Public Service Commission is formed

The Public Service Commission (PSC) was set up by the British colonial government on 1 January 1951 to aid in the Malayanisation of the Singapore civil service, leading eventually to self-government for the colony.^[1] In a White Paper – Organisation of the Colonial Service (Command Paper no. 197) – issued by the British government in 1946, it was stated that progress towards self-government could only be achieved in the British colonies if their public services were adapted to local conditions and staffed as much as possible by local people. Prior to this, the senior positions of the civil service were filled by expatriates from either the United Kingdom and the Dominions, or those transferred from the administrative services of other colonies, and appointed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies.^[2] To enable more locals to join the public service, the command paper recommended granting scholarships to promising local candidates to prepare them for appointments to the higher grades of the civil service.^[3] The paper also recommended the establishment of a Public Service Commission in the colonies to advise the governors on the selection and appointment of public officers.^[4]

An interim PSC was first established on 1 March 1950 before it became a permanent entity following the enactment of the PSC Ordinance on 1 January the following year. ^[5] Up until 1957, the PSC acted more like an adviser to the government on matters pertaining to the appointments and promotions of public officers.^[6] The body obtained more clout with the coming into force of the amended PSC Ordinance on 29 January 1957, which gave the PSC executive control over appointments, promotions, dismissals and the discipline of government officers in the public service.^[7] Under the 1957 ordinance, the governor was required to act in accordance with the advice of the PSC and could refer back to the commission any recommendation tendered for reconsideration only once.^[8] The enactment of the PSC Ordinance was effective in recruiting locals for the public service, resulting in an exodus of large numbers of expatriate officers who were originally expected to stay on in Singapore after the colony had achieved self-government. The exodus created a serious problem as the vacated posts were those that could not attract sufficiently qualified and experienced candidates.^[9] To build up the local talent pool, the Singapore government created the Singapore State scholarship to attract and train officers for the public service. The PSC was put in charge of the selection of candidates and the administration of the scholarship.^[10]

References
1. Colony of Singapore. Government Gazette. Supplement. (1951, January 1). The Public Services Commission Ordinance 1949 (Sp.S 1/1951) (p. 1). Singapore. Call no.: RCLOS 348.5957 SGGSLS; Colonial Office. (1946). Organisation of the colonial service (Cmd. 197 of 1946) (pp. 4–5). London: His Majesty’s Stationery Office. Call no.: RCLOS 325.3142 GRE; Organisation of the Colonial Service, 1946, p. 2.
2. Organisation of the Colonial Service, 1946, p. 2; Fernandez, W. (2001). Without fear or favour: 50 years of Singapore’s Public Service Commission (p. 23). Singapore: Times Media Private Limited. Call no.: RSING q352.63095957 FER.
3. Organisation of the colonial service, 1946, pp. 4–5.
4. Organisation of the colonial service, 1946, p. 9.
5. Government Gazette. Supplement, 1 Jan 1951, p. 1.
6. S’pore Public Services Commission first milestone to self-rule. (1951, January 16). The Straits Times, p. 8. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
7. Colony of Singapore. Government Gazette. Supplement. (1957, January 25). The Public Services Commission Ordinance 1957 (Sp.S 7/1957) (p. 61). Singapore. Call no.: RCLOS 348.5957 SGGSLS.
8. Public Service Commission. (1958). Report of the Public Service Commission 1958 (pp. 2–3). Singapore: Govt. Printers. Call no.: RCLOS 354.5957001 SIN.
9. Public Service Commission, 1958, p. 4.
10. Fernandez, 2001, p. 35.