Committee set up to review Singapore ministerial pay
-
in any corporate organizations, they would do this by benchmarking using the best and transparent practices...vetted by external auditors...
it would be ideal if an independent committee representing the public should be involved as observers and/or enquirers helped by a selected panel of experts....
-
It shd be pegged to median income of the Singaporean.
-
Singapore to cut huge salaries of President and Cabinet
Posted: 22 May 2011 1740 hrSINGAPORE: The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has spelt out the terms of reference for the review of salaries for the President and political appointment holders.
It issued a statement on Sunday, a day after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the formation of a committee to review political salaries.
The PMO statement said the review will cover the President, Prime Minister, political appointment holders and Members of Parliament (MPs).
The committee's terms of reference will be to review the basis and level of salaries "to help ensure honest and competent government".
The committee should take into account salaries of comparable jobs in the private sector and also other reference points such as the general wage levels in Singapore.
The statement added: "The committee should also take into account the following guidelines:
a. while the salary of the President should reflect the President's high status as the head of state and his critical custodial role as holder of the second key, it should also take into account the fact that unlike the Prime Minister he does not have direct executive responsibilities except as they relate to his custodial role;
b. the salary of ministers should have a significant discount to comparable private-sector salaries to signify the value and ethos of political service."
The government will base its new salaries on these recommendations.
Prime Minister Lee has decided that the new salaries will take effect from the day the new government took office, which is 21 May.
As for the President's salary, the statement said it will commence from the new term of the President.
However President S R Nathan has informed Prime Minister Lee that he, too, will adopt the new salary from 21 May.
Singapore ministers are among the highest paid in the world. Their salaries are currently pegged to two-thirds of the median salary of the top eight earners in six professions in the private sector.
This meant ministers' pay could still rise despite economic recessions, stoking public anger as the income gap between rich and poor Singaporeans widened through the years.
Singapore has long justified the salaries as necessary to attract talent and prevent corruption but they became one of the hottest issues in the May 7 General Election.
At the swearing-in ceremony for the new Cabinet on Saturday, Prime Minister Lee said that "politics is not a job or a career promotion" but "a calling to serve the larger good of Singapore". He noted that Singaporeans have genuine concerns over the present ministerial salaries.
"Hence I am appointing a committee to review the basis and level of political salaries. The committee will be chaired by Mr Gerard Ee, Chairman of Changi General Hospital and Chairman of NKF," he said.
"The inclination, obviously, once the PM says to reflect the ethos and values of the political appointments, you can expect that in all probability it (salary) would be a cut," said Mr Ee on Sunday.
Together with Mr Ee, the committee will have eight members from the private sector, labour movement and social sector. The seven other members are:
Mr John De Payva, president of the National Trades Union Congress;
Ms Fang Ai Lian, chairman of the Charity Council and chairman of Methodist Girls' School Board of Management;
Mr Stephen Lee Ching Yen, president of Singapore National Employers Federation;
Mr Po'ad Shaik Abu Bakar Mattar, a member of the Council of Presidential Advisers and a member of the Public Service Commission;
Mr George Quek, founder and chairman of Breadtalk Group Ltd, vice-president of Teochew Poit Ip Huay Kuan, chairman of Xinmin Secondary School Advisory Committee;
Mr Lucien Wong, managing partner of Allen & Gledhill LLP and chairman of Maritime and Port Authority; and
Mr Wong Ngit Liong, chairman of the National University of Singapore Board of Trustees and chairman & CEO of Venture Corporation Limited.
- CNA -
Originally posted by Rock^Star:
It shd be pegged to median income of the Singaporean.
You got a point. -
Singapore to cut huge salaries of President and Cabinet
better be:
Singapore to have huge cut on salaries of President and Cabinet
-
Originally posted by Clivebenss:
Singapore to cut huge salaries of President and Cabinet
better be:
Singapore to have huge cut on salaries of President and Cabinet
Cut President salary by half. He is a symbolic and public figure like japanese emperor. -
with higher salaries, one would naturally see it as a career than self sacrificing for the people...
-
Last time, one minister said around $300 per month per person is enough for those under social assistance to survive in Singapore.
So I hope the committee can take this into account when they formulate ministers' salaries.
