THE ministerial pay review should not be extended to the civil
service.
Being a civil servant is different from being a politician. The
job of a civil servant is just like any other job in the private
sector: Workers are rewarded based on their merits and
contributions. People do not necessarily join the civil service
because they want to serve the community; it is more of a
profession.
On the other hand, a different set of expectations and criteria
is applied to politicians, because their main purpose is to uphold
the spirit of sacrifice and contribute towards the community.
By accepting the role of a politician, one is assumed to have
agreed to the conditions that one's salary be discounted from what
one can earn in the private sector.
The distinction between politicians and civil servants is clear.
Hence, we should not adjust the pay scales of those in our civil
service, or we risk losing top talent.
Victor Looi
