Tighten governance in public sector (Forum letter)

ALL content used in this not-for-profit blog remain the property of their respective owners.
http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/forum-letters/story/tighten-governance-public-sector-20131008

I have worked for four employers for more than a decade and am surprised that public sector employees have not been subjected to mandatory block leave all this while ("Civil servants who frequent casinos must declare visits"; last Tuesday).

All my employers had measures and guidelines in place that required staff to go on mandatory block leave of five to 10 days in each calendar year. This was aimed at uncovering and deterring wrongdoing by employees.

Also, there were channels for employees to report suspicious acts by their co-workers. The identities of whistle-blowers were kept secret to prevent discrimination against them.

There is an urgent need to tighten governance within the public sector as it is the largest employer here.

All public servants should either be made to take mandatory block leave or be subjected to short-term job rotations. There should also be independent feedback channels for them to report suspected wrongdoings.

Governance measures need to be in place to ensure the public service continues to be held in high regard.

Lim Wan Keng (Ms)