The committee needs to ask themselves: does a minister need $1000, $10,000 or $100,000 a month to survive in Singapore?
-
Nonsense!
Workers have no life so $300 per month is enough, they wake up in the morning, brush their teeth and go to work (just like the farmers), at night when they return home, they watch tv and sleep.
Ministers have more extravagant lifestyle, they play golf during working hours, travel abroad for condom blue cooking courses, wear zegna suits, invest in private properties.............
-
its another set of rules of the same game....
- here can be + somewhere
-
Cut ministers,prime minister and president's pay by 50%.
-
Originally posted by Clivebenss:
Singapore to cut huge salaries of President and Cabinet
better be:
Singapore to have huge cut on salaries of President and Cabinet
Ex-Minister Yeoh Cheow Tong once worried that cuts may lead to public transport companies cut corners.
Hope his words are remembered for the review exercise.
-
Gerald Ee is PAP man.
John De Payva - NTUC President, what's there to say. PAP man.
Fang Ai Lian - former Nominated Member of Parliament, PAP woman.
Stephen Lee - SIA Chairman, what's there to say? PAP man.
Po'ad Shaik Abu Bakar Matter - Presidential Advisers, PAP man.
George Quek - Breadtalk CEO, gotten off with extremely light fine $4,000 for drink driving and crashing his Porsche into a stationary police car at a road block. Time to return favour? PAP man.
Lucien Wong - Allen & Gledhill Managing Partner and director of SPH. A&G acted for Lee Kuan Yew, Lee Hsien Loong and Goh Chok Tong in suing the oppositions bankrupt. PAP man.
Wong Ngit Liong - Venture CEO, still unknown. -
I'd be very surprised if there was a 50% pay cut. 20% at most and a higher component pegged to perfomance bonus. Whether it's based on GDP still or incomes of Singaporeans.....that's anybody's guess.
-
This committee is just made up to appease the post GE crowd. After 3 months, and a few other issues later, everybody forgot already.
-
This yahoo.sg is quite political these days.....I don't think sgporeans will forget so easily now. And by GE 2016, a new batch of young singaporeans can vote.
-
My cousin in law who works with yahoo says www.yahoo.com.sg has the highest hit rating because alot of people unknowingly set it as their homepage, or dunno how to change their homepage.
As for me, google.com.sg is my homepage because my cousin in law doesn't need to make more money than me.
-
be patient for next 10 to 20 years...the real change is coming...
the citizens must eventually grow up and stand up on their own...they no longer can be led for the sake of being led...they cannot leave the decisions to a decisive few...
Citizens must grow to lead and not be led
-
Originally posted by ditzy:
My cousin in law who works with yahoo says www.yahoo.com.sg has the highest hit rating because alot of people unknowingly set it as their homepage, or dunno how to change their homepage.
As for me, google.com.sg is my homepage because my cousin in law doesn't need to make more money than me.
Yahoo is more objective since it isn't a singapore media. even though the journalists are local, they are employees of a foreign company. their news is probably hosted overseas.
-
Originally posted by Redwhite spore:
Ex-Minister Yeoh Cheow Tong once worried that cuts may lead to public transport companies cut corners.
Hope his words are remembered for the review exercise.
Are you doubting the integrity of our ministers because taxpayers are paying them less money?
-
Originally posted by charlize:
Are you doubting the integrity of our ministers because taxpayers are paying them less money?
Why should Ministers suffer pay cut when they are doing work for us?
Look at Emeritus SM Goh and the other PAP MPs working late into the night as MPS?
U want them to work for free? Pls be fair and nice to the PAP MPs lah
-
Originally posted by Redwhite spore:
Why should Ministers suffer pay cut when they are doing work for us?
Look at Emeritus SM Goh and the other PAP MPs working late into the night as MPS?
U want them to work for free? Pls be fair and nice to the PAP MPs lah
you pay them then..
pay them the millions they do not deserve
-
Originally posted by the Bear:
you pay them then..
pay them the millions they do not deserve
If you don't pay them millions, CEOs from private companies will see them no up.
Really.
-
Since Singaporeans need to be “Cheaper, Faster, Better”, so should the Ministers
-
Originally posted by elindra:
Since Singaporeans need to be “Cheaper, Faster, Better”, so should the Ministers
Yah.