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 What were the key challenges you faced as the new CEO of NEA? |
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 NEA's role is multidimensional and complex. Being guardians of Singapore's environment, our roles range from looking after our country's public health to providing accurate weather forecast and studying the impact of climate change to providing a serene and dignified place for loved ones to remember their departed friends and relatives to ensuring clean air for our people to breathe... the plate is full. All these have to be done by achieving a fine balance between enforcement and advocacy.
There is also the point of how we can encourage more Singaporeans to take ownership and care for our environmental and public health issues. At a macro level, there is the issue of how do we balance economic growth and environmental objectives. I realised that this is a never-ending marathon. It is not a 100-metre sprint. We want to create an environment that endears not only our people but also those who visit us. This will require energy, stamina, passion, commitment, innovation and teamwork. |
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| Dengue was an issue of major concern last year. What has NEA learnt from the incident that will enable the agency to
prevent another outbreak? |
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The outbreak was due to a confluence of factors – the regional outbreak, the hot weather, low immunity of the population particularly among the young, a switch in the virus strain, etc. It tested our collective strength as a nation. We were up against a highly adaptable enemy and the complicated nature of the disease – with four different serotypes, immunity to one serotype does not guarantee immunity to another.
The episode made us even more keenly aware of the key role that everyone plays in managing an outbreakthe need to be made aware of the situation, and the steps that can be taken to protect oneself and one's families. Through our collective effort, we have brought the cases down to below the level experienced in the last 3 years. The challenge is to keep it at this level. The key lesson learnt is that we must keep ahead of the curve and adopt a pre-emptive/ preventive approach. Based on the figures so far this year, we seem to be on the right track. |
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| At 49% involvement, Singapore's overall recycling rate still lags far behind that of countries such as the US and Japan. Why is this so, and how do you intend to make recycling second nature among Singaporeans? |
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| Countries like the US, EU and Japan have been bold in their efforts to promote recycling. We have so far adopted a partnership approach in our National Recycling Programme which started in 2001. To date, we have achieved an overall recycling rate of 50% which is a creditable achievement. Winning people over on the recycling front is not something that can be achieved overnight as people don't see the effects immediately and there is still a tendency to ask "What's in it for me?". We recognise there is still some way to go to convince Singaporeans to make recycling a part of their daily lives. Going forward, we may need to be bolder in our effort to promote recycling. At the same time, we are moving up the waste value chain to see how we can minimise the problem by reducing the amount of waste at source. For example, we are working with the food and beverage industry to see how the amount of packaging can be reduced. |
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| The general public seems to be more concerned about environmental public health issues that affect them directly, rather than broader environmental challenges, such as global warming and climate change, which may have dire consequences in the longer term. What is your response to that? |
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People would naturally be concerned about issues that affect them directly and take care of the environment within their homes and immediate surroundings. In fact, our surveys show that the awareness of our people on environmental protection is high. However, the challenge is to extend this sense of responsibility for the environment to beyond their homes and immediate surroundings to the community at large and beyond that to the nation as well as the global community. We want our people to realise that although we are a small country, we have a play to part in contributing towards global environmental protection.
The key question that we hope we can encourage our people to think about is this – what kind of an environment do we want to leave behind for our future generation? And it does not have to take much effort to do this. There are many simple and effective steps that each of us can take every day that can make a difference. In the area of climate change, there are many simple steps that each of us can take to cut down on electricity usage, increase recycling, take public transport, etc. that will help us reduce cost and in turn reduce carbon dioxide emission. This education process will take time but I am optimistic that we will get there. |
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| Looking back at the past year, what has been the most satisfying moment for you as CEO of NEA? |
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| There were many gratifying moments in the past year. Top on the list would be the strong teamwork at NEA and the personal sacrifices of many who chipped in to help in the six-week long carpet combing exercise in order to wipe out dengue. The strong teamwork was again evident when all the departments pulled together to work towards the stringent requirements of the SQC recertification that we achieved earlier this year. This reaffirms my confidence that NEA has what it takes to deliver on its mission of providing a clean and healthy living environment for all. |
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| What's in the pipeline for NEA? |
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2006 promises to be an exciting and challenging year for NEA. For starters, as guardian of the environment and public health, we will be conducting a study to assess Singapore's vulnerability to climate change, how to further improve Singapore's carbon intensity and energy efficiency. We will continue to strengthen our vector control and surveillance system to keep dengue and other vector-borne diseases in check. To minimise waste, we are working with the industry to implement voluntary packaging agreements to reduce the amount of material used in packaging of products. We are also investing in R&D to develop and adopt the latest technology in environmental management and have set up a new Environmental Technology Unit for this purpose. All this is in line with our mission for Clean Air, Clean Land, Clean Water and better environmental public health.
As an advocate for the environment, we will also seek to extend and deepen our 3P (People, Private, Public) network. We plan to roll out new initiatives to target the young as the future of the environment is in their hands and we recognise the importance of inculcating good environmental values at a tender age.
At the organisational level, we will continue our pursuit of organisational excellence and strengthen our officers' capacity for learning and innovation. Most importantly, we will also seek to enhance NEA's and Singapore's environmental reputation, grow the environmental sector, and nurture a nation of people who cares for the environment. |
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