Host of factors to tackle to get more private-sector executives into public service: MPs and analysts

SINGAPORE – When former Minister of State Teo Ser Luck was invited to become a political office-holder more than 12 years ago, he weighed his career aspirations, leaving his employer and the prospect of sacrificing time for his family.

For incoming Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad, unfulfilled career aspirations in the private sector saw him turn down such an offer previously.

Family, career and privacy are factors behind the perennial challenge for the Government to attract private sector talent, but the ranks of such individuals will soon grow.

Four backbenchers with private-sector experience will become office-holders, as part of changes to the Cabinet and other political appointments announced on Tuesday (Apr 24) by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. They are law firm partner Edwin Tong, accounting firm partner Zaqy Mohamad, oncologist Tan Wu Meng and chief executive of Business China Sun Xueling.

The changes mean about 17 of the 36 political office-holders, including the Cabinet ministers, will have had some form of private-sector experience.

While the promotion of the four backbenchers indicates the growing presence of private sector individuals in political office, the government can do more to attract such talent, said Nanyang Technological University political scientist Woo Jun Jie.

"Out of the four, one is a lawyer and another, a doctor. As the composition of our current Cabinet and that of past Cabinets has shown, there are quite a few instances whereby individuals from the legal and medical profession have joined politics and risen to ministerial positions. The same, however, cannot be said (of those) from business and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)," he said. Tapping talents from non-profits, civil society, NGOs and academia could add greater diversity and ensure a broader range of competencies in government, he said.

TACKLING PERCEPTIONS

There may be a perception that the current system in the public service favours civil servants and military officers when it comes to career progression, said former Member of Parliament (MP) Inderjit Singh. This may hold back some private-sector individuals from joining political office.

"When we have so many people of the same mould – military officers and (those) from the civil service forming the bulk of the political office holders, it will be a negative in attracting people from the private sector who may have a very different perspective of things and who will feel they will be a minority in Cabinet, and therefore may not be able to make a big difference," said Mr Singh.

Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan said the government will also have to demonstrate that joining the public service is a "higher calling".

"It may seem like a motherhood statement and trying to lean on people's idealism. But I would be worried if people see it as another job that they could get rich at, accumulate influence, power and wealth," he said.

To attract more from the private sector, Asst Prof Woo said the Government could engage mid-career individuals instead of those already in senior positions. This will help the government to identify and groom a pool of potential political leaders from earlier stages in their career, he said.

Mr Zaqy, however, suggested approaching more senior individuals in that private sector who may have "done enough" in their respective fields.

Another approach is to target younger individuals and allow them to spend some time in politics, possibly in the role of an MP, so that they would be more comfortable making the switch later on.

Having role models is important as well, said Ms Sun. "If people see that there are examples of private sector persons succeeding in political office, more may be attracted to join," she said.

SPEAKING FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE…

Mr Teo, who stepped down as last year as Minister of State but is still an MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol group representation constituency, was country manager at DHL when he was asked to join the public service.

"I was already running a company and I (couldn't bear to leave) my company and colleagues because we had a great environment and working relations," he said.

He had other career goals he wanted to accomplish, and also worried about the amount of time he would get to spend with his family.

But he still took up the offer and contested in his current constituency in 2006. He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for then-Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports that year.

"I wanted to also have the chance to serve and contribute to my country… I thought that having contributed to different companies, it was a good time to use whatever skills set I have to contribute to the country," said Mr Teo, who left political office last year and now runs several businesses.

Before him, MPs who stepped down as political office-holders and returned to the private sector include former Minister of State Cedric Foo in 2005.

Mr Zaqy, who was elected a Member of Parliament in 2006, said the most recent offer to join the public service was "not the first time" he was approached.

"I preferred to stay in private sector until I gained a certain level of exposure… before continuing (to) any government position," he said.

He is now ready to take the plunge. "Alternatively, I could take on a global role (but) that means I will have to drop politics. It's about that choice, and it's always a difficult choice for those in politics and the private sector," said the Ernst & Young partner.

Both Mr Teo and Mr Zaqy said the pay in the public sector was not on their minds at the time.

Mr Tong told TODAY on Tuesday (Apr 24) that he took some to consider the move as it would mean a loss of privacy for him and his family. They also asked if he would miss legal practice, and wanted to be sure that the appointments were "not something that would put on too much stress" on him.

Mr Teo said he had to adapt to a different working environment, which involved new protocols and structure, when he joined a ministry.

The learning curve was steep, and he had to learn about public policy, the different perspectives to take into account and implementing programmes structured differently from how private companies operate.

Mr Zaqy expects some changes in the work culture, where some key performance indicators may not be reflected immediately as policies take time to be implemented.

Ms Sun hopes to "quickly understand how the civil service works and contribute in the best way that I can".