Singapore Civil Service

The Singapore Civil Service is the bureaucracy of civil servants that supports the Government of Singapore. Along with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), statutory boards, and other independent government bodies, the civil service makes up the overall public service of Singapore.^[1] As of 2022, the civil service has about 87,000 employees.^[2]

Thomas Friedman of The New York Times considers the Singapore Civil Service to be one of the most efficient and uncorrupt bureaucracies in the world, with a high standard of discipline and accountability.^[3] In Singapore,Confucian values and meritocratic principles shape the nation’s public administration, with the government promoting a culture that reveres education, discipline, and respect for authority. According to the Singapore government, this dual emphasis has enabled individuals from modest backgrounds to rise to leadership positions; helped build an efficient, corruption‑free bureaucracy; and upheld public trust in government institutions.^[4] It is also considered a key contributor to the success of Singapore since its independence from Malaysia.

Non-state commentators have argued that the persisting dominance of the People's Action Party (PAP) on the civil service has led to complacency and groupthink, with the supporting ministries being resistant to alternative views and fundamentally unprepared for a change of government.^[5]^[6]

^ "23 Things Public Officers Should Know". www.psd.gov.sg. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
^ "The Public Service". Public Service Division, Singapore.
^ Thomas L. Friedman (14 September 2005). "Singapore and Katrina". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
^ "SPEECH BY SENIOR MINISTER LEE KUAN YEW, AT THE INAUGURATION …". www.nas.gov.sg. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
^ Han, Fook Kwang (1 October 2017). "The politics of dominance: Don't take it to the limit". The Straits Times.
^ Kuah, Adrian (7 October 2017). "Whither the civil service? The risks of the loss of PAP dominance". The Middle Ground.

[1] "23 Things Public Officers Should Know". www.psd.gov.sg. Retrieved 14 September 2022.

[2] "The Public Service". Public Service Division, Singapore.

[3] Thomas L. Friedman (14 September 2005). "Singapore and Katrina". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 September 2010.

[:8-4] "SPEECH BY SENIOR MINISTER LEE KUAN YEW, AT THE INAUGURATION …". www.nas.gov.sg. Retrieved 22 February 2025.

[5] Han, Fook Kwang (1 October 2017). "The politics of dominance: Don't take it to the limit". The Straits Times.

[6] Kuah, Adrian (7 October 2017). "Whither the civil service? The risks of the loss of PAP dominance". The Middle Ground.

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