~by: Leong Sze Hian~
I refer to the report of the Ministerial pay review committee (Review Committee’s full report HERE).
Whose pay grew more?
Since the new benchmark is the median income of the top 1,000 earners who are Singapore citizens with a 40% discount, why is there no data as to what this figure was, on a yearly basis, over the last 10 years?
Without this data, how do we tell what was the annualised growth rate for the last 10 years?
Who had a higher annualised growth rate? – Ministers or the “top 1,000”?
Given that we took seven months to conduct the review, I am rather surprised that this is missing, as some may say isn’t this rather obvious to enable a thorough review?
Actual versus benchmark data?
Actually, citing the MR4 benchmark data for the last 10 years, may be somewhat meaningless, because I believe it does not include the bonuses paid, and thus not the actual total Ministerial pay received.
What we need to know is the actual average Ministerial pay versus the new “top 1,000” benchmark including the new National Bonus average, to determine another dimension into whose annualised growth rate was higher?
For example, if the “top 1,000”’s annualised growth rate was say higher than Ministerial pay, then the current reduction may be restored in just a few years’ time.
It may even be much higher after that, relative to the current formula.
Perhaps what we also need to know is the actual total pay of each Minister, without disclosing their names.
Even after this extensive review, Singaporeans may still don’t know exactly how much each Minister or band of Ministers were paid.
Easy bonus targets?
With regard to the National Bonus Matrix, achieving a Real Median/Lowest 20th Percentile Income Growth Rate for Singapore Citizens of just 0.5 per cent, will qualify for a 50 per cent Payout level.
This may arguably be one of the lowest targets that I have seen, to get a bonus.
Since the unemployment rate of Singaporeans is now at 3 per cent, by giving the maximum 200 per cent Payout level on just 3.5 per cent or lower, may arguably be the easiest target to get a maximum bonus.
With GDP growth expected to slow to one to three per cent next year, and which may be sluggish for the next two years, will the new formula result in a higher bonus, since no GDP bonus would be paid for GDP growth of 2 per cent or less under the current formula?
Also, since the unemployment rate for Singaporeans was only available recently this year, as in the past it was always lumped together with permanent residents (PRs) under the resident unemployment rate, was the committee privy to the past years’ Singaporean rate which Singaporeans still do not have access to now?
Pension to CPF?
With the change from pension to CPF, has the additional employer’s CPF contribution, tax deduction on the employee’s CPF contribution and accrued interest, been accounted for in the inputed pension pay reduction under the new formula?
Deterring real talents?
What the new formula may fail to address, may be the fundamental issues that we may be attracting some people with the wrong motivation, such as those that may quit if they suffer their first loss in a general election.
Or the high pay may deter talented, successful, wealthy and high income Singaporeans from serving, as long as their relatives, friends and the general public may chide them as being in it more for the money.
The respect for and pride of public service which were arguably universally accepted in the past may have been diminished by the high Ministerial pay.
So, are we paying so much that we may be deterring some real talents from serving our nation?
By the way, how many of those who became Ministers earned more than the “top 1,000” benchmark, before they became Ministers?
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Their salary part should add in their real profession, whether they are Doctor, Lawyer, Army General, etc. Look into their last drawn Private Salary and compare the “sacrifices” they had made. Add in another component “Heart” if they really want to do the job or being “Forced” into it? There is no one else so you do it!
High salaries to justify keeping corruption at bay. Say whatever you want.
But how about disallowing directorships for MPs, official office bearers, to ward off cronyism. That’s a direct relationship.
Debate this in Parliament!!!!!
I so want to hear Parliament LIVE!
IMO, I think the current ministry of people are not lousy nor are they talents. They are just mediocre like many of us. They might have realised the imminent problems, they might not have, but they definitely chose the easy way out to solve the problem which any mediocre can think of. Do we need to pay millions to mediocre to think of solutions that most people on the streets can think of? If you ask yourself truthfully, without betraying your conscience, have at any one point in time when a policy or decision is made by the ministry, you shouted out “What a good idea!” or “Why didn’t I think of that?”.
