• An MP suggested having a lead agency for land clearance works since multiple agencies are usually involved
• Mr Chan Chun Sing said adding more layers of processes will further diffuse responsibilities 
• He added that his military experience taught him that more supervision do not always work
• Instead, streamlined processes and clear lines of responsibility is a better option

SINGAPORE — In the wake of the erroneous clearing of a large patch of Kranji woodland, Mr Chan Chun Sing on Friday (Feb 26) cautioned against tacking on more layers of supervision in public service when processes should be streamlined instead.

The Trade and Industry Minister, who is also Minister-in-charge of Public Service, was addressing questions from several Members of Parliament that had been filed for Friday’s sitting and subsequent sessions on the wrongful clearance of a 4.5ha of scrubland. This was at the JTC Corporation-managed site of the upcoming Agri-Food Innovation Park in Kranji.

The incident is under investigation and review by three parties — an internal investigation by JTC, a probe by the National Parks Board (NParks) into possible statutory breaches, and a cross-agency review led by Mr Joseph Leong, Permanent Secretary of Defence Development.

Yio Chu Kang MP Yip Hon Weng had asked whether a single lead agency could be appointed to be in charge of such complex land clearance works, noting that there are multiple agencies involved in the process, such as the Land Transport Authority, the Housing and Development Board, and others.

To this, Mr Chan responded with an anecdote from his career in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). Mr Chan was a regular in the military from 1987 to 2011, stepping aside from his Chief of Army post to enter politics.

He said that when accidents happen in the army, the common conclusion was usually that more supervision was needed.

“Now I have grown up learning that that may not necessarily be the best solution. Because when more parties get involved, ultimately, who is responsible? If a soldier did not do his job well, we ask whether there were factors that affected his concentration, whether his training was adequate or whether there were other complicating factors.

“At the end of the day, we want a streamlined process whereby there are clear lines of responsibilities for each of the parties involved in any complex project,” he said.

As such, the task of Mr Leong, who is also the second Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Information, is to strengthen the processes in the public service.

Mr Chan said: “We should be careful that in trying to improve the processes and streamline the processes, we do not unnecessarily add on (more) processes that might either diffuse the responsibility or make project coordination even more difficult going forward.”

He acknowledged the multiple interests involved in construction projects by developers, contractors, as well as environmental groups. The trick is to find a balance to accommodate as much of these interests as possible.

“It is always about working together to find the best way forward so that we can achieve multiple objectives from environmental protection to development — they are not mutually exclusive,” he said.

Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for National Development, also addressed the incident on Friday, saying his ministry is working on further safeguards to improve the environmental impact assessment (EIA) framework in Singapore, which will be done in a “science-based manner”.

The Ministry of National Development is also looking into ways to centralise the management of Environmental Impact Assessment consultants, instead of having individual developers or agences manage their own consultants, Mr Lee said.

A DRIVEN PUBLIC SERVICE

Mr Alex Yam, MP for Marsiling-Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency, then asked about how to improve public service processes further, noting that the Kranji woodland was in his ward.

In response, Mr Chan said that when processes are streamlined and responsibilities are clear, and if people are still not up to the task, the public service then needs to ask itself how to equip its officers and train them to do their job better.

At the heart of the issue, Mr Chan said, is ensuring that they are people with the right values and determinations.

He added that when he looked at the officers from JTC and NParks, he saw “in their eyes the fire in their bellies” that they wanted to put the Kranji incident right.

“I am sure that even if I have not tasked them to do so, they themselves would want to get it right and improve. This is the kind of public service that has brought Singapore to where it is today. This is the kind of public service that we can entrust our future together.”