Scholars
On the wane
One feared outcome: some returnees end up joining the opposition. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Oct 8, 2006

After four decades the Lee Kuan Yew era is still firmly in place, but one of the fundamental tenets that it erected, the scholarship system, has begun to decline.

Over the years the system has allowed the ruling party to train top academic brains for its political, military and business leadership, effectively kept talent within its fold and away from the opposition.

About 250 scholarships had been offered annually to bright sparks from Singapore and the region to study in universities, including the best abroad.

The returning graduates serve out a bond in the Singapore civil service, statutory boards, armed forces or government-related corporations, with the best reserved for leadership roles.

Almost every Cabinet minister and Singapore's top bureaucrats, military and police commanders and statutory board chiefs has come from the system. A few are elite President scholars.

It has worked well in the past, but as the society and economic demands changed, the controversial scholarship programme has lost some of its lustre and the authorities are cutting it down.

Many people complain that it is elitist, breeds arrogance and is becoming outdated in an economy that ranks creativity and entrepreneurial abilities higher than academic achievements.

Some scholars are said to be useless because they fear making major decisions or taking business risks.

Despite these shortcomings, the scheme is unlikely to disappear.

A small island with limited human resources, Singapore invests a great deal on getting the best in government. It has, in fact, been accused of hogging talents and forcing the private sector to turn overseas for theirs.

Some of the scholars themselves are unhappy, complaining of the six-year bond (for overseas studies) and "missing out" on better jobs at multinational corporations.

Others feel chances for promotion in the government are too limited.

As a result, more of them are breaking their bonds after paying back the fees plus interest.

Years ago Lee Kuan Yew, the man who started it all, began to rethink when the nation's priorities changed.

He said the government would cut the number of scholarships by half to free bright students to become entrepreneurs.

The cutback is gathering steam. The number of Public Services Commission (PSC) scholarships fell from 253 in 2001 to 54 in 2002, and this year only 39 are being given.

Under the headline "Scholarship blues", The Straits Times last month reported that several major sponsors, the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA), DBS Bank and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), were cutting back.

A headhunting consultant told me, "The rising number of graduates who break their bonds is also contributing to this."

Government scholarships were - and still are - prestigious affairs that are sought after by thousands of top Singaporeans and Asians, rich or poor, because of the values placed by global companies.

But doubts have risen from Singaporeans who believe that it should be society's economic leveller to help poor deserving Singaporeans get a university education.

Many scholarships actually end up in the hands of the smart wealthy children who don't really need them.

Years ago, former Deputy Prime Minister Tong Tan had called for it to be replaced by an American-type student loan to be repaid after graduates got a job.

He earned a rebuff from Lee Hsien Loong before he became PM.

But there may be a political dimension to the government's decreasing enchantment with it.

Some observers believe that the PAP initiated it partly to prevent bright students from joining the opposition, by training, recruiting scholars and then tying them down with a well-paid salary.

So far, it has worked because none has done so, but the future may change. Some of today's scholars are admirers of the Workers Party and others.

Hsien Loong may be fearful that - after his political exit - some of them could enter the arena against the PAP, after serving their bond, of course.

The personalities of the scholars, too, have undergone transformation. In the early years of independence, scholars were a small group who joined the government because they shared the PAP's political objectives.

The mega-salaries were not yet born.

Today they are more numerous, diverse, individualistic and less enthusiastic to follow the PAP's political line. Some are sympathetic to the opposition parties.

Several years ago, former senior civil servant, Ngiam Tong Dow made a plea to the government to cut loose these scholars to follow their own inclinations.

"So far, the PAP's tactic is to put all the scholars into the civil service because it believes the way to retain political power forever is to have a monopoly on talent. To me, that's a very short-term view," he said.

"You have to allow some of your best and brightest to remain outside your reach and let them grow spontaneously.

"How do you know their leadership will not be as good as yours? But if you monopolise all the talent, there will never be an alternative leadership. And alternatives are good for Singapore."

Having returned from a Western experience, some are openly critical of the PAP's political policies towards elections and the opposition. The Internet is giving them a platform, which did not exist before.

In "Confession of a Scholar", one of them, a serving police officer, blogged about his concern about the police acting against a protest by opposition leaders.

"I fear that I will be one of those being compelled to crack down on possible dissident or political actions," he said.

"I believe that the police is a force that serves the nation, not for the good of any one party."

(Article was first published in The Sunday Star, Oct 8, 2006)