Speeches
Speech by Minister Chan Chun Sing at 2026 PSC Scholarships Award Ceremony
24 July 2026
Keynote Address by Minister Chan Chun Sing at the 2026 PSC Scholarships Award Ceremony
Chairman and members of the Public Service Commission,
Parents, teachers, principals and award winners.
1 A very good afternoon to all of you.
2 First, let me, on behalf of the government of Singapore and fellow Singaporeans, thank the Public Service Commission (PSC) for your 75 years of dedicated service. It is with your help that we have the Public Service that we are proud of today.
3 PSC has changed much over the years, as Tzu Yang mentioned. Over the years, our selection processes have changed. Our deployment frameworks have changed. But there is one thing that will not change, and that is that we continue to depend on the good judgement of members of the PSC to select, develop, and deploy people to the best of their abilities in service of Singapore.
4 Today, many people will talk about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and are perhaps using AI for their selection systems. But for us, we will always believe that nothing can replace the judgement that the members of the PSC bring to bear on our selection process, and the rigour with which they use various tools to complement, but never to replace, their judgement. So, Tzu Yang and members of the PSC and the generations of people who have served on the PSC, let me thank you all for your service to our country. Thank you very much.
5 Every year when I come before you, I have to think very hard about what to share with you. This year is no different. But this year I must start off with a very unfortunate story that inspired my sharing this afternoon and, as usual, I will not share with you more than three points or three stories.
6 Let me start with a very unfortunate incident that inspired my thoughts for my sharing today. Some time back, a parent came up to me and said: "Minister, I have a very good son, and I would like him to volunteer with you." I said: "Very good, thank you very much. Where would he like to serve? What are his passions?"
7 In front of some members of the public, it was very unfortunate that she said something along the lines of: "My son comes from a very good school. He's very talented. I hope you don't start him at the bottom, and I hope you will give him a good testimonial so that he can apply for the PSC scholarship."
8 For those of you who still have any doubts, as the Minister-in-charge of the Public Service, I never write testimonials for people to apply for the PSC scholarship. That would be seen as a conflict of interest. I leave it to Tzu Yang and members of the PSC to assess whether someone is worthy of a PSC scholarship. So, if you want to serve with me, then you probably want to come with the goodness of your heart. Now, why did this little, unfortunate story inspire me to share three stories with you?
9 First story. Remember, as you walk the journey in the Public Service, you are not just there to find meaning. Beyond finding meaning, perhaps it's more important to give meaning to everything that you do.
10 Let me share with you about my first job in the Public Service in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). After my first year in university, I came back to be attached to a unit. I wasn't particularly very useful since I wasn't particularly trained. I was given the chance to go and shadow some platoon commanders to learn from them. I was feeling rather useless when everybody was rushing around doing many things to take care of the men and women under their charge.
11 I tried to make myself useful, and there was one particular task that was not particularly interesting for most people. I volunteered for that, and that was to throw rubbish on a Saturday afternoon. My camp was in Tanjong Gul, on the western side of Singapore. To throw rubbish, I had to take a three-tonne truck and bring the rubbish from Tanjong Gul camp after the men were dismissed, and bring it Lorong Halus on the eastern side of Singapore. I had to throw the rubbish and bring the truck back to the camp before I booked out in the evening at 6 o'clock. It was a job that nobody wanted to do because everybody was tired by Saturday. I thought that was the least I could do to help my unit. What did I learn from this?
12 Many years later, when I was the commanding officer, and when the audit came, and there were some allegations that some people might be misappropriating SAF property, I knew exactly where the problem was — because if you know how to throw rubbish, throwing rubbish can allow you to make quite a lot of money. Today, the lesson is not to teach you how to throw rubbish and make money. The lesson is to never look down on the smallest task that you are given. Do it with pride. Do it well. Not just because you are going to learn something, but because you show the rest of the world and the people whom you hope to command one day that you are prepared to do the smallest of tasks well, and you will never ask them to do anything that you won't yourself do. First lesson: Do not just look for meaning, but try to give meaning to everything you do. In your journey in the Public Service, there will be moments where you are happy, and there will be moments where you are down. Regardless of whether times are good or times are tough, always remember to give meaning to what you do.
