PM Lee Hsien Loong’s speech at the PSC Scholarships Award Ceremony 2009

Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister
Mr Eddie Teo, Chairman of the Public Service Commission
Distinguished guests, parents, scholars, teachers
Ladies and gentlemen

I am delighted to join you here today for the 2009 PSC Scholarships Award Ceremony. I asked why it is being held here instead of the Istana, which is the usual place, and they told me we have so many scholars and family that we have outgrown the Istana, which is a good sign, and I am happy to have all of you here.

May I congratulate the 87 scholars who are receiving the awards today. You join the 7,000 scholarship holders who have received PSC Scholarships over the last half a century. The scholars have your parents and teachers to thank for today. Your achievement has only been possible because of their dedication and sacrifices, so rejoice, but never forget what they have done for you.

The PSC Scholarships trace back to 1885, that means about 120 years. During colonial days, promising students were awarded the Queen’s Scholarship to study in the UK, one scholar per year. So in Singapore, the scholarship was awarded to the best student of the year, and there was a special selection board that was chaired by the Chief Justice. When we became self-governing in 1959, the Queen’s Scholarships were replaced by the Singapore State Scholarships, and in that year, there were three Singapore State Scholarships recipients. Incidentally, one of them was Dr Tony Tan, who later became Deputy Prime Minister. In 1961 PSC took over the scholarship selection, and since then, it has done a sterling job in selecting and grooming scholars over almost half a century.

In 1960, the Government decided to require all scholars to serve a stint in the public service upon graduation. I suppose that is when the PSC bonds began. There was a reason: the public service needed young and talented officers to help our fledgling nation to develop and to prosper, and many answered the call to serve. They took up the scholarships, and went on to make important contributions to Singapore’s nation-building.

In that era, the PSC could be quite sure of getting the best talents of the year, because young people who qualified and wanted to go to university did not have many choices. There were fewer places available, they were poor, their parents were poor, the international links had not been established, the developed countries were not so welcoming of talent. So the scholars took up whatever scholarships were available, in whatever courses were sponsored. And we did not have that much money, so the scholarships were often sponsored by the donating countries, under the Colombo Plan, particularly Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Britain.

We were grateful, and we went to all sorts of courses. Chan Seng Onn read naval architecture in the UK, and later on he became a lawyer, and he is now a High Court judge. Choo Thiam Siew read horticulture in New Zealand, as a Colombo Plan Scholar. In this case it was relevant, he came back and joined Parks and Recreations Department, and therefore had a part in planting the trees and greening Singapore, making the Garden City we have today. Later on, from trees, he went to something completely different to head the National Arts Council, and now he is running the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Tan Boon Huat, another Colombo Plan Scholar, went to Canada and read forestry. But there are not many forests in Singapore and he had a career in the public service, looking after people in the PSD, and now he is CEO of the People’s Association. So instead of cultivating trees, he spent his career nurturing people. As they say in Chinese, “十年树木，百年树人”. Ten years to grow a tree, a hundred years to cultivate a person. Alan Chan read civil aviation engineering in France. He became Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, so I think his knowledge of civil aviation, I hope, was useful. Now he is CEO of Singapore Press Holdings. We hope to have a better fit with all our present scholars.

Our early scholars, with their various qualifications, returned to serve Singapore. They conceived and implemented important policies, transforming our entrepot into an industrialised, model economy, housing the entire population, building HDB flats and new towns all over the island, building up the SAF from two battalions to a combined-arms, 3G force, implementing an active foreign policy to maximise our influence and advance our international interests, integrating our different races, different communities gradually into one people. And they built a nation where none had existed and brought Singapore to where it is today.

But that does not mean the job is done, that means there is a lot to build upon, and there is much more that we must do for Singapore. We live in a globalised world where there are rising opportunities but also ferocious competition, where talent flows freely around the world, where dangers, whether it is terrorists or pandemics, can strike quickly and without warning. Where we are uniquely placed to build on our firm foundations and high standards, to seize the opportunities of a dynamic Asia, and create an outstanding nation where people can live happy, prosperous and fulfilling lives.

In such a world, Singapore needs a public service manned by top quality people who have the knowledge, the imagination and the conviction to do their best for Singapore, and the public service’s job is to work with the political leadership to pilot this little ship in the great ocean, to upgrade the economy and create good jobs for all of our people, to develop new avenues for Singaporeans with all kinds of talents to fulfil their potential, to anticipate and manage complex issues – healthcare, ageing, R&D, talent attraction – to renew our living environment and city, and to strengthen our sense of togetherness and nationhood in a rapidly changing and borderless world. In short, in the words of our national pledge, “to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation”.

And yet in such a world, bright young students have many more choices. Many more tertiary places are available in Singapore and abroad, many more different types of scholarships. There is a whole supplement which the Straits Times publishes every year – six supplements – all the options, ticking off comparisons, items, benefits, options, pluses, minuses, so you can do your sums. And if none of them strike the eye, more parents can afford to send their children abroad, and the foreign universities, the top ones in America, in Europe – they know us, their doors are open, they are competing with one another to attract talent, and if you are good, they will take you. Or they will come and hunt for you.

