Crazy, A Rule Breaker... and Singapore's Best Salesman: Philip Yeo

V.interesting perspectives from a controversial man =) but how many 'subservient' ppl can think like him? ;p

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"Crazy, a rule breaker... and Singapore's best salesman
Philip Yeo's biggest preoccupation is helping Singapore succeed
By Chang Ai-Lien, Senior Correspondent

http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/image/20110712/ST_IMAGES_AIPHILIP.jpg

HE DESCRIBES himself as a rule-breaker and he rarely shies away from speaking his mind so it's no surprise that public service veteran Philip Yeo has some serious thoughts on the recent general election.

One concerns the fear that the Government will bend over backwards to win the popular vote at the expense of sound policy.

The Spring Singapore chairman and Special Adviser for Economic Development in the Prime Minister's Office told The Straits Times: 'After the last elections, the ruling People's Action Party realises that it's no longer infallible.

'My greatest fear now is that the Government is terrified of the people. You cannot have a system where the people are pampered.'

Although the PAP received 60.1 per cent of the votes in the May election, its worst showing since Independence, he maintains the country has been run 'very rationally' for the last 45 years. 'The intentions have always been good but we forget that some people were hurt along the way. We need to work with our heads and our hearts. The key is not to swing totally the other way.'

To do so calls for a shake-up of a 'subservient' civil service which follows the rules unquestioningly, says Mr Yeo, who was recognised for his outstanding contributions to Singapore with an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the National University of Singapore last week.

If he has one overriding preoccupation, it is to find ways of helping the country succeed.

In his 41-year career in public service, the economic trailblazer and biotech visionary has conjured up the likes of petrochemical hub Jurong Island and research centres Biopolis and Fusionopolis, creating thousands of jobs in the process. He headed the National Computer Board from 1981 to 1987 and helmed the Economic Development Board (EDB) from 1986 to 2006, before moving to the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) for six years in 2001.

That is about as impressive as a CV can get but Mr Yeo, 65, says he prefers to be called 'crazy, a risk-taker, serial rule breaker and the best salesman for Singapore'.

The key to success, in the words of an Apple advert, is to 'think different', he says.

'During my time, all the permanent secretaries were very operational. We were all problem-solvers,' says Mr Yeo, who was already permanent secretary of defence for logistics, defence research and industry in 1979 when just 33.

The best training for young civil servants is to spend two to three years on rotations in statutory boards for hands-on experience rather than being parachuted into ministries immediately to craft policy, he says.

'Only then do you know the difference between paper and practice, then you know how to tweak policy and nobody can bluff you. Having no experience is dangerous. It's like getting monks to promote sex education.

'When I was in Mindef nobody could lie to me about the cost of a bullet. I knew the cost of the metal, the cost of production. I am no monk.'

Pointing to the bustling Buona Vista research hub Biopolis, which he dreamt up from an empty plot of land a decade ago, he says: 'There was no concept paper, you know, it was all in my head.'

The same thing happened with the One-North MRT station on the Circle Line, below his office in Fusionopolis. The station lies between Buona Vista station, next to Biopolis, and the upcoming Kent Ridge station at the National University Hospital.

'It didn't exist and was never on anybody's map, but I said, we dig! JTC built our own station in the basement and convinced SMRT to work with us because this area is a research hub and Fusionopolis has to be linked.

'A bean-counter would never do that.'

His feet-on-the-ground style has given him a practical insight into the biggest concerns facing Singaporeans today - sky-high housing prices, overcrowded trains and buses, and rising health-care costs.

But he believes they can be dealt with, given time, and urges patience: 'People are saying openly they are dissatisfied with the Government.

'Many of our ministers are new in their portfolios. They need to be given a chance to fix the problems, and these problems can be fixed.'

His suggestion for health care in greying Singapore where costs will only go up is that everybody should take up insurance beyond Medishield.

'When you buy a car, you have to buy car insurance. How come you don't have to with your own life? Either more money has to be directed into government health insurance, which is insufficient, or people need to be encouraged to get more private medical insurance,' he says.

