sec 3 social studies chapter 2

• How I feel about the government• 2 functions of the government

– Maintain stability in the government– Meet people’s needs

• Ensures stability in the government• Meets peoples’ needs

– Jobs, education, housing, health, security, clean environment etc

• Builds a nation– A sense of belonging

(Bonding Singapore)

• Maintains sovereignty– Protecting Singapore’s

political independence

Governance- Refers to the way a government manages the

resources of the country so as to carry out its functions.

Sovereignty - complete power over your

own country, and not being controlled by other countries

• Representative democracy leaders in the government are chosen by the people in an election

• Election is held once every 5 years

• Have the power and responsibility to choose the right leaders for Singapore.

Vote!

• Be involved in decision-making (for important decisions) – Through feedback channels. E.g. Feedback Unit,

media, Forum Page from The Straits Times, Meet-the-People sessions.

- Consists of the President and Members of Parliament

- Makes the laws of the country to help keep ordero People will feel safe living and working in

Singapore.

• Consists of the President and the Cabinet (Prime Minister and the Ministers in charge of the various ministries)

• Executes laws made by Parliament and carries out government policies through the Ministries and the Civil Service

• Feedback about the policies are considered from the public.– Community gives feedback about the policies– Member of Parliament raises the feedback to the

Ministry in the Parliament. – The Ministry gives an explanation for the law or

proposes an alternative solution.

• Note: feedback includes different points of view. Some are not realistic and are not accepted. Hence, it is important for people to provide constructive feedback.

• Consists of the various judges and law courts• Ensures that laws are carried out• Makes sure that the laws passed

do not breach the Constitution • Is not influenced by politicians

or other influential people

Example…

15 mins 1. Make your own diagram of what you think the government system is like. 2. Use the words given in the envelop.

THEN, we can take turns to share with the class.

Singapore Government

ExecutiveBranchExecutiveBranch

LegislatureBranchLegislatureBranch

JudiciaryBranchJudiciaryBranchLawyersLawyers

• Lesson 2

What are the 4 functions of the government?What are the 3 branches of the government?What are the 2 keywords we learnt?What is 1 role of the people?

Recap

Today… we want to find out more about…

- 4 guiding principles of governance - How they are linked to the functions of the

government

Meritocracy- A system that rewards hard work and talent.

(Everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve their best and be rewarded for their performance)

Principles - refers to the

standards/criteria that the government hold on to.

• Leaders must be able to do what is right rather than what is popular.

• It is difficult to find good leadership and good governance. Potential leaders are specially selected and groomed.

• Honesty is one quality highly valued by the government.

Example: Under the capable leadership of Mr Liu Thai Ker, the arts scene in Singapore made progressed. Events such as the Singapore Arts Festival were organised. This led to a more vibrant arts scene.

• Capable leaders can help to maintain sovereignty

• Honest and capable leaders can ensure stability in the government

• Decisions made by the government need to be forward-looking– The government anticipate future problems or

technology and make decisions that can help Singapore tackle the problems. This helps to prepare Singapore for the future.

Examples: NEWater:- It is an alternative water supply other than

Malaysia’s water. Although NEWater is not liked by everyone, the government communicated with them to assure them that NEWater is safe for drinking through various forms of media

Integrated Resorts:– As tourism sector faced competition with

more countries in Asia developing major tourist attractions, thus Singapore need to improve the tourist industry.

• The government has to be open to new ideas and be willing to take risks – Every Singaporean needs to upgrade their knowledge and

skills to stay employable and contribute to the nation

• This principle helps to meet the needs of the people, especially the needs of people in the future.

• We can earn a living and safeguard our future only through our efforts and intelligence.

• When people are rewarded based on their abilities and hard work, they are encouraged to do well – This is done with the policy of Meritocracy

– Edusave Scholarship and Merit Bursary schemes in schools rewards the top 10% and 15% of students in schools.

• This principle helps to meet the needs of the people

• This principle also helps to build the nation – everyone knows that it is fair and equal in Singapore

• The government wants to create an inclusive society where citizens feel a sense of belonging and ownership.

• This can be done through giving citizens more opportunities say in decision-making.– E.g. Gathering feedback and responses from

people regarding the building of the Integrated Resorts.

• Policy decisions made to serve the needs of the nation may change to suit the needs of the people and the nation over time

• Helps to build a nation – by encouraging a sense of belonging among

people

• Helps to meet people’s needs – People can voice out their concerns and needs

To summarize…

You must be a Lead…• Do what is right, not what is popular

• Anti-corruption (integrity and moral courage)

• Honest and capable.

Leaders must...

• Forward looking,

• Open minded,

• Creative,

• Understanding the needs of…

• Singapore

• Meritocracy

• Encourages Me to work hard!

