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The Problem with Government Communications …. politics.
From time to time, I am invited to share my perspective on how Singapore’s public agencies can improve their public communications.
In reviewing what agencies like the Housing Development Board (HDB) and the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board are doing, I observe that these agencies are at the cutting edge of communicating public policies and that there is nothing wanting in their strategies.
So why do they seem to be failing?
The answer lies not in how they communicate. The problem lies with the misalignment between political philosophy and government policies.
As Singapore has been ruled by a single political party since independence, Singaporeans (including civil and public servants) have come to wrongly associate the People’s Action Party (PAP), a political party, as being the government. This is not exactly true. The PAP is, to be precise, the government of the day. And, being the government of the day, they appoint political office holders (POH) like ministers who then form the cabinet that deals with state matters that require direct political oversight. The administrative management of the ministry is left to the civil servants.
