Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew sparked off a small debate last year (2004) when he suggested that Singapore should free up its public sector scholars into the private sector. Not managers they should become but entrepreneurs, he added. (ST 2004a)

Scholars Becoming Entrepreneurs? The idea struck me as not only preposterous but is doomed from the start. Not that I doubt the capabilities of these hand-pick and among the finest young scholars our country's got to offer. In fact, I deem them as indispensable to the future prosperity of our nation. Moreover, I agree that the civil service is siphoning away many talented people, while depriving the private sector from their contributions. However, instead of reducing the number of scholar intake, the government's intake of scholar remains unchanged, but only will release some of them after six or seven to become entrepreneurs.

My friends who are entrepreneurs could not agree with me more, and dismiss the plausibility of such a plan outright.

Successful entrepreneurs are not measured by intellect, let alone academic qualification, the main criteria upon which the scholar system is based, they explained.

Also, scholars, acclimatised to the highly structured and predictable bureaucratic service, will be in for a rude shock when thrown into the rough and tumble, no holds barred world of business, not knowing when their next paycheck's coming, they added.

So far, our education system that focuses on identifying and retaining the best brains has worked extremely well, producing a large pool of able professionals to meet the needs of MNCs. Also, the Singapore government, being the largest employer, has a large portion of them on its payroll; these talents inevitably have created a highly efficient and effective corporate governance in the public service the world has come to envy. To date, more than 70 per cent of the public services are driven electronically and in terms of e-government ranking, Singapore was ranked near the top by Accenture, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and The Stockholm Challenge in 2004.

While MM Lee's system of using scholars has worked well in solving Singapore's past problems, it remains to be seen the same can help produce more entrepreneurs.

Singapore needs entrepreneurs. We have enough bureaucrats in this already highly bureaucratic society. Lee Hsien Loong (then Deputy Prime Minister) acknowledged the problem when announced the Government would start tightening its belt and the civil service may have to shed staff as its restructures and keeps itself trim (2004b). So much for the so-called "iron rice bowl."

Even our pool of Singaporean professionals are facing fierce competition from Chinese or Indian counterparts, equally competent if not more, yet more willing to accept lower remunerations than us. With China and India economy gaining strong momentum plus the their huge local market, MNCs in Singapore could not find more reasons not to relocate.

According to a report by the US-based National Commission on Entrepreneurship, " Entrepreneurial growth companies make up only a minute portion of all companies in the United States, and just a small percentage of the new businesses started each year, yet they play a surprisingly large role in terms of creating jobs and fueling the economy." (2001)

All the more reasons, we need local entrepreneurs because they not only create jobs but to fuel the growth of the economy.

In fact, anyone can become an entrepreneur though not everyone becomes one. If anyone stands a chance in becoming his own boss, why then must the government take in scholars only to release later to become entrepreneurs? How about the rest of the population? How can the government galvanize the population to embrace the spirit of entrepreneurship.

So what exactly is entrepreneurship? And what does it take to be an entrepreneur? Through the process of researching and interviews into the life of prominent people, contemporary and historical, the author ferrets out the essential traits of these people in the following essays under the Chutzpah series.

References

• ST (The Straits Times, Singapore). 2004a. "Talent-heavy public sector can free scholars; This will help Singapore raise new breed of entrepreneurs, says SM." 8 June 2004.

• ST (The Straits Times, Singapore). 2004b. "Public sector to keep itself trim." 11 March 2004.

Leo Kee Chye

Sunday, March 13, 2005