9/05/2011

Ministerial Salary Review


Read in the papers that the findings and recommendations of the Ministerial Salary Review Committee will be out by the end of the year. And they have received many feedbacks and will take them into consideration.

I just have one point to add on the new salary. It must be absolutely transparent and with little room for too much variations. If there is any provision for bonuses, rightly there should not be, it must be minimal, at most a 13th month.

The last thing I want to see happen is for a small fixed salary and a huge variable that can be paid as bonuses or whatever, like 24 or 48 months more. The tenure of office of an elected govt is 5 years and nothing more. The salary shall be fixed for 5 years and anyone taking office shall know exactly what to expect.

The practice of a fixed salary plus bonus plus bonus shall be done away with. Allowances shall be specified as well. The basic position is that there must be no room for doubts, suspicions and imaginations.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wah, just one month (13th bonus) for out elite politicians - a bit "kiam" leh?!

Anonymous said...

~The basic position is that there must be no room for doubts, suspicions and imaginations.~
Very high standards to achieve for PAP govt indeed since the party in the power. Simply put, the insecure mindset forbidden the party to be away from doubts, suspicions and imaginations.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

The American bankers by passed the govt regulations for lower basic pay with huge and outrageous bonuses that were hidden from the shareholders.

A one month bonus can be huge if the basis pay is equally huge. Or would you prefer a smaller basic to look so decent and a 24 or 36 mth bonus that is not announced to the public?


We are not dealing of life time employees and life time employment.

Anonymous said...

0 to 3 months Bonus on top of ministerial pay has to be approved by the Parliament, at least go through the process of debate and voting.

Anonymous said...

Like dat ah! Not so nice leh, asking leaders to justify their own bonuses in public debate somemore.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

The principle of compensation for an elected govt is that they will be paid adequately to do the job and they are expected to do the job well.

When they do well they will be reelected or fired. It must not be a case of try to do better and we will pay them more.

Anonymous said...

If you look hard enough at the civil servants compensation benchmark, there's a "stock options" also included, I believe applicable to Cabinet ministers too.
That is also a large sum because it is based on the sum of the GLCs (yesn- if they make monies on stock prices, they get paid handsomely too like the SMRT CEO- that's why they are for profits over people!) performance. They should seriously declare and make that known.

Oh, one last thing, that retirement scheme too.

Anonymous said...

No public debate, no bonus.
Public debate - 0 to 3 months bonus.
My essence of argument is not to have public debate that the government can't get used to this sort of process.
Or the bonus for that election cycle subject to one of the election issues. The electorate has one-person-one-vote, and items in the additional votes chossing between 0,1,2 or 3 months bonus.

Anonymous said...

Don't be like that leh! My simple lesser mortal thinking hor, if you pay them too little, can corrupted one leh.

Then hor, if sway sway one mini-star do a Teh Cheang Wan, the immortal one will tell you he said so long time ago. Why you all not listen, you daft or what?

Anonymous said...

If got share options, more jiat lat.

Then don't forget the additional hats added on. How much more money added? One man, 5 hats, 10 hats, as if the primary job is not important or nothing better to do, so can take on another few more jobs.

Even PM got at least two more chairmanship like he have so much time and energy to do more. Or is it the additional hat, more money?

notanotherspinstory said...

Someone should come up with a minister's pay online calculator.
Enter the minister name and his pay, bonus, tax-exemption, pension, etc are displayed.
Especially those with multiple portfolios.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Transparency is vital! Transparency equals integrity.

Anonymous said...

notanotherspinstory said...
Someone should come up with a minister's pay online calculator.
Enter the minister name and his pay, bonus, tax-exemption, pension, etc are displayed.
Especially those with multiple portfolios.
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I double confirmed support your suggestion !!