The reason why Singapore are running reasonably well is because they are riding on the foundations previously set by more capable leaders. Anybody can see that problems are arising and not rectify. The good credits the current ministry of people are riding on are slowly using up and more and more infrastructure, social and welfare problems surfacing. People voices are the voices of the problems. The request of the people are not unreasonable. Anybody in the right state of mind would understand that a politician should not hold more than 1 position, be paid more than one salary in political or non political office during his time of service because of conflict of interest. Having a salary equivalent to the international standard will not result in corruption easier if the choice of candidates is carefully selected based on capabilities and moral values of the person instead of ‘yes man’ ability.
The CPIB should be independent and given more authority doing constant checks on the ministry of people. Reviews and auditing to be done yearly. Review and auditing committee must be independent international panel.
The ruling party has been labelled as “legally corrupted”, “ruling with an iron fist”, data manipulators and many more. With such thinking in at least 40% of the population, do you still think the ruling party has done a good job? It is still not too late to rectify the problem.
“Their salary part should add in their real profession, whether they are Doctor, Lawyer, Army General, etc. Look into their last drawn Private Salary and compare the “sacrifices” they had made.”
Sacrifices? I doubt it. At most, privacy levels, loss of family time and attracting endless criticisms. Which are sacrifices for taking up public office.
Their families appear to have benefitted from handsome materialistic gains. Bigger cars, more holidays, more bling, more investments. So thick-skinned these days. I think Singaporeans would not be this upset if they had been discreet and humble.
I read the papers and recoil when Grace Fu talk about sacrifices. Ask her how much she is earning in PSA and how much she is earning now even after the review?? You will be shock by the pay increase! Is Grace Fu a talent??? Come on, there are a tens of thousands of singaporeans more qualified than her. She is just a ordinary commerce student in JC, my god!!!
Let’s us take a look at what Deng Xiao Peng has accomplished for China with leadership by example. During the 1970s, while our leaders kept boasting of their leadership and talent making all the attempts to be paid more monies, Deng has demonstrated that though he has all the political power for himself, he has nevertheless declined to cling to power or gains for himself but instead gone ahead to build a dedicated team of leaders which succeeded in achieving leaps and bounds making China an economic power while we become a divided and morally weak nation. So, all the assumptions made about leadership are false. We have attracted only fake leaders. The earlier all these assumptions are thrown overboard the better for us as a nation.
I think the matrix for the National Bonus is a joke. While the principle to correlate the bonus with income growth of the median and bottom 20%, etc is in the right direction, the quantum guidelines is out-of-this-world disproportionate.
Assuming a 2% real income growth for the bottom 20%, they get 100% payout for that component of the matrix, which 25% of 3-months, that is 0.75 months. This is equivalent to an additional of 6.25% of bonuses (0.75 months over 12 months fixed salary).
6.25% bonuses for real income growth of the bottom 20% by a mere 2% ??
@Grace Fu, if you are miles better than the real Grace Fu, please do us all a favour. Join politics and kick her out.
Government serves the nation and its people.
It just doesn’t make sense with these astronomical salary for reasons to fight against corruption in government and to attract talents.
Learn from the pioneers! If they (the bunch of MIWs) are really so PATRIOTIC, make sacrifices and serve with a minimum salary! MIWs, JUST DON’T BE SO IDIOTIC!
DO NOT JUST SACRIFICE THE COUNTRY AND ITS CITIZENS IN FAVOUR OF MIW YOURSELF!
MERDEKA, SINGAPURA!
MERDEKA, SINGAPURA!
MERDEKA, SINGAPURA!
Dear Singaporeans,
For the last 20 years we have been swindled by PAP through their self proclalimed Ministerial salaries and hoodwinked to believe that if these rewards were not paid we will have less calibre ministers.
If these Papies had been sincere we would not have the mass exodus of FTs, Housing, Transport, Education and hospitalisation cost increases.
Since the 80s when they implented ERP, all the Papies implemented was to snatch our precious salaries from us.
