TAN Chin Nam (Dr)
The Public Service,
Accession Number 003841
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 7
Total Reels
- Santanu Gupta
Interviewer
- 06:24:15
Total Running Time
- English
Language
Copyright Notice
All rights to the recordings and transcripts on this website, including the rights to copy, publish, broadcast and perform, are reserved. Written permission is required for any use. If you have any queries, please contact nas@nlb.gov.sg
Reel/Disc 1 of 7
Metadata
- 6 Jan 2014
Recording Date
- 00:58:40
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
(0:00:22) Personal and family background.
(0:02:15) Life in Singapore in the 1950s. How he learnt English and music.
(0:04:21) Parents’ strict yet developmental approach to him.
(0:05:22) Childhood pastime.
(0:07:13) Recollections of his primary and secondary school. Favourite subjects and influential teachers.
(0:09:35) Recollections of his peers at secondary school.
(0:10:38) Competent teachers and a competitive environment during his Pre-University at Raffles Institution (RI).
(0:12:24) Musical interests continued through secondary school and university.
(0:13:31) Awarded Colombo Plan and later President's Scholarship. His decision to opt for Industrial Engineering in Australia.
(0:16:32) Experience at the University of Newcastle, Australia, and its influence on his career.
(0:17:32) Initial impressions of Australia.
(0:19:59) Accommodation in Australia. How he reignited his passion for music.
(0:21:44) Involvement in extracurricular activities and spent time with Singapore students.
(0:24:45) Graduated after a 5-year course in Engineering and Arts (a double degree) with a 5-year bond to serve the Singapore government. He enlisted in the National Service (NS) on his return.
(0:25:21) How he served both NS and bond in the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) as a Systems Engineer.
(0:27:15) Played a leading role in MINDEF’s computerisation project, which was the pioneer in the national computerisation programme.
(0:29:55) Received vendor-based computer training in the United States.
(0:31:38) Set up the Institute of Systems Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS) to train Systems Analysts.
(0:34:08) Was part of the team to study the computerisation needs of 10 selected Ministries.
(0:36:05) National computerisation effort launched, and National Computer Board (NCB) set up. Became its General Manager in 1982.
(0:37:12) Difficulties in this project. “3P” philosophy.
(0:39:58) Introduction of Business System Planning methodology.
(0:41:35) $100 million budget approved for the 10 Ministries to implement computerisation.
(0:43:25) Completed a Master of Business Administration in the United Kingdom upon coming back from Australia. Absorbed into the Administrative Service.
(0:45:50) How computerisation message was disseminated to the private sector.
(0:47:04) Appointed the Managing Director of the Economic Development Board (EDB) in 1986. (0:48:01) Found the transition from NCB to EDB seamless.
(0:52:12) Strategies adopted by EDB to attract foreign investments.
(0:55:31) How EDB developed industry clusters.
(0:57:13) Beginnings of the Services Promotion Division in EDB. Positioned Singapore as a “total business centre” in 1986.
His background – date and place of birth, his parents, his siblings. Life in Singapore in the '50s. Mother main mentor – insisted on all children learning music. Pastimes as a child. His primary and secondary school and his favourite subjects. Two primary school teachers who left strong impression on him. Pre-U in Raffles Institution (RI). Competent teachers and competitive environment. Very good comraderie in RI. Learnt to master the piano. Tertiary education – first Colombo Plan Scholarship, then Presidents’ Scholarship. Why he chose Industrial Engineering. Studied in Newcastle University, Australia. Good choice, in hindsight. Impressed on landing in Sydney. Life in the campus. His extra-curricular activities. Kept in touch with Singapore. Graduated after 5-year course in Engineering and Arts (a double-degree) 5-year bond to serve Singapore government. Enlisted into National Service (NS) on return. Served both NS and bond in the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) as a Systems Engineer. Played leading role in Mindef’s computerisation project which was the pioneer in the national computerisation programme. Sent to the USA to receive vendor-based training. Set up Institute of Systems Science in the National University of Singapore (NUS) to train Systems Analysts. Was part of team to study computerisation needs of 10 selected Ministries. National computerisation effort launched and National Computer Board (NCB) set up. Became its first General Manager (GM). Difficulties in this project. 3P philosophy. Slogan “Excellence through communication” $100 million approved for the 10 Ministries. How computerisation message was disseminated to private sector. Absorbed into the Administrative Service. Instructive experience in NCB. Appointed the MD of the Economic Development Board (EDB) in 1986. Similar national effort as in NCB. Energised officers in EDB. Strategies adopted by EDB to attract foreign investments. The “twin-engine” approach. Aim to make Singapore a total business centre.
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Reel/Disc 2 of 7
Metadata
- 6 Jan 2014
Recording Date
- 00:58:11
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
(0:00:41) Incentives provided to attract foreign companies and encourage investment.
(0:02:12) Economic Committee Report of 1986 and Singapore's vision as a “total business centre”.
(0:05:27) Had to venture abroad to sell Singapore as a good place to set up shop in.
(0:07:24) Strong support from political leaders. Economic Development Board (EDB) Chairman Philip Yeo’s close relationship with private sector a great help.
