Is the government good value for money?

last SG · 2006-01-03T17:53:35+00:00

Is the government worth the millions spent on salaries and uncapped bonuses on their salaries of ministers? Have they succeeded in providing leadership our...

robertteh SG

Usually the morally upright are people who are straight-talking without all the guile to work to the system and hope for the best.

The morally upright leaders who can do something good for the country or people in the face of all such overwhelming wrongs would have decided to do something else to sojourn this world of temporal existence.

It will be practically impossible now to find good people who want to join such a party except for their own personal benefits who will warm up to the morally depraved or convince them to change oppressive policies or human characters.

Atobe SG

"With a GDP of USD120b" that is the product of the sweat of the Singapore Citizenry, and with Millions being paid annually to our Ministers, and those in their families - who hold high office in Government Owned Enterprises - (shades of nepotism) - how much do you think should deservedly be returned to the Common Singaporean ?

When President Ong Teng Cheong considered the use of the Reserves to help cushion the effects of the last recession, it seems so difficult for the Government a.k.a the Ruling Party to open the Reserves that can help the hard stretched Singapore Citizens.

Yet it is so convenient and explanable to use the hard earned money to pay the Ministers to prevent them "falling prey to their own human weaknesses".

Are the Ministers not suppose to be persons of higher quality and calibre compared to most common Singaporeans ?

Is a ministerial position an opportunity to "mine" our reserves instead of simply "minding" it ?

Salman SG

yu mean the ministers should not be well paid for doing a good job?
You wanna pay peanuts?

charlize SG

All I want to know is under what dire circumstances will the reserves be used?

Anybody got any idea? Laughing

av98m SG

The dire circumstances refer to the need to bail out our GLCs or to be used to pay the ministers and mps' salaries and bonuses and pensions even when the country is dead broke. So basically its PAP reserves, not Singapore reserves Laughing

abao SG

Originally posted by Salman:
yu mean the ministers should not be well paid for doing a good job?
You wanna pay peanuts?

according to mrs peanuts, this amount is S$600k. Mr. Green

Salman SG

$600k is really peanuts man for running a country like Singapore.
Millions is ok, its much better than paying billions in corruption money.

ShutterBug SG

Here's another good consideration, if they aren't value for money, can we ask for a refund, or return goods & services???

abao SG

Originally posted by Salman:
$600k is really peanuts man for running a country like Singapore.
Millions is ok, its much better than paying billions in corruption money.

Ya i know that, but how can we be sure that after taking the large salary, the ministers will not take the billions of corruption money?

Look at the Princes of the Qing Dynasty. (Prince Qing) He was a prince and holds important positions in the Qing Cabinet prior to the constitution change. He has large houses and a high salary from the Qing Government, but he is still corrupt.

Salman SG

When you don't pay them well, you will make it more likely for them to be corrupt.

BTW do you ppl know that being an MP is very hard work?

Atobe SG

What is the "good job" that the Ministers are seen to have accomplished ?

The Ministers - and Members of Parliament from the Ruling Party - seem to be having a "good job" instead of DOING any "good job".

When the Economy is down they blamed EXTERNAL FACTORS that are beyond their control; but surprisingly, when the Economy is good - they seem to be the influential factor that miraculously caused the Economy to come to Life.

They certainly know the "Art of Politics, and Political Manouvering" .

After the NKF incident, it seems that "paying peanuts" have take a different connotation - and perhaps the kind of peanuts that is expected is merely a camouflage of the truer intention of how the Government a.k.a the Ruling Party intend to pay themselves.

oxford mushroom SG

So we have to pay our ministers millions or they will become corrupt and take billions of money under the table....but we send the policeman who takes 50 dollars kopi money to jail for corruption?

Don't be daft, kiddo...

Lessformore SG

I really enjoy the arguments put forward here, besides enjoying the highest pay structure for politicians in the whole world, we also have an extraordinary large support struture for them. Yes, the civil service is being trimmed, many have lost their jobs (mostly middle and lower level) and are struggling now but yet the number of Ministers has not been trimmed, if we have such highly capable people, why do they need to have so many of them and a even bigger number of supporting staff. Why is there a need for a MM & SM when our PM is the most brilliant, efficent , capable and the most honest in the world. Why do we pay three guys when years ago one was enough.

But I guess Salman will never agree to this argument...well he is the ultimate product, like the majority of Singaporeans of hegemony and doctrination. For that the MIW deserve what they pay themselves...

robertteh SG

If we outsource all government ministers to tom and dick I think they all will outperform harry even at lesser pays.

Salman SG

Anyone who takes even $5 kopi money will be jailed for corruption. Police or minister.

Salman SG

I think your job should be outsourced cos you do forums on company time.
You are cheating and corrupt.

robertteh SG

Outsourced surpluses = $1,800,000.00 x 10 x 30 - $500,000.00 x 10 x 30 = $390,000,000.00 enough monies to set up a temporary unemployment relief fund for the citizens.

Candidates to invite for outsourcing: Bill Clinton, Mahathir, George Bush Senior, ..

(Tapping away on this key board ..cheating on $390,000,000.00 public monies)

Salman SG

Why don't we outsource your job first, that would save your boss a lot of money.

Mahathir is mister 10%, too expensive.
Bill Clinton screws your GF, no good.
Bush Senior too old, cannot.

charlize SG

Bush Senior older than MM? Laughing

Salman SG

We are talking about PM. not MM.

BTW, if you can convince Bush to give up his US citizenship, we can consider. No problem.

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