It started with ERP, followed by late payment charges for all bills, and reminder fees of 0.50cts. Now in 2012 these charges has not stopped. Even POSB deducts from the poor $2/- if you don’t have a minimum sum of $500/-.
All these earnings by the various Ministries have been spend on themselves. Self Gratification of the Ministers and Ministries to the highest degree.
Just visit MOM and you will realise the loos of 5 star hotel standards.
Enough is enough the Papies had cheated us for the last 20 years by self gratification, greed and grandoisemnents.
Why is Grace Fu making such a post on her Facebook page? As an MP, she should not be making such statements.
“When I made the decision to join politics in 2006, pay was not a key factor. Loss of privacy, public scrutiny on myself and my family and loss of personal time were. The disruption to my career was also an important consideration. I had some ground to believe that my family would not suffer a drastic change in the standard of living even though I experienced a drop in my income. So it is with this recent pay cut. If the balance is tilted further in the future, it will make it harder for any one considering political office.”
The core problem we are having with ministerial pay even after the review is that we cannot have a monetary reward system that is attracting the wrong type of people like Grace Fu, TSL etc
The ruling party sense of self entitlement is disgusting.
Mr Leong,
The top 1000 Singapore citizens earners have a lower annualised growth rate because the old ministers’ benchmark was based on the top 8 earners in 6 professions including citizens, PRs and others. Overall, ministers are getting a pay cut. Question is enough or not?
It’s clear in the report that review committee took into account all bonuses and cpf in both the old salaries and new proposed salaries.
Bonus targets should be debated by the parliament in a transparent manner.
More people might step up to serve as few hundreds of thousands is really not much difference for someone who is really willing and able.
Toplendide mendax 5 January 2012,
I am tickled pink by your “IMO, …” reference. We all know who you are referring to I trust. A bungling mind who bungled big time especially after Dr. Goh Keng Swee step out of the PAP shoes in 1984 and his followers too in succession. And the bungler didn’t stop at one because GCT proclaimed as PM that “The less you have the more they have” too!
So what’s the moral of the story from this bungler’s bungling? Well, simply put it worked out “prophetically” and more importantly for the bungler is that for the majority of Singaporeans “The we have the more they have”! True?
Sorry typo corrtn… It should be “TO plendide mendax 5 January 2012,”
Its a pity Gerald Ee refuses to answer any further question besides from those specifically invited to the forum. And the Q&A session was not available for viewing.
And it is a greater disservice to his work that a more enquiring mind like that of Mr. Leong was not invited to the forum, I presume.
PM Lee should conduct a survey amoung the current batch of office-holders with this question – Did you join the government for $$$$?
To help these PAP people to be honest, leave out the names.
I’m sure most, if not all, will said $$$ is not the 1st factor (understandable since most are quite rich as it is).
But I’m also quite sure that most are like Grace Foo, $$$ is not important initially since they’ll enjoy swimming in the limelight of being a cabinet minister, then when the novelty wears off, $$$$ become more & more important.
PAP ministers forget that there is life after steping down from the government. The ever-ready tailor-made positions avaliable at temesak are waiting for them even before they leave office.
There is nothing to lose joining PAP government, but so much to gain.
Of course, PAP ministers must sound pitiful & bitter so as hide their glee from singaporeans.
The very fact that such a deep cut of 30 to 50 percent still leave their salaries well above and many times more than the salaries of officeholders in major superpowers, shows something significant and indeed sinister about the characters of these lot of men and women in Parliament.
They are greedy and are not adverse to use the Rule of Law, State Institutions and the secret police to keep them in power and extract such eye popping largesse. They have pocketed King’s ransom for 17 years and now have the temerity to erect a sycophantic committee to redress their salaries ostensibly to more descent level!
No one would have predicted that this home grown political party which rescued us from Britain and Malaysia can turn on us with such singleminded ferocity, demanding blood sucking salaries which might become the 8th wonder of the World. Historians would record their hegemony as the Age of Inordinate Greed.Don’t forget, the PAP did not do all this by themselves. They harnessed State Institutions, the Judiciary, world opinion and kept a stable of secret police to thrash those in the populace who voice up. Indeed those who suffered under their hands are still with us, most thoroughly destroyed.
