Debated in Parliament on 11 Sep 2012.
Mr Pritam Singh asked the Prime Minister whether the Government will consider institutionalising whistleblower and whistleblower protection legislation as an additional safeguard against future Government tender manipulation, in the wake of Brompton bicycle episode.
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A number of Members had asked similar questions earlier this year on 14 February 2012, and the matter also came up during the Committee of Supply on 23 February 2012.
I had described in some detail, on both occasions, the channels available for both public officers as well as members of the public to report any wrong-doing by public officers that they may come across. Such formal, institutionalised reporting procedures already exist.
Channels for a member of the public to report improper behaviour/wrong-doing by a public officer. Allow me to recap what I said in Parliament in February this year about the channels available for reporting wrongdoing in the Public Service.
A member of the public can report wrong-doing by a public officer to the Head of the Department or agency. He can also report the matter to the Permanent Secretary overseeing the Ministry or, indeed, to the Minister. Alternatively, he can make a report to the Head of Civil Service or the Public Service Commission, which is an independent body set up under the Singapore Constitution to take charge of disciplinary issues in the Civil Service.
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This arrangement is applicable to employees of companies bidding for Government tenders, who may wish to alert the Government to possible tender manipulation or unfair tendering practices.
Corruption cases should be reported to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).
Many Singaporeans also write to the media, or express their views through the social media and new media. There is thus no shortage of official or unofficial channels for members of the public to lodge their complaints.
Public officers should be vigilant and are expected to report wrong-doing if they have sufficient grounds to believe a wrong-doing has been committed in their workplace or by any public officer.
There are multiple avenues for officers to report wrong-doings and irregularities. Apart from making such reports internally within their own departments or agencies, officers can escalate cases of misconduct to their Permanent Secretary or the Head of Civil Service. In addition, they can also report wrong-doing to the Public Service Commission (PSC). Corruption cases can also be reported to the CPIB.
If an officer has sufficient grounds to feel that he is being treated unfairly as a result of a report that he has made, he may submit a complaint to his Permanent Secretary. Therefore, there are already provisions for the protection of officers who make such reports.
Reporting by members of the public and public officers will be treated with utmost confidentiality and every effort will be made not to reveal the identity of the person reporting, to the extent feasible and permissible under law. They should, however, be mindful not to abuse the channels.
Members of the public have, in fact, been forthcoming in reporting alleged fraud or wrong-doing, which have led to investigations by the Government. Where investigations have revealed wrong-doing, officers have been subject to court proceedings or public service disciplinary proceedings.
To sum up, there are multiple channels for raising irregularities. Independent bodies like the Public Service Commission (PSC), Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) and CPIB are also involved in the process.
Reporting wrong-doing is an integral part of our system for maintaining integrity in the Public Service, along with regulations governing behaviour, as well as legal and disciplinary procedures for taking wrong-doers to task and punishing them appropriately.
These measures guide our officers on proper conduct, deter officers from misconduct and reduce the opportunity for corruption and wrong-doing. However, even in the best of systems, no one can guarantee that corruption or wrong-doing can be entirely eradicated and that there will never be cases of misconduct, as there will always be human failings, which we may discover later.
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The recent cases demonstrate that there are strict rules, reporting procedures, and legal and disciplinary processes in place to maintain the integrity of the Public Service and the proper conduct of public officers.
Most important of all is a culture both in the Public Service as well as among our Singaporean public that does not tolerate corruption, misappropriation or misuse of public resources.
The cases in the Public Service that are under investigation or before the courts illustrate such a process at work, and are an affirmation that this Government is determined to maintain the integrity of the Public Service, and will act against wrongdoing wherever and whenever it is discovered.
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