As trustees of public funds can ministers take monies ?

robertteh SG

From all the accounts given so far the ministers seem to be able to given themselves pay increases and any months of bonuses and even life pensions although they are paid above-market salaries for their jobs.

As trustees of public funds can they legally take monies from the funds belonging to the citizens in such a manner?

I have asked this question many times but so far no one seems to know the legal basis for ministers and MPs to approve their own salary increases and rewards.

It is more than obvious that the ministers and MPs other than talking about the need to pay themselves above-market salaries to retain their own talents have been unable to substantiate such taking of monies from the public funds.

Is there exactly a provision in the laws or the constitution to allow ministers as trustees to take monies from the public funds or approve their own salary increases or bonuses.

Even if there is an Act in parliament to allow them to benchmark their salary increases and bonuses surely such benchmarking cannot be put up by the Ministers or the MPs themselves in view of a conflict of interest. Have they appointed an independent panel consisting of some representatives who are not connected to the government themselves to put up such benchmarking exercise so as to be absolutely free from malpractices or conflicts.

If any official trustees of the public fund like the ministers and MPs take monies monies from such public funds to reward themselves of any amounts they like, surely other public trustees will not be guilty if they do likewise.

Surely the taking of monies by anyone in charge of our monies other than by prior contracts of appointments cannot be legal.

If they are legal then CBT or theft cannot stand as crimes under the criminal or general law.

reddressman SG

Is it true that they increase their own pay without approval?

But The PEOPLE approved right? eh, no need wan meh? I confused liao leh....

I not sure if any singaporean knows what is going on?

The gubberments money is it? if so, they can do what they like is it ?

Are majority of sgreans working in public sector?

if so ....

I wonder which country PEOPLE also approve like sgreans their servant's pays leh.

now, as the festives is alound the corner, may I sing this for you :

HK liao HK liao really HK liao!!

I give up!

robertteh SG

Go and ask a qualified lawyer whether any trustee of public fund is required to manage the monies not belonging to them which they are merely taking charge of can just simply increase their own pays or take any bonuses or monies as they like from such fund other than prior contracted salary through pre-agreed proper contracts of appointment.

If the trustees do not follow such financial procedure will they be guilty of crime like criminal breach of trust?

airgrinder SG

thought this is the role of the opposition parties to dig out the info. r they doing their job?

robertteh SG

Until the question I raised is answered professionally and conclusively in accordance with our current state of law by any lawyer knowledgeable in our trustee or company laws, I suspect that the approval of their own pays and bonuses and their above-market-pay life pension (reserved under the law for under-paid category of civil servants) by their own MPs and Ministers is only by way of biting the bullet or taking a chance so to speak with the citizens or our law courts since no citizen appears to have the will of the large resource to fight them in court.

freedom4ever SG

even if the people have the large resource to fight them, the people will never win the court case.

sir sickolot II SG

i am not schooled in law so i can't answer your burning qns.

however, 66% of eligible voters voted them in, and so they have indirectly (or directly) given authority to allow the use public funds as the MIWs see fit, even if it means a merry merry pay check in excess of SGD 3 million.

And as long as our 'independant' judicial system not utter a word, we will continue to pay our ministers good salary. Mind you, it's only 'above market' if we compare it to what other country ministers are earning. If you want to compare with local pte firms, we are still on par, given these ministers have a country of 4 million to run, and even more funds/biz to properly govern.

just my 2cents.

Herzog_Zwei SG

So what are you suggesting? Armed insurrection and a change of constitution?

robertteh SG

A trust law which clearly spells out trustees should not pay themselves monies from the public fund is a law to be obeyed by all including the PM, ministers or MPs.

If the government wants to tell the citizens Singapore is run by rule of law it has to subscribe to such law as well. If it is broken such as by taking of monies from by the public fund that law is broken.

There is no implied excuse that the government once elected can do anything like paying themselves from the public fund above the contracted salaries.

It should not be made less of a crime just because people have voted them to be the government. In voting them there are 33.3 % of citizens who did not agree to elect them to be the government in the first place. Of the 66.7% who voted them the opposition wards did not vote them nor the walk-over wards vote them. There is no implied authority that any one can break or circumvent the law by taking monies from the public funds of any amount over and above the prior contract of appointment.