Now after the bogus Review of their salaries by their slaves, we have still to pay them the millions, which is still several fold the remuneration of anuy officeholder in the countries in the forefront of this world. Singaporeans are a long suffering people.
I’ve not read the report as yet but based on the news I read so far, it raises a number of questions in my head:
(1) what is the composition of the 1000? Does in include top civil servants and top executives in stat boards and GLCs?
(2) was CPF payments factored in? (as you have mentioned in your article)
(3) transparency of the data to be used to generate the statistics for national bonus payments
(4) will the actual annual total compensation of the ministers be disclosed to ensure that there is no “gaming” of the bonus system?
Why should the PM of a tiny nation be paid 6x the salary of the President of US, a country with over 60x the population of Singapore and with problems a thousand times more complex to handle. This is a Madoff-styled ponzi scheme developed by the LHL and his rapacious Merrymen…..be it but more money = less votes. We want altruistic leaders not mercenaries and we shall show you the door in 2016…Lee, just you wait and see….its too little too late!!!
“just 0.5 per cent, will qualify for a 50 per cent Payout level.”
The POOREST worker, perhaps those cleaning table earning $650 gets $3.25 increment PER MONTH and the MILLIONASS PAP BASTARDS GET BONUS TOTALING 100s of THOUSANDS.
THAT’s THE ABSURDITY of THE EEEEEE FORMULA. SET A STANDARD THAT IS SO MEANINGLESS THAT IS LUDICROUS IF NOT DISGUSTING.
EEEE IS JUST ANOTHER CRONY OF THE PAP. THE ENTIRE PANEL IS BEING CALLED INTO QUESTION WITH THEIR RIDICULOUS FORMULA.
BENCHMARK was ARBITRARILY SET THEN 17 years ago. IT IS EVEN MORE SO NOW WITH THE EEEEEEEEE FORMULA.
JUST HYPOCRITES PAYING THEMSELVES ANd Sucking blood from Singaporeans.
The committee says there is no hidden cost in the salary structure. When it proposes the political holders get CPF, that would be a hidden cost. When they get such high salaries, I think the CPF contributions would be large. For such high salaries, would they need their employer to help them to save for their retirement?
Their medical benefit is a joke. Why is it included?
Based on the remuneration of Lee Hsien Loong and his cabinet, at their level of monetary resolution debated and confirmed by the Review Committee yesterday, they are really capable people and should try their hands at the wide world of commerce. They look like the caliber of Bill Gates one and all, and should not waste their talents on us, mere daft citizens of a small island at the tip of the Asiatic continental mass.
These talented men and women should not waste their precious life on us but should venture out into the wide wide world to make ther fortune and their mark, if not to the level of Bill Gates at least to the level of Madoff perhaps?
Its a shame to open their palms and beg publicly.
PM responsibility is way below US president. His workload is even lighter as he has so so ..many helpers. They have increase their salary over the years to such an obscene level, this pay cut is really peanuts. If they remove the variable components of the package which is so excessive, then the amount is acceptable. If not it is still overly excessive.
Its a shame to have to negotiate with us daft citzens of Singapore, how many millions for this man, for that esteemed fellow, for that exceptional personage who mans the Istana and that fellow who moderates speeches in Parliament and those wet behind the ears budding politicians. Just leave us to our devices and punch your way high into the business world for which judging by the remuneration you get and still demand you will all soar above this island state’s GDP. You with your superb abilities can have a salary the size of the GDP itself and not just a slither of it as predicated by LKY.
You know… I don’t think CSM lost too much privacy. He goes about his daily stuff like a normal person. Cuts hair at $10 barber shop, etc.
It’s only pple like Grace Fu, who suddenly thinks herself to be impt because she is MP, and cannot associate with common folk anymore, that resulted in her ‘loss of privacy’.
Did they include ministers MP allowances?
