“I want to clarify that the mayors do not decide on the salaries, the increments, the bonuses of all our staff at the CDC.
“The mayors are political appointment holders. We chair the CDC to spearhead the CDC, to build a social safety net and help the people. That is our job. If you ask me, I do not know the salaries; I do not know the bonuses of all my staff.”
Dr Teo Ho Pin, Northwest CDC’s mayor , on rumours that two staff from the Northwest Community Development Council (CDC) received bonuses of eight months last year, including the 13th month bonus.
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20) Gigi ,
Thanks for the elaboration ! I certainly agree with you that there’s nothing much we can do except to re-evaluate our choice during the next GE.
the CDC staff getting 8 months bonus is an exemplification of how the civil service is being run, i.e. by GREED !
The insatiable appetite for more wealth has led our leaders to reward themselves with million dollar salaries and this evil deed has rippled its effect to all stratas of the civil service. These 2 CDC staff cannot be blamed as they are probably pegging their reward scheme to that of their leaders.
In chinese, this is “上 梁 不 正 下 梁 歪”
Where else on earth can you find such a job in CDC ? Lost millions in failed minibond investments and yet able to enjoy 8 months bonus ? What the heck is this? Has our govt lost its head ?
With such oversight and generosity in rewarding themselves, it is little wonder that we need to draw onto our reserve from our recent budget.
Dr Teo,
As the mayor it is now your priority task to motivate all your staff to give their best to the citizens of Singapore. When all your staff knows about this, many will be demotivated, especially when they receive little or no bonuses. So it is in your interests, not to mention all Singaporeans’ interests, for you to come out decisively and explain what is going on. Failure to do so will undermine the morale and motivation of many of your staff. This can lead to disillusions among them because of the perceived unequal and unfair compensation they are getting. This is not the time to quote confidentiality as it will lead to massive demotivation. Demotivated staff will make more mistakes, wittingly or unwittingly, so you must move fast to quell this rumour.
tai chi skill very good!
You guys stop harassing Dr. Teo, after all you are the people who put PAP in power.
If you think 8 months bonus is wrong, vote against PAP.
We should harass Dr Teo’s blog. It hasn’t been updated since May 2008. We have to blame the 77.2% of the Bukit Panjang Constituency who voted him. We should note that prior to the GE 2006, the Election Department partitioned the private estate area of Bukit Panjang to Holland-Bukit Timah GRC. What a nice way to ensure Dr Teo becomes a PAP MP.
Ok, I am willing to give this mayor a chance to explain. To get 7-8 months bonus, you have to deliver exceptional performance in this climate. For whatever reasons he does not know the salaries of his staff, he still has explanation to do on whether these staff have exceptional performance, and if so, it should be made public by now. In the private sector, your story has to be very convincing to get to this kind of payout, since almost all company budgets are shrinking. Also, refrain from saying that he does not know the performance of his staff.
Else, an investigation is definitely in order to stop suspiscions on poor funds management (at best) and abuse (at worst).
There is no accountability.
How do they measure 8 months, 12 months, etc; some consistently get 12 months bonus, a 100% increase in pay. They cannot talk about their low salary per month, we have to know their gross per annum.
mayor teo does not want to answer the question directly.
he just said that he does not know.
can’t he just find out and answer the question directly.
his pay is as good as private sector and his answer is “i don not know”.
look like govt job is overpaid with no accountability.
how can the residents vote and trust this kind of MP and mayor
who does not want to answer issue in his CDC ?
“In the private sector, it’s the same thing. The top performer of the company will normally get better bonuses as compared to the poor performers,”
Ask them to join the private sector lah and see whether they are still as creamy as ever.
Not suprising….
Money can buy loyalthy…..
Also elections round the corner
notice in adition ang mos are the best treated – soon all CEOs will be ang mos, maybe even president
We must let every citizenry know how screw up are the PAP appointed mayors, make sure MSM publish this issue if not use all other means to inform the majority singaporean who are still in the dark.
Dr in crapology??? not the first time commenting without using some of his brain cells..
I think it’s outrageous and definitely too much to pay 8 months’ bonus, with taxpayers’ money which is the public’s money. I would like Dr Ho to specify what sort of extra-ordinay performance should justify this huge sum of payout
in an government organisation, which is non-commercial or profit oriented
I’m very shocked to hear him said that it is not unreasonable given
9 months of good economic performance in 2008.
The question is, should they take the opportunity to reward themselves
so well with tax payers’ money that the private sector don’t even have
half of this sort of remuneration last year.
Obviously this CDC saga has caught the government and public service attention, and they are so anxious so that they assign dedicated staff to monitor the situation.
