and Vincent were brought in for questioning. 3.25pm. Interview room. Vincent insisted he was innocent. His DNA sample was taken for analysis. His fingerprint DNA matched that from the microphone, which meant that he was at the KTV lounge and was involved in the car break-in. Separately, the pusher admitted selling Ecstasy pills to Vincent. Some time later. In court. Faced with concrete evidence, Vincent Rajoo pleaded guilty and was sentenced accordingly. We can see that SPF has indeed come a long way in its innovation journey. Without officers who can think out of the box and come up with creative ideas to implement technology available commercially, SPF could not have come as far and surely with less success than what we see now. If you need to find out more details of SPF’s TEC projects, you may contact DSP Lawrence Tham, Assistant Director Planning and Monitoring, Police Technology Department, Police Headquarters, via email at [email protected]. *The products featured are either in use or on trial 0 4 A Day In The Life Of A Public Officer 17 Catching up with a trailblazer Jean Tan is a Singapore Sports Council (SSC) officer who is always on the go. Bubbly, exuberant and zealous about her work, she is continually seeking out new and better ways of getting things done. hen Jean joined SSC as a Centre Assistant Manager in 2002, she was posted to the Yio Chu Kang Sports For Life Centre (now called Sports and Recreation Centre). In a year, she learnt the ins and outs of running a sports centre. So when the Hougang centre opened in February 2003, she was all ready to take up the challenge of getting a new centre going. W Leading the way Jean said, “I worked with my manager to start the centre from scratch. Given only the bare facilities, we had to organise programmes and get people to come. Because we were dealing with a young and rather ‘hip’ population living in Hougang, we had to constantly brainstorm for new ideas to attract them.” The Hougang centre was the first to offer Ashtanga yoga classes and the take-up rate was good. This sparked a trend in other centres. Jean also piloted several other first-time projects in Hougang like The Gym Patron Tracking System, CardioMix and Linedance Jam. To keep up with current trends, Jean even went to the extent of making “mystery visits” to private gyms to observe how they sell their packages, schedule their classes and design their flyers and brochures. She said with a grin, “I call this crosslearning and upgrading my knowledge!” Making a difference Jean and her manager also tried to create differentiation by introducing new services at their centre. For example, the gym provides towels as a goodwill gesture to users who forget to bring theirs. Certain shoe and shorts sizes are also available if gym users come inappropriately attired. Another service initiative is the mystery user pilot project which Jean mooted. Under this scheme, mystery users are paid to act as customers to test the centre’s service delivery process. The mystery users have to fill in a detailed survey form about various aspects of service, such as how the staff greet them, sell the programmes and answer queries. In line with this scheme, Jean and her team members involved in piloting this project developed standard operating procedures for the counter staff. These procedures specify very clearly and in detail how the staff should respond at every stage of a service encounter. The service staff were also given a service excellence package which contains information such as contact details of other centres, a phone greeting script and FAQs. The pilot project ran from January to March 2004. The findings highlighted the strengths of the counter staff as well as the areas for improvement. Many recommendations are now in the process of implementation. Stepping up Setting up the operations of the Hougang centre was a challenging and satisfying experience for Jean. She said, “We started from scratch and now it’s one of the best performing centres. There is a three-month waiting list for our studio classes. Our gym patronage is also strong — 10,000 users on average every month.” But before Jean could find time to rest, she was promoted in April 2004 to the position of Marketing and Promotion Executive for the eight Sports and Recreation Centres in the East Zone. Her new job scope entails promoting the use of SSC’s facilities to schools, companies, organised groups and individuals. She also plans programmes at the zonal level. Her new position promises many challenges and opportunities. Going the distance Eager to venture into more uncharted territories, Jean said, “I guess what keeps me going is the love for my job. Exploring different approaches and devising new ways to counter problems is my way of enjoying my work!” Staff Matters 18 A fun-filled date with singles Drama was used as a platform to share useful tips on dating. On 21 May 2004, a group of officers from the Singapore Prison Service, Singapore Police Force, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) congregated at the SCDF Headquarters for a fun-packed afternoon. They were participating in a Single’s Development Event. By MHA c h a l l e n g e j u n e he Ministry of Community Development and Sports and Fei Yue Community Services engaged professional actors to put up a brilliant show on boy-girl relationships. The storyline: Two guys, one overly confident and the other extremely shy, were trying to date a gorgeous girl they met on the streets. The threesome managed to arrange for a date in spite of many hiccups. During the date, the girl got to know the guys better and realised they were not as “repulsive” as she had previously thought them to be. The drama concluded with the girl stating that she would prefer if the best qualities of the two guys could be combined into one person. The guys were left baffled about their perceived shortcomings. T At the end of the drama, the speaker for the event began her talk and facilitation. She