Brothers and Sisters from the Union of Security Employees,
Officers from the Police Licensing Regulatory Department,
the Ministry of Manpower,
the Singapore Workforce Development Agency,
Partners from the Security Associations,
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
It is my pleasure to join you for the 5th Private Security Industry National Day Observance Ceremony to mark our nation’s 47th National Day.
Sense of Belonging vs Sense of Ownership
This year, the NTUC Secretary General’s National Day Message ended with the sentences: ‘Creating a better home for ourselves and our children is a journey with no end. Let’s do it together and make our home – our better Singapore.’
Indeed a major priority for Singaporeans today is to chart our future together to create a Singapore better than yesterday’s. But we also need to recognise that there are new generations of Singaporeans, with hopes and fears different from the earlier generation which saw through Japanese Occupation, merger with Malaysia, withdrawal of the British and our independence. Majority of Singaporeans now are born after independence, after the Cold War, after September 11, after the phenomenal rise of China and India, into the world of Internet, superhero movies and reality TV.
If Singapore is a house, the earlier generation build the house and developed a strong sense of ownership. The later generations who grew up in the house have a strong sense of belonging, but not of ownership. I believe the majority of us cherish what the earlier generation has built, and will do seek to tear it down. But we yearn to renovate, refurbish and modernise it to our liking so that we are proud to show it to the world, and to our children.
Just as all good building projects start with a good architectural drawing, a good starting point to chart our way forward is to articulate what kind of Singapore we want in the future. For it is only with a compelling and convincing vision of the future that we can forge a consensus to make the necessary decisions to move forward. But a future painted in material terms - of economic structure, industries, jobs, streetscape and buildings, while important, will not entirely resonate with the post-independence generations. Our home and country is much more than that. And that I believe that is the enormous task which we have to accomplish in the near future.
Our Flag, Our Values
I believe our future and vision must be grounded in our collective fundamental values and beliefs as a people. 47 years is not an insignificant period to build our common values and beliefs. We have been a people with a stout heart, strong character and a rich soul to have overcome the odds stacked against us. In school, all of us and our children were taught the meaning of our National Flag. Red stands for universal brotherhood, white for purity and virtue, crescent moon signifies a young nation, and the five stars stand for our five values of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality.
Today, how would the post-independence generations understand our flag and the values it convey? I cannot speak for all, but I can say what resonates with me when I look at our flag and sing Majullah Singapura.
What red and white stands for continue to be the everlasting fundamental ethos of our society. But the crescent moon and five stars may take on contemporary meanings and new aspirations. Let’s start with the crescent moon. By historical standards we are still a very young nation. But yet we are no longer the youngest of all nations as we were in 1959 or 1963, because many others countries like Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, North and South Sudan, were formed after us. 47 years is almost half a century – not an insignificant period either – and we are facing a serious problem of ageing population. But we must always stay young at heart, and fill our nation with a youthful energy and dynamism that cuts across all ages.
As for the five stars – the star representing democracy no longer just mean as a people we will exercise our free will to choose our Government through the ballot box. It will now also represent the desire of our people for a more vibrant and healthy democracy that will embrace more diverse views, and see more debate and deliberations on alternate and viable approaches to addressing our nation’s challenges. Peace – continues to underscore the importance of harmony between our various communities, and healthy relations with our neighbouring countries. But we also want peace between people with different views, and a civilised national conversation carried out with dignity and mutual respect. Importantly, as the country further develops, we also want to be at peace with our heritage and our environment. Progress, will not just mean economic and material progress, but also progress in social consciousness, public spirit and cohesion. Justice is critical, as we must a country governed by the rule of law. But at the same time, we want to see social justice, where the more well off will help out with the disadvantaged. Finally, equality – it will be an ideal applicable to Singaporeans of different communities, between men and women, between old and new citizens.
And Now Back to the Security Industry
Whatever I just said, perhaps have nothing to do with the security industry, or maybe it has to do with everything in Singapore.
We need to improve an industry like security, because it is one of the many things we need to do to make Singapore a better place. No task is too big or too small. This involves workers who guard our buildings and premises, and contribute to the safety and security of Singapore.
Many people have already done their part for the security industry. The Workforce Development Agency developed the Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework for the industry, to set skills and training standards for the sector. The Police Licensing & Regulatory Department (PLRD) set stricter entry criteria to professionalise the sector. NTUC set up the Union of Security Employees (USE) to give security workers a home. The Ministry of Manpower is contracting security services based on best sourcing approach, putting strong emphasis on quality of service and not just price. Holiday Inn Atrium got its in-house security officers to perform concierge and bell service roles, and granted these cross-trained security officers a significant wage increase. WDA officers have just developed a Security Pocketbook today to help Security Officers to be more familiar with their work, which they are enthusiastically distributing today. Today, we will be launching ‘Project Silver Lining’, which is a programme jointly developed by WDA and the Police Licensing & Regulatory Department (PLRD). The programme offers shorter working hours and less stringent entry criteria, to attract mature workers and back-to-work women to join the industry.
Because of all these past efforts, great strides have been made in the security sector. The feedback given by the USE is that pay is not too bad, with monthly wage of around $1600. But working hours is still not very ideal – typically 12 hour work day, over 6 days in a week. So priority in this sector is not so much progressive wages, but to adopt shorter and more productive hours.
Hours are long simply because we are so reliant physical manpower to guard and patrol premises. This in turn led to a severe shortage of manpower in the industry. In this day and age, where I can zoom onto my house using Google Earth, I think there are ways to use technology to reduce the need for physical manpower, reduce working hours, and yet be equally or more effective in ensuring security. I recently learnt that the Singapore Land Authority uses solar powered cameras to monitor state land or property. Various sites are monitored remotely, with patrol teams moving around the premises, ready to respond within minutes. This sure beats having two guards per premise.
I believe the technology is available in the market. If we want to embrace them, we need to change the way we source for security services. Instead of headcount-based contracts, a quality and solution-based system allows Security Agencies more creative use of deployment and technology. With the help of the industry, the NTUC has developed a tender specifications template for security services. It puts emphasis on quality, use of technology and deployment approach. It does not specify headcounts or impose liquidated damages for lack of presence of physical guards. NTUC and the security industry will present this draft template for the consideration of Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Home Affairs. We hope to work together with the government, to drive Best Sourcing for this sector.
On this note, I wish everyone a Happy National Day.
