Singapore PM to freeze his pay for 5 years, donate pay
hikes
Posted: 11 April 2007 1643 hrs
PM Lee to freeze his pay for 5 years, donate pay hikes
SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says he will hold his own
salary at the present level for five years and will donate any
increases in his salary during that period.
He made the announcement in Parliament on Wednesday, as the House
continues its debate on salary revisions for government ministers
and civil servants.
Mr Lee said making a large adjustment in public sector salaries now
is politically a most difficult decision.
But it is something that must be done.
While it is very difficult to get people to understand and
emotionally accept it, he said the issue is absolutely
critical.
"If we do not tackle it now, the problem will not go away; it will
just get worse - we will be in serious trouble," he said.
After discussing it at length in Cabinet, and with Senior Minister
Goh Chok Tong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew in particular
strongly encouraging him to do it, PM Lee decided to move now
because of the overriding importance of keeping public sector
salaries competitive.
The Prime Minister said that to make clear why he is doing this,
and to give him the moral standing to defend this policy to
Singaporeans, he will hold his own salary at its present level for
five years.
The Government will pay him his full pay, because that is how the
system must work.
But for five years, he will donate the increase in his salary from
this and subsequent revisions.
Mr Lee said he does not expect other Ministers to follow.
While it is a Cabinet decision, he told Parliament, he is carrying
the ultimate responsibility, not them.
So what the individual Ministers and MPs do is up to them.
Mr Lee said that he knows they already support various worthy
causes.
It should not be a public ostentatious display of how generous they
are, but a private matter for them to decide at their own
discretion, he said. - CNA/ir
