I think that the PAP is trying to help the oppositions by giving them more ammunition. They have always been talking about the growing income gap and guess what? Its encouraged by them. At times of inflation of up to 5%, where all basic food necessities prices are rising, they gave themselves a 4% to 21% hike in pay!! So tell me... Who is encouraging the income gap??
The government like to compare themselves to the rest of the world. Why don't they compare the minister salaries?? Look at the table below for salaries of world leaders (Source - Yahoo):
| Salaries of World Leaders | |||
| Country | Title | Name | Approximate Salary |
| Bolivia | President | Evo Morales | $21,600 |
| Great Britain | Prime Minister | Gordon Brown | $375,222 |
| France | President | Nicolas Sarkozy | $346,000 |
| Germany | Chancellor | Angela Merkel | $318,000 |
| Ireland | Prime Minister | Bertie Ahern | $434,000 |
| Japan | Prime Minister | Shinzo Abe | $248,500 |
| Russia | President | Vladimir Putin | $81,000 |
| Singapore | Premier | Lee Hsien Loong | $2.05 million |
| United States | President | George W. Bush | $400,000 |
| United States | Vice President | Dick Cheney | $208,575 |
If the government is serious in addressing the income gap issue, look no further than their own house. I don't mind if you hike the salaries of those civil servants in the bottom rung, but the ministers?? 2million to 3million annual pay??? Instead of using the money to help the lower rung people, they use it to give themselves a raise when they are already the highest paid ministers in the world! Why on earth do we pay our taxes for??
Look at the table below... It speaks for itself. The party is shooting themselves in the foot. Table from theonlinecitizen (Click on the table for a bigger picture).
Even if they wish to retain talent, the ministers should not be going for the job just because of the pay. I hope they remember what happened to T T Durai the other time in NKF. What he did was not right in a charity setting, and he lack the "charity touch". Likewise, if you retain a minister because of the high pay, and not due to the willingness to serve, then the minister is staying for all the wrong reason, and I rather the minister leave.
The reason why they want to be a minister is important! This is standard 101 in any interview. Why do you want to join? Join because of the high pay??? I'm sorry but if I know of such a minister, he/she is not going to get my vote. It's not like the ministers are paid "peanuts".
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