Hi all,
I had a pretty long discussion on the political structure of
Singapore and its weakness structurally. The article below
basically substantiates the problems of having such a structure and
whether we can still move forward. Below is an article from a
17-year old girl who is quite a celebrity now. Her article and blog
was highlighted in (surprise, surprise) Straits Times. Her comments
prompted a reply from one of the perm sec as well.
Money in Politics, Politics in Money
The issue of Singaporean ministerial salaries has been a
hotly-debated one, at least behind the scenes of mainstream
journalism. I did a quick search on Google to find out the exact
figures, but couldn't find as wide a range of independent
observations and chronicles as I normally like to, so as to lend
the information credibility. If anyone has differing figures they
deem more accurate, do update me. But the consensus I gather from
the Internet is that our ministers are the highest paid in the
world, and that the Prime Minister's basic salary is USD 1 239 240
per annum, or SGD 1 958 000 (I converted SGD to USD using the
latest exchange rate of 1USD=1.58SGD; again, tell me if I'm wrong
with the figures). That is more than six times that of the US
President's salary of USD 200 000 per annum.
The defence the PAP has always launched against the accusation that
their salaries are too high is to say: "We must do so in order to
prevent corruption." I have always found that to be a thin excuse.
What, after all, is corruption? The use of one's position in order
to profit illegally. High ministerial salaries simply permit the
PAP to use their position in order to profit legally. A simple
analogy: it is illegal for someone to shoplift a gold necklace from
a jewelry store. But this thievery would be perfectly legal if we
had no laws against shoplifting in the first place. One could
profit in an arguably unethical manner without breaking any laws.
Similarly, it would be illegal for the Prime Minister to siphon
away $2 million a year. But as a politician in power, instead of
siphoning it away, he simply ensures that he can receive $2 million
a year in a perfectly transparent and above-board manner. That's
what they really mean by the concept of high ministerial salaries
removing the need for corruption. They don't need to be corrupt: we
just hand over the money anyway.
Yes, there are benefits to the system. It keeps corruption under
control by removing the primary incentive for it - money. And a
corruption-free government undeniably attracts investors. According
to Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)
we are ranked as the 5th least corrupt nation in the world as of
2005, after Iceland, New Zealand, Finland and Denmark. But the
investigation does not, and must not stop there.
There is a basic principle to keeping ministerial salaries from
skyrocketing, and it is one that is often overlooked in Singapore.
Politicians in our government exist not to further their own
interests, but to subordinate their personal advancement to the
needs of the nation. They serve the nation, and not the other way
round. As a child, I used to wonder why they were called civil
servants - the word 'servant' always had insulting connotations of
someone that's second-class, servile and unworthy of much note. But
as I grew, I came to realise that there is great dignity, perhaps
even the greatest dignity, in being a servant of others; in placing
their needs above your own, and in committing yourself to serve and
protect them. That is the sacred vow, the tacit contract that
politicians undertake by entering this service. Lower salaries make
it clear that they are fundamentally different from those in the
private sector who seek to profit from their positions, making the
frequent comparison between public workers and private ones like
corporation directors or media stars totally redundant. The nature
and purpose of their work are as different as night and day.
Managing ministerial salaries ensures, too, that people do not
enter politics simply to gain from the high pay and benefits, but
that they do so because they genuinely want to put their talents to
the good use of representing the country. Else, people would work
towards entering the government simply because of the dangling
carrot that is a fat pay cheque - which would clearly have
disastrous consequences for us all.
