Opening address by SMS Sim Ann at the Municipal Services Awards Ceremony 2023
Nov 29, 2023
1 Good afternoon, everyone. It is my pleasure to join you today at the Municipal Services Awards (MSA) ceremony. We are here to celebrate the efforts of our community partners, partner agencies, and individuals, who have worked tirelessly as a OneService community, to build a pleasant and harmonious living environment for our residents.
2 Together with partner agencies and Town Councils, we have made good progress in delivering resident-centric services in an efficient and seamless manner.
This includes making it easier for residents to report issues by bringing the popular features of our OneService app to platforms widely used by residents, such as the LifeSG app, a platform where Singapore government services and information could be obtained, and popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram. Through OneService@LifeSG, we have now reached more than 1.5 million LifeSG users, compared to 570,000 users on the OneService App.
3 We received a staggering 1.7 million pieces of municipal feedback in the past year, and 61 per cent of feedback providers gave us a 4 to 5-star rating for the services they received. For all of you who have experience in frontline roles, you would know that this is no easy feat! We should all be very proud of this achievement, even as we continue to strive to deliver better services to our residents.
ENCOURAGED BY AND ENCOURAGING THE COMMUNITY TO IMPROVE OUR LIVING ENVIRONMENT
4 MSO and the OneService community are soon approaching our 10th year anniversary, marking a significant journey from our early days of coordinating case management, to now enabling innovative approaches to community action and civic participation.
5 A recent study commissioned by MSO revealed that nearly 40 per cent of Singaporeans shared their interest to step up and get involved in community projects, when provided with the right resources and support. This is very encouraging, and certainly a positive affirmative from feedback shared during our Forward Singapore engagement, about their desire to give back to our communities.
6 This spirit of co-creation and co-delivery is valuable for addressing socio-behavioural municipal issues. It is essential for the Government and the community to work together to shape social norms and encourage considerate behaviour within the community.
7 I have witnessed this spirit of collaboration first-hand through the Alliance for Action on Norms for Joss Paper Burning. For the first time, Chinese cultural experts, representatives from the apex Buddhist and Taoist organisations, selected temple leaders, Chinese media representatives, and the Religious Goods Merchants Association came together to promote responsible practices. This resulted in a significant 21.5% drop in feedback volume during the lunar 7th month compared to 2021. Congratulations to the AfA as one of our winners today and my heartfelt thanks go to both co-leads Mr. Kua and Mr. Hong as well as all the other members for their contributions in this ground-up public education effort.
8 MSO’s partnership with the Community Advisory Panel on Neighbourhood Noise (CAP) is another good example of innovative projects resulting from the insightful inputs and creative energies from the CAP and other community partners. The Noise Experiential Lab, launched in Sep 2023, has reached out to educate and inform more than 530 members of the public regarding neighbour noise, its causes and mitigation techniques. We are very encouraged by the positive feedback with more than 95 per cent of visitors who agreed that the immersive role-play was helpful and many of them shared that they would attempt to first communicate with their neighbours to resolve noise issues, instead of going straight to the authorities.
9 So as to allow for more members to visit, we will be extending the Noise Experiential Lab’s operation to 31 January next year. Admission to the lab continues to be free. I strongly encourage everyone to bring your family and friends to the Lab to learn together how we can be better neighbours.
LOVE OUR ‘HOOD AWARD - RECOGNISING LONG-STANDING COMMUNITY MEMBERS
10 These are but two examples among the 143 Award nominations we received this year. Together, they speak of the excellent work that all of you are doing to improve our living environment.
11 While I am not able to share all their stories with you due to time constraints, allow me to at least highlight some of our 23 winners. The Love Our ‘Hood Award acknowledges sustained efforts from community groups who consistently improve our living environment.
12 There are two community groups being recognised today and One Kampong Gelam is one of them. During the pandemic, the footfall to this beloved, historic district took a hit. Once the restrictions eased, this group of passionate stakeholders came together to inject life back into the area. They organised a Ramadan bazaar and light-up and ensured that the car-free zones were smoothly implemented to encourage visitors to explore the area safely.
13 The other winner, Team Trap-Neuter-Release-Manage, or TNRM, will share more about their efforts later. Please give both teams a round of applause for their work!
MSA COMMUNITY CATEGORY AWARDS- EFFORTS FROM THE GROUND
14 Singapore is a City in Nature, and we have to find ways to co-exist with wildlife.
One of the winners of the Community category, the Otter Working Group worked closely with NParks, the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society, or ACRES, and the National University of Singapore to teach residents of the Seletar Hills Estate effective ways of otter-proofing their homes and promote coexistence with these animals.
MSA TEAM CATERGORY AWARDS - INTER-AGENCY COLLABORATIONS TO ADDRESS CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES
15 Beyond community partners, we also recognise agencies for their strong inter-agency collaboration efforts. Often, municipal issues cut across many domains, and working together helps us to synergise efforts across agencies and arrive at better solutions. For example, one of our winners is a team that comprises LTA, NParks, Masjid Wak Tanjong and Paya Lebar Residences. Together, they worked to tackle reckless cycling along Paya Lebar Road by engaging representatives from nearby developments to explore engineering, education, and enforcement measures. Kudos to the team, and to the other Team category winners who will receive their award later!
MSA INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY AWARDS - OUTSTANDING SERVICE
16 Our agencies can only be as strong as the people who support them. The MSA Individual category recognises outstanding officers who have gone the extra mile for residents. Mr Bin Wern Ming from NEA worked with six other agencies to build a sheltered walkway from Marsiling Mall to the bus stop at Woodlands Avenue 3. Although this project was beyond NEA’s core work, Wern Ming took the lead to seek different agencies’ approvals. Through his hard work, the residents are now able to walk to and from Marsiling Mall comfortably, even in rainy weather. Well done, Wern Ming!
CONCLUSION
17 The examples that I have highlighted today are just a fraction of the good work done every day by all of you. Every one of you has contributed, in one way or another, to our municipal sector through your daily efforts. Thank you all for your tireless contributions to bettering our shared living environment.
18 As we continue this journey of resident-centric service delivery and community action together, let us do so with our eyes firmly fixed on our vision of an Engaged OneService Community, a Better Living Environment, and an Endearing Home for everyone! Thank you very much.