News

Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Mr Eddie Teo Retires;

Mr Lee Tzu Yang to be Appointed as New Chairman.

1.  Mr Eddie Teo (张赞成), Chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC) since 2008, will retire on 31 July 2018 after close to 50 years of public service. Mr Lee Tzu Yang (李子揚), currently Deputy Chairman of the PSC, will be appointed as the Chairman with effect from 1 August 2018.

Mr Eddie Teo
2. Mr Eddie Teo, 71, assumed the role of Chairman of the PSC on 1 August 2008. He is concurrently the Chairman of the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony, the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship Fund, the Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship, the Dr Goh Keng Swee Scholarship Fund, the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Board of Governors, as well as a member of the Legal Service Commission. In 2011 and 2017, Mr Teo chaired the Presidential Elections Committee, and in 2016, he served as a member of the Constitutional Commission on the Elected Presidency.

3. Prior to his PSC appointment, Mr Teo held key appointments in the Public Service, including Director, Security and Intelligence Division; Director, Internal Security Department; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence; Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office; and High Commissioner in Canberra, Australia.

4. As Chairman of the PSC, Mr Teo was instrumental in shaping the Singapore Public Service as a values‐based organisation anchored on integrity, service and excellence. He led the Commission in discharging its responsibilities for discipline, recruitment, deployment and promotion of public officers. Mr Teo championed greater diversity in the public service leadership. During his Chairmanship, the Commission awarded scholarships to more recipients from different backgrounds and schools, and the President’s Scholarship was extended to a wider pool of applicants.

5. For his sterling contributions to the Public Service, Mr Teo was awarded The Order of Nila Utama First Class in 2017. He was also a recipient of the Public Service Administration Medal (Gold) in 1983, the Meritorious Service Medal in 1997, and the Distinguished Service Order in 2006.

Mr Lee Tzu Yang

6. Mr Lee Tzu Yang, 63, was appointed as member and Deputy Chairman of the PSC on 2 May 2018.

7. Mr Lee graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1976. He joined Shell in 1979 and retired as Chairman of Shell Companies in Singapore in 2014 after 35 years of service in operational, commercial and strategy functions in a range of markets. He was recognised by the Institution of Chemical Engineers as an Honorary Fellow in 2016.

8. Mr Lee is a member of the Council of Presidential Advisers and the Legal Service Commission of Singapore. He is a Justice of the Peace and Vice Chairman of the Board of Visiting Justices and Board of Inspection. He also chairs the board of The Esplanade Company Limited, the Singapore University of Technology and Design, and the Founders’ Memorial Committee.

9. For his contributions to public service, Mr Lee was awarded the Public Service Star in 2005, and the Meritorious Service Medal in 2014.

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PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE 13 JULY 2018

PSC scholarships are awarded based on merit

We refer to the letter by Mr Francis Cheng Choon Fei (“PSC scholarships is not a mission to address inequality in society”; Jul 16), who suggested that the Public Service Commission (PSC) should award scholarships based on merit and not needs.

We agree that the role of the PSC is to select the best candidates with the potential to be public service leaders, and have a heart to serve the nation.

Given the increasing diversity of our population and the complex challenges we face, we need a Public Service that reflects diversity. We need a Service that has different perspectives and deep expertise in various areas to bring Singapore forward. Thus, the PSC goes out of its way to seek out and select scholarship candidates from different backgrounds.

Our scholarship recipients study a variety of courses in different universities. We also encourage them to enrich and diversify their experiences by venturing to different countries and acquiring new skills that would serve Singapore well.

In striving for diversity, we ensure that our selection process is multi-dimensional and we are able to pick out merit in its different forms. Apart from cognitive ability, we also look at qualities such as resilience and leadership. Most of all, we look for candidates with integrity and commitment. Each candidate is assessed holistically. While the PSC does not discriminate against students from affluent families, we also go the extra mile to search for promising candidates from less privileged backgrounds.

There is no quota for PSC scholarships, and the PSC will continue to maintain high standards by awarding scholarships to those who would make excellent public officers.

Dr Ng Li Sa
Director, Public Service Commission Secretariat

(L to R): Mr Tan Yanquan Ashley, Dr Liu Desheng Isaac, LTC Cai Dexian, Mr Tan Soon Hui.

In commemoration of the significant contributions made by Singapore’s first Prime Minister, the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship was set up in 1991 by the Tanjong Pagar Citizens’ Consultative Committee. It is publicly funded and awarded to exceptional individuals who demonstrate a strong sense of commitment to serve Singapore and her citizens.

In 2018, six outstanding candidates have been awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship to support their pursuit of postgraduate studies. The awardees are as listed:

Applicants for the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship must be Singapore citizens and have an outstanding track record of leadership and service within or beyond their profession. Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship holders can pursue postgraduate studies overseas or locally in various fields to develop their potential as leaders. The scholarship holders are expected to actively contribute towards the betterment of Singapore, Singaporeans and the community.