Social Studies - Governance In Singapore

Front 1

What are the four functions of a government?

Back 1

Maintains sovereignty
Builds a nation
Meets people's needs
Ensures stability in government

Front 2

What are the four key principles of governance in Singapore?

Back 2

Leadership is Key
Anticipate Change and Stay Relevant
A Stake for Everyone, Opportunities for All
Reward for Work, Work for Reward

Front 3

LEADERSHIP IS KEY

What does Singapore need?
What does the government do to find these? Example?
Give one example of a good leader.

Back 3

Honest and capable leaders with moral courage and integrity
Continuous search for good leaders e.g. LKY persuading Ong Teng Cheong to give up job and join
Example being Liu Thai Ker, chairman of NAC, who started the S'pore Arts Fest and S'pore Writer's Fest to provide opportunities for local talent

Front 4

ANTICIPATE CHANGE AND STAY RELEVANT

Give three examples. How do they help Singapore?

Back 4

1. "Taking Risks": Students coming up with creative and innovative ideas. Workers upgrading their knowledge and skills to stay employable.
2. NEWater: in case of M'sia water agreements ending in 2011 and 2061. Public views (it's sewage water; it's cheaper to buy...) expressed and reassured through schools, newspaper, Internet
3. IR: Purpose to generate revenue, inc. tax revenue, capture growing tourist market, create jobs

Front 5

REWARD FOR WORK, WORK FOR REWARD

What is meritocracy?
Give 1-2 examples?

Back 5

Meritocracy: System that rewards HARD WORK AND TALENT regardless of race, religion or socio-economic background

Studies and CCA: Edusave Scholarship for top 10%, Merit Bursary for top 25%.

Progress Package '06 (personally I don't think this is necessary): Reward low-wage workers; share country's earnings with all of Singapore, help elderly meet retirement healthcare needs, help lower income households with living expenses, invest in next generation, recognise NS men contributions

Front 6

A STAKE FOR EVERYONE, OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL

Why is this important?
Example?

Back 6

A say in decision-making will provide a great sense of belonging.

IR Casino: concerns of people raised about social impact (crime, family breakup) as well as loss of international reputation as a trusted financial centre, and the loss of work principles and moral values.
The government CONSIDERED these concerns and took measures like a national framework for problem gathering and social safeguard, etc

Front 7

CASE STUDIES - TRAFFIC FLOW

List four measures taken to regulate traffic flow in Singapore.

Back 7

Area Licensing Scheme (ALS)
Electronic Road Pricing (ERP)
Park-and-Ride Scheme
Vehicle Quota System (VQS)

Front 8

COMPARISON OF THE ALS & ERP

0. What was the purpose of both?
1. Describe the ALS.
2. Why was it not successful?
3. Describe the ERP.
4. Why was it successful?

Back 8

0. To control traffic in the CBD.
1. '75: Motorists pay to use certain roads; gantries set up on the roads to monitor these payments by vehicle stickers
2. Labour-intensive monitoring. Although somewhat effective, people were unhappy and found loopholes.
3. '98: Variable toll on CBD and some expressways based on time of day and vehicle, monitored by electronic gantries and price displayed on electronic board. Monitored using IU, which is mandatory in all S'pore vehicles
4. Discourages people from using roads and prevents traffic congestion. Also a heck of a lot more convenient than the ALS.

Front 9

VEHICLE QUOTA SYSTEM

1. What is its purpose?
2. How is it carried out?

Back 9

1. Determine no. of motor vehicles allowed for congestion = less vehicles = less congestion
2. COE: No of new cars issued -> car buyers bid for COE -> LTA sets quota of cars and quota premium -> bidders pay this quota premium to get the COE and car -> must renew every ten years

Front 10

PARK-AND-RIDE SCHEME
1. Describe how it works
2. Why was it not popular in the 1970s? What happened instead?
3. Why is it so popular now?

