The whole place is in a mess? Absolutely – that is EXACTLY THE BUSINESS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION and whether the OUTCOME is a mess or an efficient public administration is HOW GOVERNMENT manage this “mess”.

Systematic challenges like the global financial meltdown superadded the “mess” of complexities of inter-connectedness of Government and country to evolutionary turbulent changes in the globalised environment. The epistemological richness and diversity of interconnectedless of parts in this “mess” of globalisation serve both to undermine and underpin the success or failure of policy analysis and decision making to either facilitate innovation, development and successful progress or failure and disintegration of society. The richness of discussion of managing the “mess” is well described in this policy paper of reforms to Brtish education – the issues of which is imminently RELEVANT to managing changes in the wider context of society.

http://www.uwe.ac.uk/solar/Publications/Recreating_Universities.pdf

Inefficient and incompetent Government will attempt to “order this mess” using monolithic power. Ordering the “mess” stems from the assumption that governments are placing growing emphasis on standardisation, homogeneity and accountability,
and on elaborately controlling procedures and bureaucratic structures. The PROBLEM AND THE FAILURE OF THAT IS UNDERMINE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LEARNING AND INNOVATIVE SOCIETY. Is this Singapore?

My thoughts agree with the thesis of that author, Susan Weil. There is alternative and the proposition of Russel L. Ackoff (Anheuser-Busch Professor Emeritus of Management Science at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania) that the “mess” in public administration needs to recognise the role of Government is what Ackoff calls managing a complex systems of interconnected problems.

Efficient and effective Government works successfully “within” the “mess” is my thesis. That is in Susan Weil’s thoughts…defined as one of reducing mess, not reducing barriers or generating new insights into and possibilities for
learning and disciplined inquiry in and for an `unstable state’. The “unstable” state arose by reason of externally-driven turbulence as those we are under tremendous pressure now.

We need to explore….. “possibilities for systemic inquiry and learning from `within the mess’, as an alternative
to processes of highly centralised control, systematisation
and standardisation.” as in the words of Susan Weil.

How do we do that? By recognising diversity of alternative views, thoughts and welcoming the very epistemological richness and diversity that is required to support the kinds
of innovation, development and PARTNERSHIP in society.

I would sstrongly argue that for Lui to see TR and TOC from the perspective of “US OR THEM” dichotomoy is flawed of RELEVANT THINKING in this changed world. Cyberspace changed the world. Information has gravitated the focus of soceity dependent on MSM and Government for feedback loops needed for adapative learning and behaviour to THE EXACT OPPOSITE. Even for small country like Singapore, it is too big a mess to manage by “ordering the mess” In bigger country like China, it si a lot WORSE. China gave up its “Green Dam” censorship software – I suspect from belated recognition that it is self-destructive of consequence for its own innovation and development. THEY TURNED BACK FROM THE WRONG PATH OF TRYING TO ORDER THE MESS and now tyring to work with and harvesting the rich diversities and complexities “within” the “mess”. Maybe Lui might want to tell us why he perhaps should still favour “ordering the mess” detached from society of us (the Goverment) and them (the lesser than compliant cyber bloggers and alternative voices of TR, TOC and political dissent views)

In a stable state, ordering the mess might achieve economic salvation via “COCKROACH CAPITALISM” relying in part of caterpillar mentality of compliance. Such cockroach like behaviour could be aptly described as insect hiding in the safety of crevices and in the silent peaceful undisturbed environment comes out to stealthily consumes voraciously crumbs of foods left unnoticed by the richness of world’s opportunities. But in a wind swept turbulence of globalised change, the crumbs of food disappeared and could NOT be found nearby. THE NATURAL CONSEQUENCE IS THAT WE STARVED!!

Cockroach capitalism might works very well in China BUT VERY INEFFICIENT AND DANGEROUSLY IRRELEVANT IN SINGAPORE I SUSPECT. Just look around us,as one author noticed, a farmer weave through the openings in the direction against traffic could bring in his live pigs to the wet market faster than a truckload of dozens of live pigs trying to get to the abattoirs though clogged freeways. But that is only two pigs per trip for the bicycle-riding farmer!! I see similar parallel in Singapore of this cockroach capitalism relying on two words economy called ” foreign dependency” – foreign investment, then foreign workers, and now foreign immigrants. And when ALL THE FOREIGNS GONE, what is left of this place other than starvation??? IT IS A MESS!!!

Charles Lindblom, a Sterling Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Economics at Yale University, spoke of stable state public administration reelevant for the 1950s and 1960s and his comments I believe is even more apt this century.