That is why George Bush, who is the leader of the most powerful
country in the world and has far more responsibilities than PM Lee
will ever have, is paid five and a half times less. That is why
there was such a public outcry when TT Durai's salary was uncovered
- it was legal and above board, but it was wrong in principle. But
here in Singapore, this important principle is over-ridden, once
again, by the excuse that it keeps corruption under control. Very
well then, let us bring that reason under scrutiny. According to
the aforementioned CPI, there are four countries in the world which
are even less corrupt than ours. As Singaporean ministers are paid
the highest in the world, it obviously goes to follow that all
these countries' ministers are paid less than ours. I did a bit of
research and found out, via this article, that New Zealand PM Helen
Clark's salary is NZD 305 000 per annum, or USD 189 440 - less than
George Bush, and six and a half times less than PM Lee (I converted
305 000 NZD into 189 440 USD with the latest exchange rate of
1.61). New Zealand is ranked 3 places above Singapore in the CPI,
as the 2nd least corrupt government in the world. Why is it that
New Zealand ministers can be even less corrupt than our ministers,
and yet are paid so many times less?
If we allow ourselves to succumb to the mentality that we need to
pay them obscene amounts of money in order for them not to be
corrupt, we are implying that they otherwise cannot be trusted;
that unless they benefit so much from their positions, they cannot
do a good job; that our ministers are six and a half times more
inferior, six and a half times more selfish and six and a half
times more prone to corruption than ministers from New Zealand (not
to mention Iceland, Finland and Denmark). I would like to be
convinced otherwise, but the message being sent by our high
ministerial salaries is proving it difficult. Let me tell you what
makes it even more difficult: that salaries are being paid to the
members of our government, on top of the lucrative salaries they
are enjoying in their professional lives.
This brings me to the next issue: politics in money. Our MPs do not
work full-time. They hold very prominent positions in businesses
all throughout Singapore, and little wonder, too; they are
recruited from these positions with the natural assumption that
their high-flying careers make them capable, and not forced to give
up their jobs, which are extremely demanding and exacting. Only
Chiam See Tong, as of April 21 2006 (the release date of the CNA
article I'm reading at the moment) is a full-time MP. The PAP made
it a point to tout their new recruits as being young professionals.
Does this truly work for them? Will such young professionals,
dedicated to their burgeoning careers, be able to devote all their
time to the needs of the community they serve? I quote Steve Chia:
"You can see the long queues at the Meet-the-People sessions every
week. Residents are sometimes even turned away. How can MPs serve
their constituents fully if they don't have the time to do
so?"
Let me get this straight. The basic monthly allowance that MPs
receive has more than doubled over the last decade from $4516 in
1995 (not inclusive of their legislative and secretarial allowances
amounting to $825) to $11 917 presently, and only one MP has
stepped down from his job in the private sector? Meeting the needs
of their constituency is still a part time occupation? Talking to
residents is still a part time occupation? Serving the nation is
still a part time occupation? But let's not be overly excited.
After all, perhaps these jobs are not so demanding - perhaps they
are easy shoes to fill, with time left over to look into other
things like, you know, governing the nation.
Or are they?
I went to the complete list of MPs, last updated 11 May 2006, and
did background checks on 3 randomly-selected MPs. Ong Chit Chung,
Jurong GRC: Independent Director of WesTech Electronics Limited,
and the President of Davos Life Sciences Pte Ltd (sounds like three
jobs to me). Ong Kian Min, Tampines GRC: Lawyer/Consultant at
prestigious law firm Drew & Napier. Cedric Foo, West Coast GRC:
Group Deputy President and President Asia/Middle East of Neptune
Orient Lines. Any one of these jobs on its own sounds like a
time-consuming, extenuating and exhausting position to fill. How
much time left over do they have? How much time are they inclined
to spend on leaky toilets, flickering lights, and a resident's
license application or financial woes?
There is more to the discussion, of course - the possible clash of
interests when an individual serves both in the public and the
private sector, hence giving him the power to formulate policies
favourable to their own business interests, or the other
manifestation of 'politics in money' - relations of government
leaders who have high-ranking positions in prominent companies,
government-linked or otherwise. But for now this should be
sufficient fodder for us to ponder over, and have a second look at
this dirty but unavoidable word of money, and the role it plays in
our politics.