Teo is so caught up in the unexpected situation. Instead of brushing the comments off by saying ‘i-don-know’, he should at least excert some damage control by explaining why the satff could get 8 months bonus. From what I heard the excessive bonus is due to the very very low monthly pay of the staff, and to award the staff good performance during the year. The total renumeration package is still well within the limit capped by the public service guidelines. Maybe Teo should issue a press conference to clear off some doubts and misperceptions. From what I can see here are mostly grudges and complaints w/o knowing the details of it.
Do you recall the incident happen in National Kidney Foundation (NKF) headed by Mr Durai?
Who gave Durai this position?……It’s the PAP.
It’s the almost same scenario here. Dr Teo Ho Pin & his party will only investigate & action the issue only if election is round the corner. Since it is not, he just gave dump excuses.
God’s knows how much the PAP squander the Nation Money away.
Frankly speaking, what can the nation do? YOU vote for them, YOU gave them mandate.
Fellow citizens, do WISE UP in the next coming election or wait for the old man to kick the bucket……
[#40 Crap Shoot]
“Mr Teo Ho Pin, You do not know anything. So, why’re you an MP and a Mayor?”
Excellent question CS.
Ignorant people should never be placed in positions of power. They can cause serious damage, ignorantly or unwittingly.
Too many ignorant people, unfortunately for our society, seem to be in high positions in our governing body. And these same ignorant people seem to be paid well for their ignorance.
I think its only right that CDC staff, who are also civil servants serving the people as equal and comparable to the role of our ministers who are also serving the people, to get higher salaries in proportion to our multi-million ministers’ pay. With 8 months bonuses given to them is representative of our sense of proportion compared to the stress and the number of needy folks whom they are helping.
They have done a great job in training the needy folks to spend wisely with their meagre income and CDC reliefs and matching them with good jobs in their constituency. So they should be applauded and be rewarded even in recessionary times because their workloads of caring for the needys are even greater.
This Teo guy is either not telling everything or simply incompetent! Let’s us kick him out of his office. Please. it would in the nation’s interest to wack out incompentent leaders.
From the comments that have been posted so far, I conclude that there are many ignorant Singaporeans around. For many years I have known that civil servants, whichever department or ministry they are from, have been receiving hugh bonuses under the pretext of performance bonuses.
It starts with the lowest rung, which routinely receiveds 2 plus to 3 months’s bonuses every year. The higher they go, the more the number of months of bonuses they receive. Potentially the maximum is 18 months, for the PM. That is why he can end up with nearly $4 million, before the recent pay cut.
Between 18 months and 3 months, one can imagine many civil servants (some high ranking and middle ranking) have been receiving bonuses amounting to anything from 4, 5 , 6, 7 ,8 to 18 months’ pay.
There is really nothing shocking about the bonuses the 2 CDD staff received. It has been happening for years, and Singaporeans have allowed it to happen by their silence and inaction. To me the more shocking thing is the ignorance of Singaporeans.
“I want to clarify that the mayors do not decide on the salaries, the increments, the bonuses of all our staff at the CDC.”
In this case, Who IS the one who does so?
#7 Its shocking, their bonuses can go up to 18 months. I thought every year reported 2 to 3months for the whole year for civil servants. Thats mean they are not transparent all the while hiding this fact from the public. Really they are all very snaky with all the talk of honest and integrity government. This is really shocking. No wonder, we need a multi-billions dollars budget for the civil services. People of Singapore should call for reforms of our civil services.
The civil servants are the backbone of the PAPee especially the middle and top ranks, they are well paid and taken care of, so this are the grps that support PAP when election come.
Spirit-centred,
As I have mentioned before, 2 to 3 months is for rank-and-file civil servants. Wake up….
He should answer the ? or tell the media who they should refer to.
Now a lot of people should realise that we are all not in the same boat.
Our leaders always say, we will weather this recession together.
I want to ask by the way are we in the same boat? You people are
so highly paid, rich millionaires managing us, the poor ordinary citizens
feeling the squeeze for jobs from skilled and semi-skilled foreign
workers brought in to make our life even more difficult.
I think it’s all bullshit. Our lives have not become better, although
we pay higher government fees as compared to the past.
Our budget of $20b is so tiny
as compared to other developed countries but our goverment fees
are so much higher as compared to them. I think more Singaporean
should grow more aware of what is happening. The government
should give financial help to unemployed workers, who are the weakest
in the current situation.
I felt quite hopeless if there are no changes to the way things are.
There should be some kind of audit on government spending
and expenditure, whether remuneration for civil servants
is justifiable in consideration with factors like job stability
and not blindly peg to private sector pay. Don’t forget
where the money comes from, it’s tax payers’ money,
money from the public. What talent you are talking about,
when mistakes can be made and billions can be lost.