(0:09:15) Importance of political support and streamlined bureaucracy.
(0:12:08) Process of identifying foreign investors.
(0:16:27) Competition with neighbouring countries. Singapore’s unique advantages.
(0:19:24) Overview of EDB's regionalisation efforts.
(0:21:35) Singapore's need for constant reinvention to remain competitive.
(0:24:39) Impressions of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and his effort to get Hong Kong tycoons to invest in Singapore.
(0:26:23) Singapore political leaders as EDB’s ambassadors.
(0:28:35) Reflections on his accomplishment in EDB.
(0:32:18) Was personally very happy to play role in EDB. Tenure in EDB from 1986 to 1994.
(0:35:42) High regard for his staff in EDB.
(0:37:45) Rejected an offer to become Permanent Secretary to work in EDB.
(0:38:51) Posted to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 1994.
(0:40:18) Formulation of Tourism 21 plan.
(0:44:14) Efforts in attracting tourists to Singapore. Positioning Singapore as “New Asia”.
(0:47:20) Importance of constant reinvention in tourism.
(0:48:24) Average length of stay of a tourist in Singapore during his stint in STB.
(0:50:36) Recollections of STB members.
(0:51:16) Successes of Tourism 21 and satisfaction with the recognition received for it.
(0:53:15) Views on the price of the Singapore hotels.
(0:55:54) Explained the concept of “Singapore Unlimited”.
Incentives offered to foreign companies to set up shop here. Economic Committee Report of 1986 – Singapore as a Total Business Centre. What it meant. Bottomline in this approach. Had to venture abroad to sell Singapore as a good place to set up shop in. Setting up EDB offices overseas. Strong support from political leaders. EDB Chairman Philip Yeo’s close relationship with private sector a great help. Minimal bureaucratic hurdles. How overseas investors were identified. Competition from neighbours and what advantage Singapore offered. EDB’s regionalisation programme – its Industrial Parks in China, India and Indonesia. Need for Singapore to re-invent itself continuously. PM Lee Kuan Yew’s effort to get Hong Kong tycoons to invest in Singapore. Was personally very happy to play role in EDB to make all our lives better. Was in EDB from 1986 to 1994. High regard for his staff in EDB. Posted to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) as its CEO in 1994. Formulation of Tourism 21 plan. 3-ronged aspects of tourism. Tourism 21 was a visioning exercise. Given Singapore’s constraints, how STB went about attracting tourists. Tourism as a total experience. Many new attractions added. Felt Singapore today was an attractive tourist destination. But constant re-invention needed.Investment in both hardware and heartware. Felt further development of tourism still possible. Felt very satisfied about Tourism 21 and the recognition given to him personally. Explained concept of “Singapore Unlimited”.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 7
Metadata
- 8 Jan 2014
Recording Date
- 00:58:40
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
(0:00:37) Reflection on over 3 years of service in the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). Close working relationship with Philip Yeo.
(0:03:09) Appointed as the Director of Systems and Computer Organisation in the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF).
(0:04:28) Studied computerisation needs of 10 selected Ministries, which led to the Civil Service Computerisation Programme.
(0:08:08) Philip Yeo’s management style and his contributions in introducing scholarship programmes.
(0:11:52) Philip Yeo’s close working relationship with Goh Keng Swee.
(0:12:58) Philip Yeo’s contributions to the national computerisation effort in the 1980s.
(0:16:17) Example of attracting foreign talent.
(0:19:35) Impressions of Philip Yeo and his life-sciences approach.
(0:21:36) Role of culture and heritage in tourism development.
(0:25:02) STB’s strategy in offering a positive experience to visitors.
(0:27:03) Re-invention of the tourist industry through Tourism 21.
(0:30:02) Served in STB up to 1997 before moving to the Ministry of Labour (MOL) as Permanent Secretary. Scepticism amongst friends on his posting.
(0:32:39) Launching of the Manpower 21 Study.
(0:34:26) Anecdote about a revealing visit to Kyoto, Japan, where he learnt about the idea of “manpower unlimited”.
(0:38:33) Philosophy of “manpower unlimited” in Singapore’s context.
(0:42:02) Vision of Singapore as a “Talent Capital”. MOL’s role in supporting national development.
(0:44:23) Major contribution of the Manpower 21 Study.
(0:46:51) Influence of the Kyoto trip on the “Singapore Unlimited” vision.
(0:47:57) Key recommendations of the Manpower 21 Study. Tripartism collaboration in Manpower 21 Study.
(0:49:49) Addressing scepticism on “Singapore Unlimited”.
(0:53:31) Industrial relations during his stint as Permanent Secretary. Tripartism contributed to industrial harmony in Singapore.
(0:55:09) Initiatives for unions.
