Streamline govt bodies to help municipal office

I refer to the report “Municipal office ‘not catch-all body, but for complex cases’” (Aug 25).

The Municipal Services Office (MSO), intended as an alternative place “to turn to mainly for complex cases”, may be another layer of bureaucracy, and this limited scope might not justify the high-level ministerial resources.

The public would not know if a matter is complex. Is the public expected to contact the other agencies first? Will the public be chided for contacting the MSO if it turns out that the matter is not complex?

To avoid confusion and to monitor service quality among all agencies, the MSO should be the sole contact point and not merely a service front.

It was reported that ways to improve operations on the ground will come later, but I suggest that all government bodies should work on that now.

There would not be true efficiency without a bold, concerted move to streamline some of the government bodies, since the MSO is still required to liaise with multiple agencies across ministries.

Take, for example, common food issues such as source and safety. The import of rice requires a licence under the Ministry of Trade and Industry. For most other types of food, the licensing body is the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA).

Strangely, the AVA is under the purview of the Ministry of National Development (MND), which is commonly associated with land use and housing. Once food is processed and sold, hygiene and food safety come under the National Environment Agency (NEA).

If there is a food poisoning incident, the Health Ministry would be involved. As each ministry has its own policies, there would be enhanced efficiency and consistency of practice if similar matters are overseen by one ministry.

The Housing and Development Board (HDB) owns most of the hawker centres and the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) owns the rest.

While the NEA engages accredited cleaning contractors for MEWR-owned hawker centres, the HDB leaves the decision to town councils and hawker associations.

For better control of cleaning fees and cleanliness standards, the HDB should own all the hawker centres.

The MEWR helps to maintain our clean and green environment. Besides its eco-friendly efforts, our natural resources such as water and trees play a big part in shaping the environment.

There might be more synergy if the National Parks Board, which manages our parks and nature reserves, were under the MEWR instead of the MND.

State land is sold by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, under the MND, and the Singapore Land Authority, under the Law Ministry. Merging these departments of similar skill sets may enhance efficiency and service.

Enforcement duties should be streamlined, too. Illegal parking is now handled by the Land Transport Authority, the URA or the HDB, depending on the vehicle’s exact location. A central body is preferred.