@georgia tong,
Your question has been answered by Lee Hsien Loong,PM himself on TV in 2011. He said that the Ministerial salaries must be at such a high level to compensate those personages for not having lucrative speaking assignments and book royalties once they leave office, unlike their western counterparts! Holy Cow! Must we the citizenry compensate them for their lack of stature on the world stage, for their mediocrity such that no one wants to hear of them or from them?
The PM is a Cambridge Mathematical scholar, in a University famed for the likes of Newtion , Dirac, Turing. I wonder what happened to his mind when he pleads so stupidly for his own salary and that of his cohorts. Filthy lucre does corrupt the best of minds.
oic…so to be a minister/mp..privacy is lost? so? even billgates also anyow smoked ganjas..do you see him complaint the lack of privacy?
wah singapoor minister/mp think they are billy idol har?
do you see simwonghoo bein a private man hide behind his jurong buildin?
he also go to funan creative office to serve ANY customer…
“When I made the decision to join politics in 2006, pay was not a key factor. Loss of privacy, public scrutiny on myself and my family and loss of personal time were. The disruption to my career was also an important consideration. I had some ground to believe that my family would not suffer a drastic change in the standard of living even though I experienced a drop in my income. So it is with this recent pay cut. If the balance is tilted further in the future, it will make it harder for any one considering political office.”
———————————————————————
It is shocking to hear that from a MP (Grace Foo). She doesn’t even have the basics to serve the people. So is this the kind of talent the ruling party enlist and attract with high salary?
More and more shocking discovery. Best is yet to come.
If one has a high and mighty mindset. It is impossible to serve. To be a great leader is to be a great servant to all. Even the people on the streets knows this. The spotlight, title and obscene salary has gotten too much into her head. How can we has such a MP to be in the ministry.
I saw George Quek in the committee. I am boycotting breadtalk!
Dear Prime Minister,
I truly believe that you and your team aspire to do your best for Singapore and its future. Unfortunately, I think in this period of transition from old guard to new, the ground (electorate & the world) has changed and in the process the PAP has lost touch with people you are trying so hard to serve.
You see, Mr. Prime Minister, the citizens of this country have somehow lost touch with you and your team and no longer identify themselves with you. On the one hand, you wish to be servants of the people but on the other hand by demanding a salary pegged to the top 0.03% of the Singapore population you have by action alienated yourself from the other 99.97% of the electorate. The percentage discount from the median salary of this group no longer matter because you have made it clear to us that you do not belong with us, the 99.97%, period! So your salary cut may be noble but futile at the same time. Your citizens see your interest as aligned to the top 0.03% of the population so how can you be a servant of the people? What would have been wiser in my view is for your team to adopt a formula that is a multiple of a larger segment of the population that is seen as not too distant that the population cannot associate with. So even if you have to peg it to say the top 5-10% of the median salary, it would have been something closer to the ground.
Please understand that most of your poor citizens do not quite know what the top 0.03% of private sector employees are like and why they earn such astronomical amount of monies that you have pegged yourself to. All they can see is that if their CEOs make a blunder, they (CEOs) will vanish the next morning and they themselves are subjected to such harsh employment practices. However in the case of your team, failures in public policies in recent years ranging from security breaches, flooding, transportation, public housing, overcrowding etc. are accepted and tolerated. To your citizens mistakes are meant for fallible people like themselves but not for the wisest and brightest whom you and your team are projecting yourself to be when you identify yourself with the top 0.03%!
You lament the lack of talented people willing to serve and fear that lowering the salaries may reduce this pool further. Prime Minister, I observe that we have developed a national disease of trying to solve every ills and problems with monetary incentives or disincentives. For instance, using ERP / COE to remove road congestion, money for more babies, higher surcharges to encourage more taxis on the road, fines for not flushing toilets, more monies for more ministers etc. Perhaps I suggest that you undertake a paradigm shift and look beyond monies to resolve national problems but instead focus perhaps on opening up the country and easing the political environment so that more free spirited and talented people are willing to step forward. I believe there are many capable people out there but unfortunately not falling within your limited circle of elites that you feel comfortable with.