Served 3 plus eventful years in the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). Had very good rapport with Philip Yeo who contributed enormously to Singapore’s development in multifarous fields. Talked about Philip Yeo’s management style. About his 1,000 PhD's plan. Was very privileged to assist Philip Yeo in computerisation and investments, attracting foreign businesses as well as foreign talent. Gave an example of such talent. The life-sciences approach to make something out of nothing. Role of culture and heritage in tourism development. Re-invention of the tourist industry through Tourism 21. Concept of “total experience” in tourism. Served in STB up to 1997. When he was appointed Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour (MOL) some scepticism amongst friends on this posting. Viewed it as an opportunity to make a difference and explained why. The Manpower 21 study launched. Making of Singapore a “knowledge economy”. Idea of manpower unlimited. Anecdote about revealing visit to Kyoto, Japan. Singapore as a “Talent Capital” upgrading of MOL’s function to assist in the overall development of Singapore. Key recommendations of Manpower 21 Study. Talked about tripartism contributing to industrial harmony in Singapore.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 7
Metadata
- 25 Feb 2014
Recording Date
- 00:58:11
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
(0:01:00) His views on the “anti-foreign labour” sentiment currently prevailing in Singapore's “Stock and Flow” model of governance.
(0:03:47) “War for talent” phenomenon. Need for better regulation of foreign workforce inflow.
(0:08:00) Government's cautious approach to employment passes for foreign talent.
(0:12:03) Posting to the Ministry of Information and the Arts (MITA) as its Permanent Secretary (PS) in 2003 and his feelings about this move.
(0:15:12) Culture of MITA and its focus on integrating creative and technical aspects.
(0:19:12) Introduction of creative industries. Looking at MITA from the Cultural Capital perspective.
(0:22:52) Formulated the Creative Industries Development Strategy (CISD). Renaming of MITA to MICA (Ministry of Communication and the Arts).
(0:25:36) Fusion of functions to create value. Mentioned Media 21 Plan.
(0:28:20) How he utilised a multi-agency stakeholder partnership approach.
(0:32:18) Challenges in promoting the arts to stakeholders. Compared Singapore with Korea and China in developing creative industries.
(0:35:28) Shift in parental attitudes in allowing younger generations to pursue creative industries.
(0:37:36) Talent in Singapore’s creative sector. Importance of collaboration with international talent.
(0:38:54) Overcoming scepticism regarding the integration of arts and creative industries.
(0:40:59) Role of arts education in nurturing talent across various fields. Need for societal support, including patrons of the Arts.
(0:43:03) Role of Professor Milton Tan in the “Design Singapore” strategy.
(0:46:09) Importance of champions in the arts sector.
(0:50:32) Support from the cabinet during his stint.
(0:53:54) Convincing the Ministry of Finance (MOF) to release funds.
(0:57:27) How he enthused MICA’s staff.
His views on the “anti-foreign labour” sentiment currently prevailing in Singapore ”Stock and Flow” model of governance. Posting to the Ministry of Information and the Arts (MITA) as its Permanent Secretary (PS) in 2003 and his feelings about this move. His first impressions of MITA. – creative mood. Opportunity to re-interpret the Arts. Redefinition of purpose of Ministry. Balancing flow of information from media with need to regulate. The “Creative Industry” initiative, a most significant one. Looking at MITA from the Cultural Capital perspective. Renaming of MITA to MICA (Ministry of Communication and the Arts). Fusion of functions to create value. Induction of Prof. Milton Tan of National University of Singapore (NUS) into the “Design Singapore” strategy.” Media 21” Plan. Getting stakeholders and partners into this new venture. The multi-agency approach. Cited South Korea as a good example of “Creative Industry”. Patrons of the Arts. Role of Prof MiltonTan. Response of political leaders. Convincing the Ministry of Finance (MOF) to release funds. How he enthused MICA’s staff.
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Reel/Disc 7 of 7
Metadata
- 14 Mar 2014
Recording Date
- 00:35:33
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
(0:00:25) Retirement from the public sector in 2007 but continued his involvement in other areas.
(0:01:55) Detailed on the International Advisory Panel of the Media Development Authority (MDA).
(0:02:47) Difference in culture between public and private sectors.
(0:04:52) Headhunted for a role in Spain.
(0:07:52) Importance of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) in Singapore’s progress.
(0:11:44) Honorary Doctorates he received.
(0:13:50) Purpose of the Eisenhower Fellowship.
(0:16:11) Family background.
(0:17:33) Desire to remain useful and engaged in work. Provided strategic input at the board level for companies.
(0:20:46) Key factors in Singapore's transformation over 45 years.
(0:23:04) Challenges in future governance.
(0:25:19) Importance of new generation contributions and the need for collaboration between young and old in driving societal progress.
(0:29:02) Advice to new and young civil servants.
(0:33:25) Optimistic views on Singapore’s future.
His retirement from the public sector in 2007 but continued involvement in other areas. Talked about the International Advisory Panel of the Media Development Authority (MDA). Difference in culture between public and private sectors. His work in Spain and his “Friend of Labour” award. Importance of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) in Singapore’s progress. About the 2 Honorary Doctorates he received and the Eisenhower Fellowship. About his wife and children. About his continuous zest for work as long as it contributed to Singapore. The type of work that still stimulated him. Factors contributing to Singapore’s progress in the last 49 years. Challenges facing Singapore in the next 10 to 15 years. What advice he would give to new and young civil servants. Generally felt quite optimistic about Singapore’s future.
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