Singapore has no lack of talents, so we no longer need to take that as an excuse to pay high salary as there are so many talents out there who are jobless.
In this lean time, the government should watch and cut its own spending
and lower its expenditure so that the country can have more budget to help
the unemployed and fight the recession as a united nation.
Well done, at least the CDC is rewarding and their workers’ efforts are recognised.
#74) Money talk
” The civil servants are the backbone of the PAPee especially the middle and top ranks, they are well paid and taken care of, so this are the grps that support PAP when election come.”
…………………………………………………………………
I believe the top ranks like perm sec, directors – 99.9% voted for the PAP while the other ranks – maybe 80% voted for PAP. Plus those top ranks at the NTUC, PA, CDAC, NTUC-controlled unions, GLCs, govt-controlled NGOs, etc. So, how can the opposition parties win?
Chiam & Low retained their seats by the grace of the PAP. If they behave like Chee they would be fixed and removed from parliament.
I hope #38, #51, #67, #70 and others who believe in the survival of Singapore to do more than just give their one vote. We need a substantial number of opposition MPs to insure our country in the event the PAP becomes corrupt and inefficient in the future.
ITs TIME !
When Singapore is in recession – it is because of global recession.
Because Singapore’s recession is beyond the control of the NW CDC, they are “doing Singapore a favor” by giving out 8 months bonus to their staff.
After all CDC is “doing their part” to stimulate the Singapore economy.
Therefore 8 months bonus is peanut, just like NKF’s Durai’s CEO salary and his toilet bowl came with gold plated cover.
Thank you CDC, you have indeed done your part in minimizing the impact of the recession. I would therefore recommend that ALL CDC staff be rewarded with 8 months bonus. Why limit to 2 only???
I find this episode of generously giving out bonuses to civil servant very disturbing especially during this messy crisis. What good performance was Teo Ho Pin or Lee Boon Heng talking about? Is CDC a profit oriented organisation acting like private sector to justify obscene salaries and bonuses? Singaporean who really worked hard all these years got retrenched to make way for foreigner and did they get 8 month bonuses other than retrenchment compensation? Lim Boon Heng also strongly advocated that employers and employees must bite the bullet to cut cost through wages and bonuses, did he do the same? If this ministers are not conmen, what are they? Are Singapore a truly bigger NKF? I hope to see more worms crawling out from these so-called purer than white people.
$$$$ – Probably that is one reason that the civil servants will and must always vote for the ruling party. Cannot kill the golden goose!
How come Teo Ho Pin got Dr-prefix to his name? Does he have a PhD in Taichi from Authoritarian University of Burma?
8 months bonus?! What the hell is happening here?!?!! Here we are, worrying night and day about our jobs, and there we have two freaks who are getting their hands on the green! Man, this is like hitting the balls with a hammer. Looks like the term “Wall Street excess” has found its way right here. Right now, I want to find me a civil servant, tie him up with a piece of raw meat stuck in his mouth, and throw him into the croc enclosure of the zoo.
So, which one of you still think the ruling party will call for a general election this year?
This is pure outrage. How do they justify for the tax money we paid to them? Damn to these greedy and arrogant politician, who now even do not care or pretend to be helpful. Instead, they’d just simply brush off any question w/o providing details.
I forsee singapore will go down the drain in the near future. With economy shrinking and GDP nose-diving due to the stupid economy policies and idiotic investment decision, it’s no wonder that why people start to think and talk about migrating to other country. And worse off, replacement comes in the forms of foreign labour from china, india, and other asean country, it’ll surely create a lot of social problems.
87) SingEsc on March 17th, 2009 12.08 pm
This is pure outrage. How do they justify for the tax money we paid to them?
Actually, it is possible to justify. Say if the individuals are working 70hrs a week etc. However, the whole thing is poorly handled as if they have something to hide that the handling of the matter itself is another screw-up for PAP.
This group of PAP, the so-called national leaders, are very lousy.
Come on man….8 months bonus is only given in the private sector IF u have made a VERY substantial contribution to the company like helping increase the profits of the company or helped in extensive cost saving etc etc….the CDC do wat? Collect tax and parking fines more efficiently? LOL
You know? I want the Oppositions to prove that they can work just as well without the heavy salaries! LKY said we live in a real world. Obama is Real, Lincoln is Real, Japan is Real, Taiwan is Real, Singapore is Real, We are Real. We’re the only country who have Government comparing their pays to private sectors, we don’t see the other countries doing it. And it is NOT innovative to earn more money to do service for the people. Oppositions now have the chance to prove themselves what they can do and are capable of. Offer the Citizens pride, dignity and honesty, and in return we can, and we will offer Law and Order. Singaporeans online are starting to show unity in slamming what we deem injustice, and unity to reason. Offer us what we deem reasonable, and help the weak, secure the good, and keep yourself humble. These are what I as a citizen seek, I do not know what the others seek, but offer us such grand qualities, and I offer you my votes.