Thank you.
In GE2011, PAP won 60% vote.
After that GE, with so many happenings, like Ministers’ salary review, MRT breakdown, orchard flood again, foreign matters influx and etc…, PAP is predicted to win about 50% only.
Remember my word.
I say ABOUT, that is less than or at most equal to 50%.
@BillyMa
You are absolutely right! All these ministers after stepping down from their respective posts or port-folios were all well looked after and I am sure there is no difficulty for them in landing up with a cushy position in the private sector in view of their experience in cabinet.
Unless I am wrong, I cannot possibly recall a single instance of a minister (save for the old PAP guard like Toh Chin Chye, Ong Pang Boon) after leaving his/her post was not able to secure a good position in the private sector.
That is really is besides the point. The more important point is the mindset of the committee which equated the running of a country to be synonymous with a company tagged to the top 1000 earners in the private sector. The comparison and benchmark adopted is egregiously flawed whether you use the top 8 or 1000 or 5000 earners is used as the yardstick for determining the appropriate remuneration. The yardstick that should be used or ought to have been used is to compare the remuneration packages of the respective prime ministers/presidents of the top 20 industrialized nations. Suffice to say, even after the reductions, which were within the contemplation of all after the outrage of ministers’ pays raised in the elections, the current salary packages for the cabinet are still grossly and astronomically out of this world in comparison to the sacrifices they have to make. For those who claim loss of privacy, salary packages if they would to join the government – if that the motivation it would be better that they remain in the private sector and contribute accordingly to the country in that way.
I’m an ordinary guy with no political affiliation/preference. But I read/listen with an open mind arguments put forth from both sides of the political divide, to have a clearer picture of the issue.
There are a lot of posters who expressed their stand that the proposed cut(%) is still not sufficient. I’m curious as to what that cut(%) shld be b4 it is sufficient. And MOST importantly, the reason(s) WHY such cut(%) is preferred. And list out clearly the fundamental and underlying PRINCIPLES that are being used for such a proposed political salary benchmark. I am interested to know.
Actually, the citizen unemployment rate since 2001 is publicly available here:
http://www.mom.gov.sg/Publications/mrsd_singaporeans_in_the_workforce.pdf
The people give the mandate . So the duties of the politicians are to serve the people fairly for all levels, not only the elites. They can claim that the country is first world country but in reality most of the people are living with third world standard quality of living. The people should be getting first world income and quality of living. All Singaporeans deserve these not only the elites minority. Thats why we have the uproar and discontents.
@Bay Song,
Don’t try to be innocent. Look around the world and see whether any government office holder has more than 1/6 of the present salaries of these Singapore ministers. Even after the review, do your arithmetic and see whether the cut is meaningful.
Why should Singapore Ministers and other Singapore office holders earn so much more ( 5 times more after the pay cut recommended )than those countries who lead the world, like US, UK, Germany, France, Australia, Russia, China, Japan. Do you not suspect that a massive overwhelming robbery of the citizenry ar gunpoint is taking place right here and now by Lee Hsien Loong and his father. It was his father who started this collossal pay scheme for himself and his cohorts after he was sure that his Judges and ISD are in place to support him.
Don’t tell me that LKY or LHS is hagving more responsibility than these leaders of Superpowers.
Do not let the Review Committee smoke you. They may look normal but actually they are out to curry favor with the Ruling Elite and gain even more assignments and wealth at the table of the PAP.
Once you let pass this review, and cowaedly make no protest, there is no more barrier for the PAP to pay themselves what they like, when they like.
We should not just focus on Salary reviews.
I agree with some Posters here.
What about all the “so many” Directorship in so many Companies ?
I am sure quite a substantial degree of Cronyism or Nepotism has been happening ?
Shouldn’t we be aslo be “wary” of all these “Many Directorships” ?
I don’t think they are “Superman”,
Stop “kidding or assuming that we are Dafts ” !!!!
George Quek ? Another Bootlicker lah !
How to “trust” his judgement ? He is Pro Business and of course Pro Pappies.
