Ministers' worth of million salaries not proven

robertteh SG

(as posted at youngpap.org.sg on 18.11.06)

roberttehkh wrote:
The key issue of LHL government is how to lessen the cost burdens imposed by GCT and his father.

Solution actually is quite simple. Singapore has now achieved through people's past sacrifices a certain surplus level far exceeding than what is needed for stabilising the currency etc.

He can set up endowment funds from these surpluses to produce interest incomes which can be used to cover some subsistence costs for people who are unemployed. Many people are willing to find works but there is no jobs due to relentless tax-and-recovering policy of the government which caused the whole economy to lose its competitiveness.

This people's problem in finding jobs was caused by ministers' lack of talents as demonstrated by recent recessions when they conveniently blamed it on the people for lack of skills.

Let's say we consider helping people only on the basic i.e. utility and food for three months at reducing quantum over two years at the maximum after which further assistance needs certification.

If we do it like Japanese prime minister Mr. Abe, sacrifice 20% of his own pay and 10% of ministers' pay and do away with uncalled for life-long annuities to all his MPs and ministers who are quite rich and set up a endowment fund for this purpose, I am sure this will amount to hundreds of millions sufficient to help prevent desperate unemployed citizens from jumping the MRT track.

How much do we need to spend on such subsistences for those who are dying and starving. I am sure the whole society will not become a welfare state just because of such a gesture.

So I do not understand the elitist MPs who kept insisting this subsistence from cut-backs on over-generous salaries of ministers will lead to whole economy slipping down the slippery slope of welfare.

With the above-stated returns of repatriation of over-generous salaries packages from ministers and MPs to the people who are dying there will be sufficient fund to save some lives and no one needs to be left behind. There will be no need to increase the GST to cause more suicides.

Ministers and MPs who got lesser pays will not complain because in the first place they were over-generously paid and what is 10% of pay cut compared with people's support for their good deeds.

Republicans wrote:
Our ministers could easily pack their bags and leave office any time they desire.They could be earning more,even a million per annum,if working in the private sector.Its certainly a good investment,on the part of singaporeans,to have an efficient,effective government,where anti-corruption is the key principle,by paying a handsome,substantial sum as salaries to ministers.As taxpayers,you ought to feel proud that we do have indeed a clean efficient and transparent govt.We wouldnt want corruption to seed in,surely.

This is just a propaganda by the ministers and MM Lee. It is not proven in real cases.

Many ex-ministers could not get similar private sector jobs which pay them multi-million salaries after they have resigned or left except in the government GLCs due to connections.

Why ? The reason is very simple. Private sector cannot afford this kind of salaries unless it is well proven the worth of the candidates who would be people with real capabilities like Iaccoca or Jack Welch as otherwise this kind of salaries would be easily eroding their profitability.

This was confirmed too by private sector bosses like Mr. Wee Chaw Jaw who said recently that he does not believe in employing multi-million CEOs for his UOB banking group as they normally lead to instability and do not help to grow the company. Remember Wee is a boss in private sector business which he owns and sets up with his own monies but other ministers are only wage earning employees or servants and not are comparable to him. He can pay himself tens of millions out of his own business profits and no bodies should try to compare "employee category" salaries like MM Lee has wrongly done with people like him. Similarly Bill Gates or Sim Wong Hoo can at any time raise their own salaries to hundreds of millions per year and no body will say that is wrong but not our ministers who are only employees and different kettle of fish.

His comments were widely reported. Go and check out those public listed companies where CEOs are paid higher salaries after listing and see what happen.

Many companies which pay too high salaries to their management after public listing when the owners think that they could use public monies from shareholders to reward themselves were suffering from losses due to excessive pays to themselves.

robertteh SG

(as posted at www.youngpap.org.sg on 18.11.06)
Lao Xin Zhou wrote:
The government salaries are a little too high up. However, on the good side of this, it can cut down corruption.

If we got to look at Malaysia, for an example, their police force are corrupted because their salaries are low.

So never blame on the government for their salaries because thay explains another reasons why they are not corrupted and are so efficient in their work.

This is just a hype and propaganda citizens were told by our leaders because even after paying millions there is no guarantee there will be no corruptions.

Legalistic passing of laws to increase ministers' own salaries and allow MPs to become directors in private sector companies to earn extra fees while working for the government does not make it moral or correct in the eye of the people.

Even if our ministers pass the laws to give themselves higher rewards the people do not consider such laws as legal as there is a conflict of interest.

So higher salaries to ministers and MPs and civil servants are not well proven in our case.

Many civil servants could not get similar jobs with similar pays after they resign from their superscale A/B/C jobs worth close to million in the private sector because their positions and salaries were inflated by the government.

This fact that higher salaries do not lessen or stop corruption was well proven in the NKF saga. NKF CEO was originally paid as recommended by government patron peanut salaries worth up to million dollar plus after bonuses.

He was found to have misled people over the charity donation reserves and application of charity donation to patient treatment subsidy. He was easily replaced by better people with lesser pay who could provide a more accountable and transparent service to NKF without all the corruptions and malpractices as revealed in official inquiry.

So MM Lee's claim that by paying ministers higher salaries it will stop or lessen corruption is not proven in practice as found in the NKF saga.

People call this kind of practice or use of power to increase own salaries legalised corruption which may be worse than corruption.

Lowclassman SG

You are right!

People keep getting high reward or high salaries.....may lead to more corruption. This the fact!!!!

siaokao SG

Money is never enuf.

When u have million $ pay cheques.. u'll WANT more.

