Chapter 2- How Do We Decide On What Is Good For Society?

Question 1

Why are There Challenges in deciding whats good for society?

Answer 1

1. DIFFERING NEEDS AND INTERESTS
   - Presence of different citizen grps w diff needs and interests
   - Example: Concerns of families of school-going children are different from that of families of the elderly.
2. UNEQUAL SHARING OF COSTS
   - Trade-Offs in every decision but costs may be shared unequally by different grps.
   - Example: Conflict over whether to build eldercare facilities in Toh Yi est. as some residents objected to the suggestion.

Question 2

What are the functions of the government?

Answer 2

1. LEGISLATURE
   - Consists of President and Parliament
   - Responsible for making laws.
   - Example: Compulsory Education Act. A bill on compulsory education was proposed and discussed by legislature. This was then passed as a law in 2000.
2. EXECUTIVE
   - Consists of Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and ministers of different ministries
   - Responsible for implementing laws and policies
   - Example: Ministry of Education (MOE) ensures that education system can effectively meet the needs of school-going children. They monitor school attendance and some teachers make house visits to ensure students go to school.
3. JUDICIARY
   - Consists of Supreme Court, State Courts and Family Justice Courts.
   - Responsible for enforcing laws
   - Example: They charge parents who refuse to allow their children to attend school in court. The judge will listen to the case and decide the necessary convictions or actions to be taken.

Question 3

What are the principles of governance?

Answer 3

1. GOOD LEADERSHIP
   - Leadership is having the moral courage and integrity to do what is right despite its unpopularity
   - Examples:
   a) Integrated Resorts (IRs). Govt. still decided to build 2 IRs to attract tourists and boost economy tho they consulted the public.
   b) NEWater. Govt. decided to build NEWater plants to recycle used water into drinkable water
2. ANTICIPATING CHANGE AND STAYING RELEVANT
   - it is having the foresight to make decisions based on long term cosiderations
   - Example:
   a) Integrated Resorts (IRs). //
   b) NEWater. //
3. PROVIDING A STAKE FOR EVERYONE
   - is about involving citizens in the future of Spore.
   - Examples:
   a) Public Housing Scheme (PHS). The govt. ensures affordable housing by giving grants and subsidies
4. PRACTISING MERITOCRACY
   - Meritocracy is about rewarding a person based on their efforts and abilities
   - Example: The Edusave Scholarship. The gov. gives scholarships to deserving students based on merit (top 10%)