Answers to many of the questions raised here and elsewhere can only be answered in Parliament. I still maintain that we must have a sizable number of opposition members in the supreme body of our Democratic society to question the ruling party. You can cry and shout all you want outside Parliament and the government can ignore you as you have agreed to abide by the majority who have voted them in. It is within their power to ignore you. Accountability and changes can only come about at parliamentary level. Maybe the consolation that we have now is that at least some of our fellow men are now beginning to see the reality of the situation .So I hope my fellow singaporeans will now be more vigilant and be more discerning in giving the mandate to the ruling party.
I see so many jobless Singaporeans. Yet, I see lots of shake legs civil servants.
Worst, these ppl do not have goals in life but great at burning budget.
I am getting sick and tired of Singapore system.
SICK.
Ms Grace Fu, Your remark that you have sacrificed with a drop of pay in entering politics cannot be confirmed because Mr. Gerald Ee has not provided critical information on ministers’ pre-existing pays prior to taking up ministers’ posts. Also he has not provided relevant information showing how much were the ex-ministers paid by private sector after leaving office. So the whole rationale of Lee Kuan Yew that ministerial pays should be pegged to top earners in the private sector to attract talent to government is not proven. On the contrary the bottom 70% seem to have suffered during past ten years or so drop in their standards of living as can be verified from the Comcare statistics due to overtaxing and land sale and privatization profiteering schemes by the government. As the rationale has not been proven by the review committee it should be rejected and not be allowed with recommending of the world’s highest iron ricebowl pays for the ministers.
The Ministerial Review Report is just crap proposed by a Committee of boot-lickers for the benefit of their masters!
The Report is full of errors according to Kenneth Jeyaretnam is his Reinventing The Rice Bowl Blog.
What’s missing in our current Ministers is the passion to serve ordinary Singaporeans. For this, at least Gerard Ee had the good sense to cut off their ridiculous pension scheme. I hope LHL will take on this recommendation.
First and foremost they raised their salary sky high and now they say is much reduced.
Same goes to hdb flats’prices and other costs of living.
First they jack up the hdb price by pegging to resale market and then they say they subsidise by giving hefty grants.
First they jack up utilities bills and then they say they help the citizens by giving utlities save.
Conclusion is: these obscene pay had made them fail to see the suffering and the struggling of the ordinary citizens. With heads above the clouds they will never be able to empathise with people on the ground. And the ground keeps swelling each passing day only to be sighted in full reality in 2016.
You know, we are not fools. Sacrifices … they are all relative. The high-ranking private sector individuals have their sacrifices and the lack of family time is perhaps far worse because of a lot of business travels.
Standard of living … again is relative. USD2,000 a night hotel accommodation overseas? Business or First class travel? $500 a pop degustation dining per person? $2,000 for a pair of shoes? Not one but 2 or 3 maids? Not one but 2 or 3 cars?
Who has joined politics and remained humble and thrifty? Who became showy? It’s tax payers’ money. We have unemployment, starving families, people who can’t afford to buy their HDBs … How do you expect Singaporeans to accept that you are high up there, and the poor families at the bottom are suffering. You don’t fix this right, there will be social unrest. And I don’t want that for our Singapore.
MAKE REMUNERATION TRANSPARENT
‘The committee has chosen not to incorporate any long-term performance bonus, which is increasingly being used in the private sector to encourage executives to consider long-term implications of their decisions. As the impact of government policies may only be known after some time, the same argument can be made for some kind of long-term performance bonus, by reducing the annual bonus components.
However, the committee may understandably feel that this is too difficult to implement. In place of this, the Government will need to have better systems in place to monitor the effects of policies. There have been some policies where problems have been apparent for some time, but little action was taken to review these policies in a timely manner.
In order to build trust in the system, there should be adequate disclosure and transparency. The Government should publish an annual remuneration report with a detailed breakdown of salary and other remuneration components for each minister. If pay is fair, there is really nothing to hide.’
This artile by Mr Mak Yuen Teen sums it all what the Singaporeans consensus would be.