And so, PSC and PSD have to work much harder to bring in good people. They have to nurture their talent, expose them to varied experiences, stretch their abilities, test their commitment, and deploy them in responsible positions, mould them into a first-class, all-rounded team that can take the country forward. 

To attract good people, the PSC offers attractive scholarship terms. And then the PSD makes sure the scholars return to challenging and fulfilling careers within the public service. We want good people, we will not compromise our standards either on ability or integrity or of commitment, and we treat our people well and we expect great things of them. The Chairman of the PSC has just written an open letter to all the new scholars, or would-be scholars for next year and the years after, to explain to them what are the criteria by which PSC chooses scholars, interviews them and what not to do. For example, read the newspaper just in case they ask you what was in it this morning, but do not mug up for the interview, because we do not want to know what you know, we want to know about you, we want to know you. It is meant for the new scholars, but I would advise the present scholars, though you have passed the hurdle, to read the letter, because the values which are expressed, the criteria which we put weight on, these are things which we still expect of you. So please take note, assess yourselves, and strive to improve everywhere where you can do better.

But over the next few years, focus on your studies, return to serve the nation, and if you do your duties well, long before you complete your careers, you will have to help to transform Singapore totally again. And then you can feel the satisfaction of being part of the team which has made this happen.

But first of all, you need to get an all-rounded education. Not just to do well academically, but also to experience the world, enrich your mind, immerse yourself in the new environment, and form friendships, not just with your fellow Singaporeans, but with classmates from all over the world. And take full advantage of the opportunities available. By all means come back home during your vacations if you have time, enjoy your char kway teow, and catch up with your old friends from school, from NS. Keep your links and your roots in Singapore.

But do not just come back every holiday and every break. There are many exciting things going on, happening all over the world, and many programmes which universities offer to help you to go and to see and to do and to experience and to learn. NUS NTU and SMU do that, and so do many of the overseas universities. I meet the students from time to time when I am travelling and ask them what they are doing, and I am amazed at the opportunities they have which we never had when we were in university. Fellowships, travelling, scholarships, exchange programmes, internships, travel the world, write a report, post a blog – and come back a little bit wiser and more exposed and more ready for the world. So take all these opportunities and run with the ball. Go and intern with companies, NGOs, VWOs, MNCs during your vacations. Go to exotic places. Find out how other parts of the world are like. Learn all you can, gain a different perspective, and then you will have fresh ideas to make Singapore better.

To nurture scholars with diverse experiences, PSC sends scholars both to Singapore and to other countries around the world. And it is not just to top UK and US universities, but also very good universities in Japan, in France, in Germany, and in China. And those studying in Singapore will also have opportunities to spend some time overseas.

This year, one new programme which the PSC has launched is the Chinese Scholars programme, and I am very happy to see that they have many high quality students choosing to go to China this year. We have been sending scholars to China for many years, since 1993, but the numbers have been small, and so this year we rebranded the scholarships to China and there are ten recipients of the PSC China scholarship.We need to send more students to study in China, because it has become a major player in Asia and in the world. Its influence has grown and will continue to grow. Its relevance to us is increasing, and it is rapidly transforming itself, not just the coastal cities, but all over the country, inland, north, south, west – it is a whole one thousand three hundred million people bestirring themselves, striving for a better life. We have a good relationship with China, our bilateral ties have developed strongly, we cooperate in many fields. Many Singapore companies are operating in China, in cities all over the country. And we need people who can understand the Chinese, interact with them, be comfortable in that milieu, be able to read how they think, how they act, what their preoccupations are, and to know some of them personally, so there are personal ties to link you up and which you can tap upon to mutual benefit.

So we are very happy this year to have got ten PSC China scholars, and I hope in future years there will be even more. We also pursue other measures to nurture a pool of bicultural Singaporeans. We have introduced a Bicultural Studies Programme and the Chinese Language Elective Programme at the secondary level, and these have been quite successful programmes. Out of the ten PSC China scholarship recipients this year, seven are from the Bicultural Studies Programme, and one is from the Chinese LEP. And PSD will introduce a new, one-year overseas development programme for China which will give exposure postings in Singapore Government offices in China or in companies which are operating in China, so that officers can go spend one year in China, come back and do China-related work in the public service at the end of their stint.

Through all these measures, and I think through the interest and enthusiasm of our officers, over time we will develop a cadre of good people at all levels who can engage China effectively.

Within each cohort, we must continue to find promising young Singaporeans for public service, who are committed to the nation, who will think deeply about our future, and who will work hard to make Singapore the best home for all of us. I am glad that you are all taking the first step today. Study hard – that is the basic requirement, go beyond your comfort zone, explore new territories and scale new heights, make full use of the opportunities that come your way, and strive for excellence in all you do. Be good ambassadors for Singapore, fly our flag high, and remember – you are there, you are Singaporean, people are watching you and you carry our reputation. So do well, and after graduation, give your best to serve Singapore and to serve our people.

Thank you very much.