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I attended some of the most popular schools in Singapore, studied overseas and landed my dream job when I returned.迷你倉最平To some, these may be measures of success. But the truth is, luck also played a part. There were external factors involved, such as being born healthy into a family with the means to provide for me.Thanks to this, I had a good educational environment (of course, I worked hard at school too), made friends along the way who broadened my mind, and was able to choose a job that interested me without worrying if I could put food on the table.Around me are friends who have moved along the same trajectory. We have benefited from a meritocratic system, but did not get to where we are based purely on our own efforts.As the debate on meritocracy continues in Singapore, the idea of a "compassionate meritocracy" has gained traction. But just how can Singapore make its meritocracy more compassionate?In his New Year message, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong outlined what the Government would do to ensure Singapore stays inclusive. It will keep society open and mobile through education, so that anyone can rise regardless of his family background. It will also help those who are struggling by strengthening social safety nets.Mr Lee touched on similar themes in his speech at last month's People's Action Party convention.Still, the Government's policies and programmes can only do so much.To inject heart into the meritocratic system that has propelled Singapore from Third World to First, those at the top must also play a part, by recognising they have succeeded not simply because they are better than the rest.The recurrent theme of meritocracy in Singapore's success story has inadvertently promoted an elitist way of thinking - that those who have s迷你倉cceeded are deserving because they made it by dint of their own hard work and intellect.The corollary is that those who did not succeed were just as deserving of their lot, as they were lazy or less smart.As a result, there is sometimes a lack of compassion towards their predicament.This manifests at the workplace, for example, in the form of pay discrimination based on qualifications.It is not uncommon that graduates and non-graduates performing the same roles get paid different amounts, just because one has a degree and the other a diploma.While it may be logical to use past performance as a selection criterion for, say, deciding who to hire, using it to determine current merit leads to inequitable reward structures in the workforce, and penalises choices made in the past.A better way might be to reward people for their current contribution. A meritocracy, after all, would be more compassionate if it forgives people who may have made mis-steps, and provides more entry points to success.If we choose to pigeonhole and stereotype people in the name of meritocracy, based on their past achievements or lack of it, it will eventually breed more resentment and polarisation.Already, there is some angst among certain segments of the population about the elitism of people at the top, who may feel they are the sole architects of their own success and see no need to help those at the bottom.The truth, as my experience shows, (though I am far from the top) is that while hard work plays a part, it is not only the deserving who make good.Recognising that fortune plays some part would hopefully instil a sense of humility, which would encourage the haves to give back by helping the have-nots.yuenc@sph.com.sgCheck out .singapolitics.sg for more views and newsmini storage