(Written by a Singaporean who was a Colombo Plan scholar. Brevity and straight to the point feedback on the Singapore Ministerial Salary issue. This letter is well researched, argued and compiled.)
To: Mr Gerard Ee
Chairman, Ministerial Salary Review Committee
From: 63-year old tertiary-educated native-born S'pore Citizen, who had completed full- time National Service
cc: PM Lee Hsien Loong/Other Ministers
Opposition MPs, NCMPs
Political Commentators
Contents
Para 1 --- Quick Background/Summary of the Ministerial Pay Issue and the ensuing Public Anger.
Para 2 --- Suggestions to address/defuse Public Anger.
1. World-Infamous Obscenely-Humongous Million-Dollar PUBLIC SECTOR Salaries in Singapore
1.1 Quotable Quotes:
-- US President Barack Obama (BBC 11 Jul 09):
"...No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves..."
-- From a Financial Times article (TODAY 26 Nov 10):
"...In a society that lacks political checks and balances, such waves of public outrage can develop a force rarely seen in democratic societies..."
1.2 Very Telling PAP Political U-Turns (confirming that PAP has lost its "moral compass"): THEN (Straits Times 21 August 1989)
"To build a country, you need passion. If you just do your sums --- plus, minuses, credit, debit --- you are a washout." --- PM Lee Kuan Yew
18 YEARS LATER (Straits Times 5 April 2007)
When it was put to him that people hoped for leaders who were willing to make sacrifices and who were not there for the money, he (MM Lee Kuan Yew) replied that these were "admirable sentiments but we live in the real world".
NOW (Straits Times 22 May 2011 )
" Politics is not a job or a career promotion. It is a calling to serve the larger good of Singapore." --- PM Lee Hsien Loong
1.3 "Monkey Politics" in Singapore:
S'pore Voters say: Pay BIG BANANAS but still get INCOMPETENT Chimpanzees !!!
[Just one example of INCOMPETENCE taken from a long list --- The Mas Selamat Great Escape Monumental Fiasco, which led to Singapore (and its Prime Minister) becoming a laughing stock amongst the International Coalition Against Terrorism]
"Monkey Antics" of Singapore Political Elite:
I scratch your back, you scratch mine.
I cover your butt, you cover mine.
1.4 Main Bug-Bear of many Singaporeans is the HIGH COST of LIVING --- arising from high cost of government; high cost of homes (both HDB and private); high cost of healthcare; high cost of transport (both private transport and public transport), etc......
(a) A BLOATED CABINET comprising an extravagant entourage of one Prime Minister, one Minister Mentor, two Senior Ministers, two Deputy Prime Ministers --- followed by 15 Ministers, 10 Ministers-of-State --- plus 4 Parliamentary Secretaries, 5 CDC Mayors and 82 PAP MPs [Parliament set-up, prior to 2011 GE]
(b) A BULGING BLOATED BUREAUCRACY with 9 Organs of State, 15 Ministries and 64 Statutory Boards.
NOTE: The high cost of this Top-Heavy Government is paid for NOT from PAP Party Funds BUT from PUBLIC FUNDS (i.e. the hard-earned monies of S'pore Taxpayer-Voters collected through numerous taxes/dues)
1.5 PAP Government's World-Infamous Double Records:
(a) PM Lee Hsien Loong confirmed as "World's Highest-Paid Politician" by Economist/Financial Times.
(b) All the world's Top 30 highly-paid politicians are found in SINGAPORE (in PM Lee's Cabinet, of course!).
BASIC Annual Pay (Source: Straits Times reports)
President's pay: $2.6m(2006) $3.2m(2007) $3.9m(2008)
[THIS MUCH for a largely ceremonial post (shaking hands, kissing babies, cutting ribbons, opening Keppel Bay bridge, attending charity functions, hosting state dinners ....) ??? ]
PM/MM/SM's pay: $2.5m(2006) $3m(2007) $3.8m(2008)
DPM's pay: $2m (2006) $2.5m (2007) $3m (2008)
Minister's pay: $1.2m(2006) $1.6m(2007) $1.9m(2008)
[Current MP Allowance (for a part-time job!) = $13,500 per month]
[PM Basic Pay = $3.8m per year = $320,000 per month = $10,000 per day]
[Minister Basic Pay = $1.9m per year = $160,000 per month = $5,000 per day]
1.7 Justifiable/Understandable Anger of S'pore Voters:
(a) We, Singaporeans, Not DAFT!!!