Greed, greeds and greedies !!!
Why is our society like this ???
Ridiculous.
Insensitive.
Not in the spirit of civil service. (haha)
We loss billions in our reserves. We are already digging into what’s left of our reserves and the civil servants are paying themselves huge bonuses??
We must show this govt that what the ppl can do. We the citizens of singapore are the bosses, we employed (voted u in) u the govt to manage the country and its finances as well as the welfare of its citizens. If this employee (govt) don’t performed to expectation and if found any misappropriating of funds/revenues and reserves from the country, he (govt) will be sacked once the time is up.
#77 “Our leaders always say, we will weather this recession together.
I want to ask by the way are we in the same boat?”
They are on a luxury cruise liner, speaking of we are in it together.
We are in boats with holes and plucking them, some sank and sinking.
This is reality, people!
We have paid for them to be in the crusie liner.
coming years we have the choice if we keep them there,
anyway we (singaporean) have to decide ourselves and take the chance.
Concerned Citizen (#88),
You raised a very good point. Nobody is actually interested in the names of the 2 CDC Northwest staff. All we want is the government disclosing the entire reward system of the CDC staff.
Link to the website is down. Articles have been removed from CNA and other local news websites.
A google cache link:
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:Y0duZ5YhZnQJ:www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/specialreport/news/415302_73/1/
CNA has removed the article from their website. Sigh.
Now, this is what a WOLRD CLASS leader would do:
Outraged Obama vows to block AIG bonuses
President Barack Obama Monday vowed to block multi-million-dollar bonus payouts by bailed-out insurer AIG as he confronted intensifying public anger against Wall Street excess.
The controversy escalated as New York state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo started to slap subpoenas on American International Group, after the crippled firm ignored a Monday afternoon deadline to divulge details of the bonuses.
Read more:http:
//sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20090317/tts-us-politics-insurance-public-aid-aig-972e412.html
Dr Teo said first 9 months economy is very good, only last 3 months not good,
so it’s not unreasonable to pay 8 months’ bonus. But does he know that
in fact from october 2008, many organisations in the private sector have already started cost cutting measures like retrenchments, pay and bonus cuts.
So how can a non-commercial and non-profit goverment organisation like the CDC be so insensitive about what is going on and proceed to give such
generous bonus, despite the fact that Singapore has fallen into recession.
Does the government still have a feel for the people?
I belong to Gen X, middle aged and have voted twice in my life.
Gone are the days when MPs do walkabout personally and
ask about how we are doing and any problems we face
which they can help. I can sensed their humility and I
appreciated that.
Nowadays, MPs doesn’t need to do that to earn their own merit
as they are often sheltered in a GRC and get elected almost
effortlessly, which is something I don’t feel right at all.
I don’t agree with having GRC for the sake of the so-called synergy and
cost savings to run the town councils. What is the point of the cost savings,
where we don’t see much reduction in conservancy charges and
the extra funds get invested and ended up with losses.
With GRC, we run the risks of bringing in MPs who are inefficient
and can do without.
I appeal to the government to leave all seats single ward,
we want to have a fair election. We don’t want GRC.
An election is an election. Management of town councils
is a separate matter, can come later. Anyway,
the two opposition town councils have proven
that single ward constituency can be efficiently run too.
So what is the problem?
In fact sometimes I wondered Singapore is so small, why
do we need so many MPs and ministers and senior ministers.
Can’t we reduce the number to cut costs and government expenditure,
especially that is what happens in the private sector, a leaner
structure during lean times.
There are so many people out there needing help,
especially the unemployed workers, housewives
and single income families but sad to say, there is
very little or no help given to them even during this crisis.
I believe that many civil servants and business licence holders
tend to vote for the ruling party, that’s why the ruling party is always
assured of winning.
I appeal to all Singaporean, not to be so selfish
and just think of themselves, to care for the plight
of their fellow citizens.
Vote wisely.
Let us be united to elect our leaders whom we
respect and who deserve our vote.
WASHINGTON – Joining a wave of public anger, President Barack Obama blistered insurance giant AIG for “recklessness and greed” Monday and pledged to try to block it from handing its executives $165 million in bonuses after taking billions in federal bailout money. “How do they justify this outrage to the taxpayers who are keeping the company afloat?” Obama asked. “This isn’t just a matter of dollars and cents. It’s about our fundamental values.”
Read more here and watch the video:-
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090317/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_aig
Passing the buck is the specialty of our civil servants.