And I quote below some of his toughts for TR readers to think if they agree or disagree.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_E._Lindblom

…..advocates of the theory of Incrementalism in policy and decision-making. This view (also called Gradualism) takes a “baby-steps”, or “Muddling Through”, approach to decision-making processes. In it, policy change is, under most circumstances, evolutionary rather than revolutionary. …..

….Lindblom was a champion of the Polyarchy (or Pluralistic) view of political elites and governance in the late 1950s and early 1960s. According to this view, no single, monolithic elite controls government and society, but rather a series of specialized elites compete and bargain with one another for control. It is this peaceful competition and compromise between elites in politics and the marketplace that drives free-market democracy and allows it to thrive…..

TO BE SUCCESSFUL, PUBLIC ADMINSITRATION IN THIS CYBERSPACE AGE OF TURBULENCE WORLD, WE NEED TO EVOLVE A POLITICS OF INCLUSION, working from “within” the “mess” – NOT the POLITICS OF EXCLUSION of ordering the “mess” BECAUSE THE “MESS” is IMPOSSIBLE OF EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE ORDERING.

Does Mr. Lui or anyone disagree here???

Furthermore, he has a flawed premise in his argument that the socio-political blogs do not ‘gel with reality’. Actually, all things considered, it is not wrong to say that we are a Third World country – we still are, actually. We’re just more developed than most. Either that, or we are one of the worst First World countries around. And yes, we do have a rather inefficient government, given all the cost overruns and numerous failed policies, not to mention an incompetence in achieving (or trying to achieve) many important social goals. Our government is not ‘corrupt’, in the fashion that Lui presumes us to believe, but it is certainly overpaid and intrudes too much into private sector for the SMEs to thrive. And why, yes, the whole place is a mess.

so its normal in such situation for most human being. unless you are really ‘UNQUIE’

we want to make singapore better and we want to do it our way…we also want to learn from other countries great but wise strengths and built stronger pillars for singapore and its citizens…

and when one day singapore becomes as good as others or equal in a group of equally strong equals we should be humble and take great pride and willing to share others with the strengths we have learn but still always to move forward and find ways and means to improve together…1 reed can be broken easily, 10 reeds are harder to break…

also we should not compare ourselves and to point out other countries and their people negatively…it shows a lack of respect and will shows oneself to be arrogant and has no compassion…only attention seeking, lack of a moral/ethical compass and lack of self respect do so called human beings of kiasu and kiasee sick mentality will think and comment on other fellow human beings and their countries flaws [in time they will gain wisdom to recognize their flaws and made corrections and be more then they are now] instead of showing them a better and constructive peaceful way to go about making a positive change…by comparing negative points of another’s fellow country we also shows one’s lack of wisdom and humanity…it also finally shows the person who can comment so negatively is a person with lack of self respect or had been embittered with bad experiences.

One should look at one’s own home before commenting on another’s home…please rise above what you are right now, get above those embittered experiences and be more then the sum of what you are trapped and conditioned by artificial constructs and narrow-sighted people. You can contribute to the good fight and made good for your loved ones and made life worthwhile.As a human being, we can always better ourselves and be better in every way…

else one day with that kiasu and kiasee thinking and if it somehow permeats all countries and almost everybody else in authority, nature and earth become almost un-liveable…future generations of children will condemm our CURRENT generation for not doing more….as we are too busy digging for gold under an overhanging cliff and as we undermine the foundations of the cliff, it will definitely fall on top of us.

in the end, mother nature/earth will just recycle us and our future kids/grandchildren into bio mass and re-start with perhaps another more wise, more self-aware with lots of self-respect and more less selfish intelligent race on its surface a couple of million or tens of million of years from now and they will make better custodians of nature and earth then the current so called intelligent race inhabiting her right now.

http://agcvldb4.agc.gov.sg/

I doubt if Temasek Review or The Online Citizen can get a permit, but it’ll be good to try.

Perhaps from the background of the video netizens can help to located her whereabout.

Ask her if she was denied help from whatever help scheme there is out there, based on the fact there she has a hdb flat and 5 children.

Ask her whether any of her 5 children is supporting her.

Ask her more about her hdb flat.

“But the online commentators ‘did not mention she had a three-room flat that was fully paid for, and that she has five children but did not want to rely on them to support her’.”

What Lui is trying to say is that whenever the old woman is hungry, she can take a bite out of her candy-three-room flat. Is he really so out of touch to the ground? Where is his empathy?