What this lesson teaches
I can explain why good and honest leadership matters for governing a society well.
Syllabus K336, Issue 1, Guiding Question 3, Principles shaping governance. Having good leadership
Make a guess
A minister is found to have accepted valuable gifts from businessmen. What do you think good governance requires?
- Investigate and punish the minister under the same law as anyone.
- Hold a public vote on whether the minister stays.
- Let the Prime Minister quietly ask the minister to resign.
Show the answer
Investigate and punish the minister under the same law as anyone.
Leaders must act with integrity and be accountable. In 2024, a former minister was jailed after a CPIB investigation.
Good leaders need both ability and integrity: they must make sound decisions and act honestly for the public.
Governance is how public decisions are made and carried out. Singapore's governance is guided by four principles: good leadership; anticipating change and staying relevant; a stake for everyone, opportunities for all; and meritocracy.
Good leaders need ability: understanding problems, using evidence and making workable plans. They also need integrity: being honest and serving the public, not themselves. Singapore's Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) investigates corruption, including by public officials.
Leaders must also be accountable: they explain their decisions and answer for them. A popular decision is not always a good one, and an unpopular one is not always right.
In Singapore, even ministers must act with integrity. In 2023 the CPIB investigated S Iswaran, then Minister for Transport. He resigned in January 2024 and was jailed for 12 months in October 2024 for obtaining valuable items as a public servant and obstructing justice. Acting against a top leader shows the public that leaders must follow the same rules as everyone.
Good leaders also prepare the next team of leaders. This is called leadership renewal. On 15 May 2024, Lee Hsien Loong handed over to Lawrence Wong, who became Singapore's fourth Prime Minister. A planned handover keeps policies steady and gives citizens confidence in the future.
- Four principles
- Good leadership; anticipating change; a stake for everyone; meritocracy.
- Integrity
- Acting honestly and for the public good.
- Accountability
- Explaining and answering for decisions.
Real examples to use
CPIB and S Iswaran, 2023 to 2024
The former Transport Minister was investigated by the CPIB and jailed for 12 months on 3 October 2024. Use it for integrity and accountability.
Leadership renewal, 15 May 2024
Lawrence Wong became Singapore's fourth Prime Minister, succeeding Lee Hsien Loong in a planned handover. Use it for good leadership that prepares successors.
Worked example: Integrity and renewal, 2024
In 2024 two events tested Singapore's leadership. A former minister, S Iswaran, was jailed after a CPIB investigation. Months earlier, on 15 May 2024, Lawrence Wong took over as Prime Minister from Lee Hsien Loong in a planned handover.
- Integrity: investigating and punishing a minister shows that power does not protect wrongdoing, which keeps public trust.
- Renewal: preparing new leaders in advance avoids a sudden gap and keeps policies steady.
- Limit: one case does not prove there is no corruption anywhere. Trust depends on such checks being applied every time.
Watch out for this
Good leadership means making the most popular choice.
Good leaders make sound, honest decisions and explain them, even when they are unpopular.
Check your understanding
Which action best shows integrity?
- A leader declares a family link to a bidder and stays out of the final choice.
- A leader picks the option that most residents voted for online.
- A leader decides quickly on the contract so that the project is not held up.
Show the answer
A leader declares a family link to a bidder and stays out of the final choice.
Yes. Avoiding a conflict of interest is acting with integrity.