We want Singaporeans to…

• Belong

• Opportunities to take part in decision-making

• Needs change, so…

• Decisions/policies may change over time.

• Lesson 3

- Limited land in Singapore- As Singapore’s population grows, there will be

an increase in demand for land for everything.- Hence, the government need to allocate land

properly.

• 1970s: Singapore’s businesses were growing quickly

• Terrible traffic in the Central Business District (CBD) during peak period

• Area Licensing Scheme (ALS)– To manage traffic flow in the Central Business District

(CBD)– Motorists had to pay for the use of certain roads in

Singapore, known as ‘Restricted Zones’

(Area Licensing scheme, continued)

– How did motorists respond?• They were unhappy about the increased costs of travelling

into the Central Business District– Principle of ‘Leadership is key’

• Scheme was unpopular in the beginning BUT the government continued with the scheme because it is a good scheme.

– Was it successful?• Overall, YES! • Over time, many people

supported the improved traffic flow in the city area.

• However, the ALS is labour intensive and quite inconvenient…

• As technology improved, more efficient ways of monitoring and regulating traffic flow became possible

• ERP replaced ALS in 1988. • Same purpose as the ALS, but more efficient

and effective.

• This scheme was introduced at the same time as the ASL.

• Motorists could park their vehicles at specific car parks which were outside the city area. Then use public transport to enter the city area. This would mean fewer vehicles entering the CBD.

• Was it successful?– 1970s: NOPE. It did not work

• Motorists just took public transport all the way, OR, drove into the CBD area before the ALS operation time of 7:30am. They did not think it was worthwhile to leave their cars parked outside the city all day.

– Today: Yes! • The scheme is still being used today.

• What can we learn?– As time passes and the needs of people change,

methods that did not work in the past may work today.

• As people became richer, more could afford to buy cars.

• To manage the population of cars in Singapore, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) implemented the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) system.

• A specific number of new cars are issued, based on the quota set by the LTA (Land Transport Authority). Car buyers must first bid for the COE before they can buy cars. Successful bidders must pay money to obtain the COE. This COE has to be renewed every 10 years.

Summary

4 measures to manage traffic in Singapore:- Park-and-ride Scheme- Area Licensing Scheme- Vehicle Quota System - Electronic Road Pricing

The government must PAVE the way for smoother traffic flow!

Lesson 4

Recap:

We have learnt…• The 4 functions of the government• 4 guiding principles that the government tries

to follow• 1 case study: Transport how does the

government manage transport

Today… we will start on…

Population policy

Why do we need to study about population policy? How does the government manage the population?

Background• In the 1960s – 1980s, Singapore was

progressing as a nation. The future seems BRIGHTER.

• People started having bigger families.

What’s wrong with having big families?

If your family is living on a ship, with limited food, water and space. What happens when your parents have more children?

Impacts of population explosion

• Unemployment – There will not be enough jobs for everyone.

• Shortage of housing– There will not be enough houses for everyone.

• Not enough healthcare services– How are the queues like when you go to

polyclinics these days?– What happens when there is a population

explosion?

• Not enough education services– There will be a need to build more schools

(primary, secondary, polytechnics, ITEs, universities)

Impacts of population explosion

Problem of not having enough resources

OK LOR…

• Then we have a small small small population. • Then we won’t have any problems after that!

What’s wrong with having small families?

If your family is living on a ship, with limited food, water and space. What happens when your brothers and sisters got sick and died? (leaving you and your parents on the ship)

Impact of declining birthrate

• Economic progress will slow down– Multinational companies will not be interested

to set up their businesses here in Singapore• Labour costs too high, not enough talent found in

Singapore• Consumer market too small cannot make money

• There will be ageing population – Lesser young children, more old

people Singapore will have to focus on caring for old people (resources and time)

• Weakening of Singapore’s defense– Lesser men to serve in NS and to

fight for the country.

Impact of declining birthrate

What did Singapore do, when they experience a huge population increase? • Set up the Singapore Family Planning and

Population Board to plan its population policy• Aim: To control the population growth

3 Five-Year Plans

• 1st plan: emphasized the need for smaller families

• 2nd plan: encouraged married couples to ‘stop at two’

• 3rd plan: aimed to maintain the replacement level at 2.1 children

Other measures pg.44

• No paid maternity leave to be given to the 3rd and subsequent children

• No priority to be given to large families in the allocation of government flats

• No income tax relief to be given for the 4th and subsequent children

• Delivery charges in hospitals to be increased with each additional child

• Encouraged contraception• Legalized abortion

Results of these Five-Year Plans…

• (TOO) SUCCESSFUL– By 1980 Declining birth rate (fertility rate is at

1.82)– 1960: 60000 babies– 1980: 40000 babies

So what happens?