13 Second story. Once upon a time, there was a commander in a particular unit, and as commanders, we always like to have a say on the people who will join our command team. This particular commander had a very stringent requirement. He would only take the A graders. So indeed, he got many A and B graders. But guess what? He didn't always produce the best unit, and his team wasn't always the most cohesive, nor the top performing unit. What was the problem, and what was the mistake? The problem was this: he saw people as coming to his team just to perform, to achieve. But the real issue is, what is the higher purpose that he was trying to achieve? When he's not around, would the team still perform?
14 My second message is this — when we go out and accomplish our tasks, let's remember this. Let's remember that when the job is done and we are around, that's not the highest accomplishment. We need to build to last, and we have been taught that when we were young, that when you are no longer around, and the team continues to perform and even perform better than when you were around, then you have achieved something.
15 Success is not defined by our personal accomplishments in the Public Service. Success is defined by our contributions of how we uplift others in service of our nation. So remember, don't be like that commander to think that we only want to work with the very best. Our job is to see the best in everyone, to let everybody to be the best version of themselves, so that collectively, we can help Singapore defy the odds of history. And I'll come back to that later.
16 The third lesson that I've learnt is that we need to build networks — not just within the Public Service, but beyond. Because success in the Public Service is not just about how well we do within the Public Service, but how well we interface with the rest.
17 Once upon a time, I was quite a senior officer. I went to a foreign land, and I wanted to meet another senior officer. The senior officer rejected my meeting. Instead, he directed me to meet his junior staff. I was a colonel then. The junior staff was a lieutenant. How many of you would feel rather insulted when you request for a meeting with a senior officer and you are told to go and meet the junior staff? I didn't feel insulted. I took it upon myself and my team that this was another chance to engage someone whom, at that point in time, very few people were bothered with. We had good conversations. We stayed in contact. Many years later, strangely, he contacted me again. The then-junior officer now happens to be a Minister in his country.
18 My point is to never look down on people, especially people beyond Singapore. Never look at people based on their ranks or their appointments. Look at everyone as they are, value them, engage them, build relationships with them, as these will be the relationships that will put us in good stead as Singapore tries to navigate the challenges of the next few decades. We need to know people — we need to know people in depth, and we don't need to circumscribe ourselves to think that we only want to get involved and know people of a certain stature. Can we be a good testimony to keep reaching out, to keep building those ties that will enable Singapore to thrive in the decades to come?
19 So those are my three little stories today. First, to not just try to find meaning; to try to give meaning to every small little task that we do. Second, to always remember to build teams that will last beyond us. Third, to always remember to build those networks beyond Singapore, and within Singapore, that can help the Public Service succeed.
20 38 years ago, I was in your position. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I just knew that without the PSC scholarship, I would have gone out to work, rather than have the chance to continue my studies.
21 38 years later, we are at SG61. No pressure, but I want all of you receiving the award from me today to remember this. 39 years later, you will be in my position. Collectively, hopefully, you will take over the leadership of this country. 39 years later, if we get there, we will be SG100. We would have defied the odds of history to survive as an independent country without natural resources, and I truly mean that. Small city-states without a hinterland have found it difficult to survive the tides of history.
22 We have the best chance ever to overcome our geography, to transcend the constraints of geography, to connect with the world physically, financially, digitally, and so forth, for us to turn our constraints into an opportunity, for us to be a shining beacon whereby we can welcome everyone who believes in the ideals of a fair, meritocratic, and inclusive Singapore to join Team Singapore; that this will be the place where people from diverse backgrounds and aspirations can fulfil their potential, realise their dreams, and do good for themselves, their families, and the world. But for us to keep this inspiring story going, it will take more than aspirations and inspirations, and it will take some perspiration.
23 I hope that your generation will have the gumption, just as the generations before you, to take Singapore forward to SG100 and beyond. I have every confidence that your generation will have the gifts and the talent, much more than even my generation. My generation has benefited from the blood, sweat, and tears of the previous generation, who had committed everything to give us what we have today. My generation will make the same commitment to you that we will do everything within our powers to give you the best chance to succeed and be called Singaporeans.
24 All I hope for is that your generation will similarly respond to the call of duty and service to help Singapore and Singaporeans to defy the odds of history to reach SG 100 and beyond. Thank you very much.