Neither are we uncivilised nor barbaric to expect our Politicians/Bureaucrats to work "for free" or to survive on "fresh air and love of the people".
We will readily support adequate/reasonable remunerations.
BUT the above figures are not just humongous but obscenely-humongous salaries, going by both local/international PUBLIC SECTOR standards!!!
(b) How could tiny Singapore's PM be earning six times the pay of the American President and ten times that of the Japanese PM and the Australian PM???
[All the latter three Heads of State are governing very big countries with large populations, and very complex political/economic/social issues. ]
If Singapore's PM screws up, only S'poreans will suffer.
But if the American President screws up (and presses the wrong buttons), the whole world (including little red dot Singapore and its entire Lee Family) could go up in nuclear smoke!!!
c) Are we paying TOO MUCH for TOO LITTLE transparency and accountability???
Do we really have a "visionary and competent" Government or just "grossly over-paid" Politicians/Bureaucrats???
With such obscenely-humongous public sector salaries, how can these PAP politicians ever earn the "moral authority" [much less the respect] of S'poreans to govern this tiny island nation???
["People do not always hate the rich. People hate those who are immorally rich."
--- Mr Qiu Liping, professor of social stratification at Shanghai University. MYP 16 Dec 09]
1.8 AN IMPORTANT NOTE:
TOTAL Annual Pay = (disclosed) BASIC Annual Pay + (undisclosed) bonuses/other perks.
(b) For our political office holders, their Basic Annual Pays are publicly disclosed. However, their undisclosed Total Annual Pay packages have been an endless source of speculation and bottled-up public anger on the Internet.
(c) For Comparison, the 2010 TOTAL Annual Pay packages (as DISCLOSED in published Annual Reports) of the CEOs in various public-listed Temasek-Linked Companies* range from $6.7m to $11.5m.
[*DBS, Keppel Corp, SembCorp, CapitaLand]
In 2007, CapitaLand CEO Liew Mun Leong (a former pen-pushing Civil Servant) received a whopping Total Annual Pay of $20.5m --- which led to a public outcry.
(d) Taking the cue from the CEO pay packages of Temasek-linked companies, many netizens have "deduced" that the Total Annual Pay packages of Temasek Holdings CEO Ho Ching and our Cabinet Ministers would likely be in the two-digit millions and upwards of $15m.
But this could mean anything between $15m and $99m --- hence the never-ending and widespread Internet speculation surrounding Ministers' Pay.
2. Suggestions to address/defuse Public Anger
As such remunerations are paid out of public funds, Singapore taxpayer-voters certainly have every right to know the full facts and figures.
Lack of transparency on this rightful public concern will only aggravate the voter disenchantment that turned into a Super-Tsunami Wave of Public Anger during the recent general elections.
2.2 In the private sector, to promote good corporate governance, the Singapore Stock Exchange requires public-listed companies to disclose the Total Annual Pay packages within salary bands for their CEOs and other senior staff.
Our public sector should also follow suit as an act of good political governance.
(a) his inaugural speech (as PM) calling for "an open and inclusive Singapore".
(b) his brief to the Salary Review Committee to make recommendations which will "help ensure honest and competent government".
[NOTE: All the three words "open, inclusive, honest" carry this same message --- to "come clean" and "clear the air" once-and-for-all on whether our Cabinet Ministers are really serving the people (as their true masters) or enriching themselves at the expense of the people (as taxpayers).]
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Further reading: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2082124/Lee-Hsien-Loong-Singapores-Prime-Minister-earn-1-7m-36-pay-cut.html
WORLD LEADERS' WAGES
Singapore's Prime Minister recently took 36% pay cut - but at $1.7million a year, he's still the most paid leader in the world.
LEE HSIEN LOONG (Singapore)
$1.7m p/a (£1.089m)
DONALD TSANG (Hong Kong)
$543,500 (£348,000)
YOSHIHIKO NODA (Japan)
$513,000 (£329,000)
BARACK OBAMA (USA)
$400,000 (£256,000)
JULIA GILLARD (Australia)
$379,000 (£243,000)
NICOLAS SARKOZY (France)
$302,000 (£193,000)
ANGELA MERKEL (German)
$296,000 (£189,000)
DAVID CAMERON (UK PM)
$222,000 (£142,000)