used the contents of the drama as a platform to educate the audience about dating. The speaker covered many aspects such as how to make a connection, the do’s and don’ts of social etiquette, great ideas for dating success, and the difference between the genders. The talk was highly entertaining as the speaker was very expressive and injected lots of humour and drama into her session. The objective of this programme was to reach out to singles and equip them with basic relationship skills to help them connect with the opposite sex. The programme also aimed to equip singles with the basics of finding a life partner and pointers on how to build, nurture and sustain such a relationship. The participants said they enjoyed the session thoroughly as the drama and talk reflected reality in a humorous way. They found the session educational as they picked up many useful tips which they could apply in their lives. They gave their thumbs up for the session and said it was an unconventional but good way to reach out to singles. DO YOU SUFFER FROM SMALL TALK DEFICIENCY? Here’s one of the many dating tips you can find at www.lovebyte.org.sg, the website of the Social Development Unit: “A friend of mine was diagnosed as suffering from STD — small talk deficiency. Yeah, small talk is inane, banal, superficial. Maybe. And flirting is demeaning, silly, and immoral. Maybe. But people who think this way probably aren’t having much fun. “Flirting with a stranger, or just making small talk in the lift may get your heart beating a little faster. Engaging in light-hearted banter exercises your social skills. It’s all about human contact and human interaction. “Small talk doesn’t mean small minds. In fact, it takes skill, a keen mind, and lots of practice to participate in the fine art of making conversation. Master it, and you’ll never be at a loss for words.” 0 4 Healthy Body, Active Mind 19 Some pointers to prevent injuries to your child Injuries pose the greatest risk to young children under the age of five. All parents believe they are doing everything to protect their children against harm. Despite their best intentions, however, young children continue to be involved in serious or even fatal injuries. W e often read reports of children who die as a result of drowning in a condominium’s swimming pool, falling off a corridor ledge of a high-rise flat, or being run over by a car while cycling home after lessons. To prevent injuries to your child, here are some pointers to bear in mind. Prevent falls • Do not leave babies alone on tables, sofas or beds. They may roll over and fall off. • Do not have highly polished floors. Toddlers may slip and fall. Do not let your child walk or run about while wearing socks. • Wipe away any spilled liquids on the floor immediately. • Sturdy window grilles should be properly installed in all high-rise flats. Keep the grilles locked and put the keys out of reach of your child. • Children should not be allowed to play along the corridors of a high-rise flat. • Avoid using sarong cradles. Babies have fallen out of them and have been seriously hurt. Prevent suffocation Do not use a soft pillow or bolster. Your baby may bury its head in it and suffocate. Children must not be allowed to play with plastic bags. They may suffocate if they cover their heads with them. Make sure your baby’s crib does not have slats that are spaced wide apart. Your baby may put its head through, get stuck and suffocate. Your baby should not sleep with adults in their bed. The adults may roll onto your baby while asleep, and cause it to suffocate. Prevent choking Be careful to ensure that food does not contain fish or chicken bones. These can get stuck in the air passage and cause choking. Fish balls should be cut into smaller pieces and not given whole. Do not feed babies when they are crying or lying flat. They can choke on their food if fed this way. Prevent drowning Do not leave your child alone in the bathroom or basin even for a moment. Take your child along with you if you need to answer the door or telephone. Keep pails or jars in your bathroom covered or turned over when not in use. Curious children may climb into jars or pails, resulting in injury or even drowning. Children should only swim in proper swimming pools with a qualified lifeguard present. Your children depend on you for their safety. Teach them to observe safety tips to avoid becoming the subject of another heart-wrenching news report. Learn basic life support techniques for handling choking and other emergencies as they can save a child’s life. CHALLENGEQUIZ june 2004 ANSWERS to May 2004 Quiz 1 What is the title of ICA’s heritage book? Guardians of Our Homeland 2. What is the total estimated savings the public sector achieved in FY 03? $475 million 3. How many times has SPF won the TEC Innovative and Enterprising Agency Shield? Three Answer the following questions on the contents of this issue of Challenge: 4. What is the address of the PSCOE Portal? www.pscoe.gov.sg 1. Through which portal can you access OnePay.Hub? 5. Who is the programme manager in charge of the Singapore Army’s first locally developed heavy artillery gun? Koh Weng Kin 2. What does “OLDP” stand for? 3. When was the Public Consultation Forum held? WINNERS of May 2004 Quiz 4. What is PUB-One’s toll-free hotline number? 1. Om Nath Panday, ICA 2. Ng Yew Peng, NHB 5. What is the address of the Nowcast website? 3. Patricia Ng, AGC 4. Lim Kong Eng, MOE 5. Hasnizah Bte Abdul Samat, PUB 6. Yusri Bin Thohid, SPF 7. Zubaidah Mahamood, NEA 8. Liew Yi Xui, MHA 9. Lilian Song Phua, MOE Send your entries to PS21 Office, The Treasury, 100 High Street, #02-02, 10. Neoh Kim Leng, NEA Singapore 179434 by 30 June 2004. Email us at [email protected] or fax to 6333 4010. Give your name, ministry, ministry address and phone number. The first 10 correct entries drawn will receive a token of appreciation from the PS21 Office. Congratulations to the winners, who will each receive a prize.