• The government has to reverse their policies. • Now, they have to increase the population.

• So they started promoting population growth

through 4 different measures.

Population Pyramid

Population Pyramid

Population Pyramid

What did the government do to promote population growth?

Graduate Mothers Scheme• What is it?

– To encourage marriage among graduates and to encourage graduates to have more children

• Why this scheme? – It is believed that the education level of the

parents will affect the performance of their children in schools (new generation of workforce being more educated)

1. Graduate Mothers Scheme• Was it successful? NO

– Less-educated were unhappy about this policy. They felt ignored by the policy.

– Scheme was stopped after 1 year because Singaporeans did not like it.

What did the government do to promote population growth?

2. Three or more if you can afford it

• Parents are encouraged to have three or more children if they could afford it.

• Introduced measures such as allowing the use of Medisave to pay for the delivery charges of the first three children.

2. Three or more if you can afford it

• Limited success– Not all married couples wanted so many children – Some felt that government was not doing enough

to promote population growth

3. Other pro-family measures pg. 51)

• Measures: – Equalized medical benefits– Grandparent caregiver relief– 5 day work week for Civil Service– Extended maternity leave

3. Other pro-family measures

• Why?– To address 2 concerns: the high costs of raising

children, the lack of suitable childcare services

• Not much success becausebirthrate continued to drop.

4. Attracting foreign talent • Relaxed immigration policy to attract foreign talent

to work and stay in Singapore – E.g. Easier entry requirements– E.g. Subsidized housing– E.g. Attractive education package for children of foreign

talent

• Why foreign talent?– Improve the quality of manpower in Singapore– Create more jobs– Increase productivity of working force

4. Attracting foreign talent

• Quite Successful: more foreigners come to Singapore and make Singapore their home.

3 factors that led to an ageing population

• Baby Boomers of the 1960s– People who were born in the 1960s

• Declining birthrates– Lesser families want to have children/more

children

• Longevity– Healthcare has improved, leading to healthier

people who die at a later age.

What’s so GOOD about old people?

What’s so BAD about old people?

Population Pyramid

Population Pyramid

Population Pyramid

Impacts of ageing population

• demand for more healthcare and social services

• Smaller security forces• Reduction in competitiveness• Strain on working population

Solutions to meet challenges of an ageing population

1. Senior Citizens as assets to society

• To ensure that these people remain as contributing members of society– Because they have valuable

skills, knowledge, talent and work experience

1. Senior Citizens as assets to society

• To provide opportunities for these elderly to add value to public and private organizations and help boost family life

• This creates a positive image of senior citizens, people will have a positive attitude towards ageing

2. ‘Many Helping Hands’ approach

• Everyone has a part to play in helping the nation prepare for an ageing population

• Individual, family and community will all have a role

• They will complement the government’s efforts to provide help.

• Government’s burden is lessened resources can be saved for other needs of the nation

Individual responsibility

• Early lifelong planning…• Maintain health by having a healthy lifestyle• Being financially stable by having financial

planning

Individual responsibility

• Important because they can be independent and self-sufficient in their old age.

• This helps the government to save a lot of money (government can build lesser healthcare and social services facilities)

Family support

• Strong and stable family becomes the main emotional, social and financial support for the elderly

• Measures introduced to help family bond and stay strong and stable:– Senior Citizens’ Week: encourages elderly to stay

active in the family and community – Grandparents’ Day: to show appreciation for the

elderly.

Family support

• This is important because the family can support individuals with emotional, social and financial support

MOS Mr Chan Soo Sen with Active Senior Citizen of the Year, Ms Teresa Hsu and Grandparent of the Year, Mr Lim Soo Tsu.

Community

• Community can also provide social and emotional support; healthcare and social services

• Voluntary welfare organizations run community-based services for senior citizens – Financially supported by the government – To help senior citizens remain physically, mentally

and socially active– E.g. Home Nursing Foundation for Elders

Community

• This is important because the community acts as a replacement for senior citizens who have no families to support them emotionally and financially

Government support• Government supports an ageing population in two

ways. – Financial support– Legal support: laws and measures are introduced to

protect the interests of senior citizens• E.g.

– Tribunal for the maintenance of parents• Parents can get the court’s help to seek financial support from

their children– Tax relief

• Income tax deduction if they are taking care of their grandparents – CPF

• Elderly receives a monthly sum from their CPF retirement account– Public Housing schemes

• You get priority to buy houses if you stay with your grandparents

Government support

• The government can contribute the financial support needed to help individuals, families and the community meet the challenges of an ageing population