'Ultimately we must have a system where every citizen must buy universal health insurance. Those who can't afford it should be given support.'

As for public housing, rather than positioning it as a tool of asset enhancement, the focus should now be on providing enough affordable flats to those who need them.

In dealing with public transport grouses, he thinks it's a matter of helping supply meet demand.

'It's a mechanical problem. We're at capacity now, so can we add more train carriages while managing the gap time between trains?' he asks.

But he acknowledges that what is more intractable is the growing divide between Singaporeans and foreigners.

He sees the nation's toughest challenge now as getting the foreigners working here to fit in, whether they are those the country wants to woo with citizenship offers or blue-collar workers.

'There is no question that we need these people or Singapore will stagnate. We must find a way to make them feel at home and for Singaporeans to feel at home with them.'

With increasing numbers of work permit holders and transient workers taking up service industry jobs that are very much in the public eye, he suggests compulsory English lessons.

'Many don't speak a word of English, and many Singaporeans feel alienated by them. English is key. We are a global city and it's essential to assimilate by language.'

His strategy for foreigners destined for the top of the pyramid: cherry-pick them young.

A good percentage of his EDB and A*Star scholars and staff were from Malaysia, China, India and Vietnam, he notes. 'Many were given secondary scholarships at age 15. They grew up here. Many became new Singaporeans.' They have become indistinguishable from his Singaporean scholars, he says.

He believes Singapore's economic growth came on the back of these government scholarships, with bonds attached, that helped boost the number of talented young people who stayed on here and contributed.

'If they are not bonded, do you think they will come back? I wouldn't have,' says Mr Yeo, who earned his engineering degree at the University of Toronto through a Canadian Colombo Plan Scholarship.

'That's why I say bond-breakers squander the people's money. You break your bond, you break the future of someone else who was on the reserve list,' says Mr Yeo, who stands firm on naming and shaming bond-breakers despite a public outcry when he insisted on doing this in 1998.

Some people, citing Singapore's increasing affluence, have questioned the relevance of scholarships today, saying they promote elitism. But Mr Yeo counters that, maintaining they actually have the opposite effect.

Giving out scholarships ensures that those who rise to the top are not all cast from the same mould. In Singapore's best schools today, he says, most of the students come from privileged backgrounds.

'All they know is their own kind, some think they belong to a superior class, and that if you do not, you must be stupid.'

Many of the scholars he picks are of heartland stock. 'Honestly, I have a soft spot towards HDB kids. Because if you live in a bungalow, do you really need a scholarship? Government money is finite.'

So strong is this belief that both his children's overseas education cost came from his own pocket, although both would have qualified for scholarships.

'If your parents are blue-collar workers, the odds are stacked against you and you have to work that much harder to score those As.

'Such kids deserve a chance.'"

Interesting Quotes:

"Impossible is not a word, it's just a reason for people not to try."

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"It’s important that we keep our big successes in the forefront of our mind for references and to reinforce our confidence.
What successes can you celebrate today?" ~ Harv

"I give myself permission to be all that I can be, and I deserve the very best in life. I love and appreciate myself and others." ~ Louise L. Hay

"A clear vision, backed by definite plans, gives you a tremendous feeling of confidence and personal power." ~ Brian Tracy

"R U operating ur life out of FEAR instead of FAITH? We R given a Ferrari at birth but when we grow up we drive it at half speed on 1st gear only, the other foot is on the brake thinking all the time "What if?better be safe than sorry" & some people don't realize they CAN go to 3rd 4th Gear if they CHOOSE to, they are contented to label theirs a Toyota. They BUY into their Belief System (BS) & justify with their STORIES"

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"From now on, whenever you have a goal, the only question you ask is, “How?” If you have a problem, the question is, “How do you solve it? How do you overcome it?”" ~ Harv

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"The first quality of courage is the willingness to launch with no guarantees. The second quality of courage is the ability to endure when there is no success in sight." ~ Brian Tracy