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| Tough
guy to please |
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In
every organisation, one of the hardest persons
to “please” is likely to be the
Chief Finance Officer. It is no different when
it comes to the Public Service. Alvin Neo from
the Ministry of Finance’s (MOF) Governance
and Investment Directorate sheds light on how
his ministry goes about allocating funds to
the Public Service.
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The
regular budgeting process begins in July.
From the start, the ministries are asked
to state the amount they need for the next
financial year, using the previous year’s
expenditure as a guide. Subsequently, the
ministries may request for additional funding
for particular projects.
By December, MOF will consolidate an estimate of what the ministries
will need for the next financial year. The information goes into
the Budget Book, which will be presented and debated in Parliament.
“Parliament must approve how much funding is given to the ministries,” said
Alvin. “Parliament must also approve any additional funding the ministries
may require that was not foreseen at the time the Budget was presented.”
Evaluating proposals can be tough
Alvin’s primary role is to evaluate the project proposals
from ministries.
When a ministry sends in a proposal, he and his colleagues will
analyse it to see if it makes economic sense, and if the likely
costs and benefits balance.
“But it’s not an exact science since a lot of the benefits we look
at cannot be quantified in terms of dollars and cents,” he said.
“For example, knowledge of our heritage and culture. Is there a dollar
figure you can put to that? It’s not so easy to decide.”
As such, the evaluation process can take quite a while. Alvin said, “We
tend to be more careful with larger sums of money. So for a major
development project that costs $10 million or more, we may look
at it for a month or a few months. This includes time for the ministry
to come back with answers to any questions we have.”
Most ministries’ proposals “do get approved in one
form or another”, said Alvin, who handled proposals for the
redevelopment of the Singapore History Museum and the setting up
of the Singapore Management University, Republic Polytechnic and
Singapore Land Authority, just to name a few.
As for which proposals tend to be approved more easily, it all
depends on the priorities of the Government and the needs of Singaporeans
at that time.
Changes to the budgeting process
Having been working in MOF since 1998, Alvin has noted the way
the budgeting process has changed over the years. While previously,
MOF would focus very much on the details or line items of the Budget,
the focus is now more on the overall outcomes the ministries want
to achieve.
He said, “So instead of arguing over the details of the
Budget, we will leave the details to the ministries.
“I think this is a good step forward because at the end of the day, it’s
the ministries that know what they can do and what they need. At MOF, what we
should really focus on is ensuring that all the ministries’ efforts are
directed towards a common purpose.”
‘I like what I do’
Alvin said, “I like my job because I think I’m doing
something which has a direct effect on Singaporeans and which helps
to make Singapore a better place to stay in.”
He finds it very satisfying to be able to present an alternative
viewpoint to the ministries when they come in with their proposals.
“The ministries are always very dedicated to the work they do. But sometimes,
they lack a broader perspective. We help them to find more cost-efficient ways
to achieve their goals,” he said.
“However, we are probably the second most disliked people by the whole
of the Public Service. No comments on who’s the first!”
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| Past
Columns |
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| “I
like my job because I think I’m
doing something which has a direct
effect on Singaporeans and which helps
to make Singapore a better place to
stay in.” |
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