SS 2015-2020 TYS Ans

PENCILTUTOR SCHOOL PTE. LTD. Co. Reg. No. 200601708E Blk 102, #02-135 Yishun Avenue 5 Singapore 760102 Tel: 62571231 Fax: 62571921 http://www.penciltutor.com 1 Suggested answers to 2015 O level Combined Humanities (Social Studies) 2204 Paper 1 2a) The principle “Leadership is Key” builds the people’s confidence in the government in Singapore as it assures people that the country is in good hands. The Singapore government goes to extreme lengths to choose only the best leaders for our country. For example Mr. Lee Kuan Yew putting right leaders like Goh Chok Tong, S Dhanabalan as ministers. These leaders are recognized to be those with capability and have high moral standards. This would especially include honesty, which is regarded highly among leaders of Singapore. Honesty in leaders is crucial to allow the country to remain incorruptible. This in turn will instill confidence in the people as they know the government can be respected and t rusted with their affairs. Another aspect of leadership that the Singapore government focuses on is the ability to make the right, not only popular, decisions for the country. The government has realized the importance of making unpopular decisions for the sake of the country’s growth. As such Singaporeans will know that the government always has the best interests of the country, at heart. This will cause them to have increased conf idence in their leaders. Thus, the principle “Leadership is Key” builds the people’s confidence in the government in Singapore as it the people are aware that the country is helmed by capable and well - intentioned individuals. 2b) Another principle of governance is to “Anticipate Change and Stay Relevant” and it builds confidence in the government as it assures the people that our country never loses out in competitiveness. The Singapore government focuses its policies on being forward-looking to anticipate future challenges. One good example of this would be our efforts to become self- sufficient in its water supply. Currently, Singapore is getting its water from Malaysia. However our leaders are only too aware of the impending end of the water agreement in 2061. As such with a need to become self-sufficient, the government has made plans to produce NEWater, which is produced by processing sewage water, and desalinated water. The fact that the government pushed ahead with the production of these alternatives, sends a very strong message to the people; the government will do anything it its power to allow Singapore to remain self-sufficient and competitive such that the growth and status of our country will not be affected. This instills confidence in the people because they know that the government is anticipating the challenges tha t we cannot foresee now, to build a better place for the next generation of Singaporeans to live in. As such, the principle of governance is to “Anticipate Change and Stay Relevant” and it builds confidence in the government as it gives hope to the people that their children will have a better place to live in. The next principle of governance is “Reward for Work and Work for Reward” and it builds confidence in the government as it assures that each and every individual in the country is appreciated for the work that they do. The key idea of meritocracy in this principle aims to reward hard work and talent in the nation. The idea of reward for hard work encourages people to do better. Some examples of how these rewards are given include the, Edusave Scholarship and Merit Bursary schemes which reward the top 10-25% of students in schools and Institutes of Technical Education. This builds confidence in people because they know that the opportunities they are awarded are because of their own efforts and not bec ause of their race, religion or socio-economic background. As such it ensures that the children of the underpriviledged can compete on level ground with children from more affluent families. The introduction of the Progress Package in 2006, aimed to include more aspects of the people’s contribution under meritocracy. Under this scheme, the earnings of Singapore are equally shared among all, the elderly are aided to meet healthcare needs, low -wage workers are rewarded, low income households are receive help for living expenses, there is investment

PENCILTUTOR SCHOOL PTE. LTD. Co. Reg. No. 200601708E Blk 102, #02-135 Yishun Avenue 5 Singapore 760102 Tel: 62571231 Fax: 62571921 http://www.penciltutor.com 2 in the next generation and the contribution of NSmen are recognized. This sense of equality creates confidence in people because they know that they are not left out and that the country cares for them equally. As s uch the principle of governance is “Reward for Work and Work for Reward” as it shows people that they have an equal chance to improve their lives under the leadership of the Singapore government. Out of the two, the principle of governance is “Reward for Work and Work for Reward” can be said to be more important as it directly affects the lives and mentality of the people. People need to be encouraged to do their part to improve the country and to be shown that their efforts are appreciated. In order to do this, they must believe that they have a chance at succeeding. The principle of “Reward for Work and Work for Reward” does exactly that. Prove to people that the only thing that stands between success and failure, is themselves. This mentality will push them to work hard and in turn boost the country’s productivity, allowing for economic growth. The principle of Anticipate Change and Stay Relevant” is also important, however I would say that it is secondary because in a small country like Singapore, where people are our main resource, we need to find ways to maximize the potential of that resource. Although “Anticipate Change and Stay Relevant” gives opportunities for workers to improve themselves, if the mentality to want to improve in order to reach success is not there, there will be a lack of results. Thus the principle of governance is “Reward for Work and Work for Reward” can be said to be more important.

PENCILTUTOR SCHOOL PTE. LTD. Co. Reg. No. 200601708E Blk 102, #02-135 Yishun Avenue 5 Singapore 760102 Tel: 62571231 Fax: 62571921 http://www.penciltutor.com 3 3a) Lack of voting rights caused conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland as it increased the differences between the two religious groups. Before 1969, only those who had ownership over houses and businesses could vote. Each household was allowed 2 votes while companies were allowed more votes. The existing socio-economic gap at that time ensured that the richer Protestants, who owned more companies, received a larger portion of voting rights. In addition, the voting districts were drawn up such that a larger proportion of Protestants were included, thus overpowering the poorer Catholics in the region. As such it was inevitable that the Catholics felt extremely resentful at being unfairly treated. They felt that they were not given equal rights for voting thus causing a vicious cycle which would again lead to lack of improvements in lives of Catholics, due to the ruling government favouring Protestants. Eventually they decided to protest against the voting system. As such lack of voting rights caused conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland as it proved to the Catholics that they needed to fend for themselves either through protests or fights. 3b) Another cause of conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland is the lack of opportunities for social interaction as it ensured that the 2 social groups never understood each other. Northern Ireland’s education system ensured that fully funded public school’s only catered to Protestants while private schools catered to t