Guest-of-Honour Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

I extend a warm welcome to all of you to the 2^nd PSC Scholarships Ceremony. Today’s event has a special significance. This year marks the 50 anniversary of the Public Service Commission.

National Day is around the corner. Although Singapore’s history as a sovereign nation is not long, we have come a long way in a short span of only 36 years. The need for a clean and capable public service to ensure Singapore’s prosperity has not diminished. In fact, with the challenges posed by the rapid pace of change and the globalisation of the world economy, you could say that getting in the right talent to serve in the public service has become all the more critical.

For this, we need men and women with passion and compassion. Passion for our country. Compassion for our people. We must identify and groom individuals who encompass these special qualities, to take on leadership positions in the public service.

We take our grooming process seriously. The development of our scholars begins right from the first day they accept the PSC Scholarship. Our new overseas scholars spent the last 3 weeks undergoing their Pre-Departure Course which not only prepares them for their studies overseas, but already begins to provide them a flavour of the diverse challenges in public service. They have had the chance to meet some of our founding fathers of independent Singapore such as Encik Othman Wok and Mr Lee Khoon Choy, as well as several senior public service leaders. Through their fine examples, scholars begin to understand first-hand the fire and passion a scholar must have for Singapore.

A leader must also be one who has a strong understanding of himself, of his values, of his mission in life. For this reason, we have provided each of them with their individual personality profiles and a programme to discover more fully their strengths and weaknesses. In addition, we have worked with OBS to conduct an experiential learning programme for the scholars. We have also arranged through the People’s Association and schools for community and grassroots exposure for the scholars so that they understand Singaporeans at all strata of society, from all walks of life. Hence, over the last three weeks, we have started on the twin thrusts of firing passion and inculcating compassion among the scholars.

For our local scholars, we have been proactive in encouraging their exposure to foreign cultures and environment, so that they can imbue themselves with the ability to look at things with an international perspective. We sponsor many of them currently in NUS or NTU to join foreign exchange programmes that take them to universities in Canada, Norway, Sweden and the US. This year, PSC jointly with the OBS established a pioneer programme that provided the opportunity for 14 local PSC scholars to take part in an 18-day OBS course held in Slovakia. Not only is it a course to hone the leadership skills of PSC scholars, it also widened their horizons.

Today, I am proud to announce that 266 young individuals will receive the 2001 PSC Scholarships. They will join the ranks of many PSC scholars before them, many of whom have made significant contributions to Singapore and hold senior positions in the public service.

And now, specially to the scholars sitting before us today — the selection criteria for the award of the PSC Scholarships are stringent, and only deserving candidates will be considered for the awards. You can be justifiably proud that you are here today. However, always remember and use as your compass, the needs and aspirations of our country. Getting the scholarship is only the beginning. It now remains for you to develop into responsible and committed leaders for Singapore. We have high hopes and high expectations of you.

On this note, let me extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of you. I wish you the very best in your studies, and success in the years ahead. Thank you