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of our wild places The Straits Times, 30 Jan 05 To build trust, 'engage Govt in debate of views' By Asad Latif Such trust between people and Government important as policy issues become more complex, says minister AS POLICY issues become more complex, trust between people and the Government will be more crucial than ever, Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan said yesterday at a conference of feedback groups. And that trust can emerge only from citizens continuing to engage the Government by offering views and debating with the authorities to help bring about change, he said. The one-time government critic drew from his own experience to encourage Singaporeans to continue to speak up even if the changes they want do not take place immediately. 'The more we engage in this process, the greater the opportunities to build trust,' he said. This is what he sees as the way forward for the national feedback process, which has now been entrenched for 20 years. 'I am appealing for us to have this openness, this trust that we are all in the same team, we are all in search of a better life,' he told the 400 conference participants, drawn from grassroots, self-help and religious groups as well as students. During the two-hour dialogue at the Pan Pacific Hotel, the participants raised issues such as the difficulty of making alternative views heard, obstacles to engagement and the role of the young. The public's expectations of the feedback process were also the issue on Dr Wang Kai Yuen's mind. The chairman of the Feedback Supervisory Panel, who is also MP for Bukit Timah, highlighted four 'great expectations' that Singaporeans now have of the feedback process: They want to be consulted They also want government departments to close the feedback loop so they know what has happened to the ideas they contributed They expect 'quality government responses' and get annoyed when agencies issue standard replies They want open discussions and a feedback process that is both transparent and inclusive. For these expectations to be realised, society will also have to accept 'untidiness and messiness, even some ugliness and plain poor quality in public discourse', Dr Wang said. He added that the Feedback Unit would respond to these expectations by increasing the number of feedback channels. It will launch outreach visits to schools, new publications and other initiatives involving technology this year. |
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