Back 10

1. Vehicles encouraged to park at special carparks outside CBD and take public transport (special buses) in -> less vehicles enter CBD -> less congestion
2. Major oversight: people thought it wasn't worth it to park all day, and just drove in early and took regular buses anyway. Hence parking lots were empty (585 out of 7700), a waste of land, money and shuttle buses.
3. The ERP got too expensive in the CBD so P&R suddenly seemed more lucrative. New (ad hoc) facilities, like the P&R set with seasonal parking stickers and an EZ-Link card. Awesome.

Front 11

CASE STUDIES: POPULATION POLICIES

1. What were/are the two pop. policies implemented in Singapore? (Not the campaigns)

2. What is the type of population that Singapore is facing now? (___ population)

Back 11

1. Control Population Growth (1966 - 1981)
Promote Population Growth ('80s onwards)

2. Aging population

Front 12

CONTROL POPULATION GROWTH

1. Why did they have to control population growth?
2. What was the name of the campaign?
3. What measures were implemented? (5)

Back 12

1. Post-war baby boom = rapid pop. growth = more education needed and unemployment; aim was to maintain replacement level at 2.1 births
2. "Stop At Two"
3. Encourage contraception and legalise abortion
Delivery charges increase for additional child
No income tax relief for fourth and subsequent children
No paid maternity leave for third and subsequent children
Large families had no priority for government flats

Front 13

PROMOTE POPULATION GROWTH
1. Why did they have to promote population growth? Why would a low b.r. be so dangerous?
2. Name two campaigns schemes that went on during this period. What happened?
3. List four other pro-family measures implemented.
4. Foreign talent?

Back 13

1. Stop at Two worked so well that b.r. declined = risk of aging pop, weakened defence force, lack of attraction to MNCs due to small pool of workers
2. Graduate Mothers' Scheme '94: Encouraged marriage and children among graduates to have educated and bright children; offered money for illiterate women to undergo tubal ligation. Withdrawn in '85; unpopular
Three or More if You Can Afford It ('87): Concern included inc b.r. leading to serious social problems and no coping financially in '85 recession; addressed by allowing Medisave to pay for delivery to relieve financial burden. Still, success limited.
3. Extended maternity leave, five-day work week for Civil Service for work-life balance, grandparent caregiver inc. tax relief ($3k), and equalised medical benefits for fathers and mothers (can make med claims for children from employers)
4. Immigration relaxed and talent encouraged to come to increase population. This can be considered more effective as local measures will take longer to see results...

Front 14

AGING POPULATION
1. What is so wrong about an aging population? (4)
2. Why are old people so important?

Back 14

Smaller security forces
Demand for healthcare and social services
Strain on working population due to higher dependency ratio
Reduction in competitiveness (MNCs)
2. They have knowledge, skills, talent, work exp. etc; they have to keep contributing to add value to an organisation and to boost family life! (Hence they make valuable workers still, as long as they're fit)

Front 15

AGING POPULATION

1. Describe the Many Helping Hands approach
2. Describe its individual prong
3. Describe its family prong

Back 15

To meet the challenges of an aging population, S'pore promotes:
Individual responsibility - A healthy lifestyle and proper retirement financial planning (through talks and reading materials)
Family support: Strong stable families provide social stability and harmony, as well as emotional, social and financial support. Family bonds are strengthened by Grandparents' Day and Senior Citizens' Week, which promote a positive attitude towards aging and the aged, active elderly in family and community, as well as family bonding.

Front 16

AGING POPULATION

4. Describe the government prong of the Many Helping Hands approach and how it protects the interests of senior citizens (4)

Back 16

Tribunal for Maintenance of Parents: Incapable parents > 60 can get court's help to seek financial support from children who can't but aren't
Tax Relief: Income tax deduction from:
- grandparents taking care of (grandchildren) when parents both work
- contributing to CPF (own or elderly dependents)
- taking care of elderly/grand/great-grandparents
Public housing schemes: First time buyers of gov flats get housing grants (20k - 40k) if they buy in area where their parents live
Central Provident Fund: Medisave Account for med purposes, Special Account for retirement, emergency and investment, and Retirement Account (withdraw savings at age 55 and monthly sum from 62 onwards to ensure that elderly have money for old age)