'corruption' will not be at RM50 level.. Laughing

countdracula SG

the oft touted market economy is their means to justify their high wages... admittedly, i would rather live in a capitalist society than a dictatorship, but here we have a unique combination of both.....

market driven wages is flawed actually... if one were to consider what market forces are, we then need to look at who the market makers are.....this is often overlooked because we've been led to believe some people deserve their wages because they've done well but that is not always true is it??

sgx had an outstanding financial performance of 80% over the previous year....the board of directors had no second thoughts about rewarding the chairman performance bonus of the corresponding percentage. first thought, does the chairman need to be a millionaire twice over in the same year? next, does everyone in the organisation receive 80% bonus? that my friends is what market forces all about, the greed and the excesses of the market makers...

another fine example would be a previous chairman of comfort... the ex-mp was paid an excessive $1.4mil for practically doing nothing. this was his shoo-in job after his political service. yet the cabbies under the same group had to face increasing vehicle rentals and tougher competition...the whole thing ended in embarrassment to the company when the bonus was reported in the press...the chairman was removed soon after.....

well, that's market economy for you..... those who have but no need will always suppress those who have not but need. (screwing of the peasant 101)

googoomuck SG

I remember a time when a jet plane went down. Among those killed were many senior executives of a Japanese company, Matsushita. The posts left vacant by the untimely death of these senior executives would take months to be filled by suitable candidates. Meanwhile, the thousands of employees just turned up for work as usual. The company did not go belly up.
On the other hand, if the thousands of employees were to go on strike over high cost of living, the company will stand to lose millions of dollars in lost productivity.
I'm not suggesting people should go on strike but this is an illustration to indicate which one can cause a greater impact to a company's survival.
If the CEO and his sidekicks go play golf during office hours, the company will still be standing tomorrow as long as it's business as usual for the other employees.
Time will prove that high salaries for Singapore's elite is not justified. That is, time will prove that MM Lee is wrong

Lowclassman SG

I hope Pap would review its policies of salaries, rewards and perks for their officials and elites. This is not right.....they have got wrong value for life....one do not need sooooooo much money to live in luxury...neither they can bring the $$$$$$ to another world after their death...their children and grand children do not need sooooo much $$$$ to live in superb luxury life too....They can't eat the $$$$ too.
The amount of $$$ salaries taken by these high ranking officials or elites from taxes or income from whatsoever investments would cause tremenous destruction to the earth's environment in no time.

PAP, Is this the only way to reward your officials and elite with tremendous amount of $$$$ or people that are supporting your party......?

Pls spare a deep thought of why are you PAP's officials or elites have to draw soooooooooo $$$$ for what............

TYING SG

who dont want more money?
Due to greed, corruption can easily take place and disregard ones integrity. I dont think anybody will think their money is enough. they just want more and more and more. If anyone who disagree, i dont mind receiving your excess money. lol(just kidding)

ZHU_GE_LIANG SG

T. T. Durai, National Kidney Foundation's Annual Salary (without huge bonuses)
S$600,000

Singapore Ministers' Basic Annual Salaries (without performance bouses)
and, at age 55, Singapore Ministers collect both a salary and their full pension. Parliament website...
Singapore President's Basic Salary US$1,500,000 (SGD$2,507,200)
Singapore's current President, Nathan, was a member of the dreaded Japanese Kampeti
(uniform, sword and all) during the Japanese occupation of Singapore.
Singapore Prime Minister's Basic Salary US$1,100,000 (SGD1,958,000)
Minister's Basic: US$655,530 to US$819,124 (SGD1,166,844 to SGD1,458,040) a year
Average Singaporean: US$26,000 (SGD43,104 or SGD3,592 per mo) Source: Singapore Ministry of Manpower

PM Lee
Salary as Prime Minister $2million yearly
Salary as Finance Minister $1.2million yearly
Variable Bonus: 6months salary minimum yearly
Full Medical Benefits - Private Specialist Consultant on regular standby - Yearly cost to tax payers $200,000
Security cost: Approximately $1.5million yearly
First class travel and stays at top hotels when he travels on business trips

United States of America
President: Increased to US$400,000 on Jan. 20, 2001, with US$50,000 expenses
Vice President: US$202,900
Cabinet Secretaries: US$157,000

United Kingdom
Prime Minister: US$170,556
Ministers: US$146,299

Australia
Prime Minister: US$137,060
Deputy Prime Minister: US$111,439
Treasurer: US$102,682

Source: Asian Wall Street Journal July 10 2000.
Singapore President's salary which was updated in 2005 from the Singapore Straits Times

I-like-flings(m) SG

like i said alot of time b4.. just give mi 3 bowl of rice with luncheon meat per day and i will come back to be ur Minister... but still now no one PM me leh.. Crying or Very sad

Parka SG

So who sets the salary? And what are the criteria taken into account into coming up with a number to the salary?

In my opinion, the amount of salary to be drawn should be solely based on performance, with very clear performance indicators. In an asian context, somehow I seem to believe that it's pretty hard to implement that kind of system.

[email protected] SG

i very simple, just provide me with cai png everyday and i will be a good minister.

mistyblue SG

Enron.

I-like-flings(m) SG

i'm still waiting for the secret PM leh.. u got urs from anyone?? well i think we are still too choosy and whine too much lor...or maybe we can only ask for peanuts nia... Crying or Very sad

I-like-flings(m) SG

another day have past... still no pm lor Crying or Very sad

onceinabluemoon SG

With the announcement of 1.2 times monthly salary bonus on top of the 13th month, they just hit the jackpot of at least 1/4 of a million?

Tio beh pio also not so shiok...

I-like-flings(m) SG

i will be asking for 2 1/2 more bowl of rice nia... but still no one PM me leh Crying or Very sad