12/22/2011

Ministerial Salary Review still awaiting

Last month Hsien Loong mentioned that the Review will be ready in early December. We are nearing Christmas and nothing is seen nor heard. The ST has a report today on the Review Committee and apparently it has yet to submit the Report to Hsien Loong.

What caught my attention is AP Eugene Tan’s comments on what should NOT be done, that is, the cut should not be too deep. He gave two reasons. A too big cut will ‘disincentivise private sector talent to enter politics’. I think this is a very wrong reason for not doing the right cut.

Political office is about serving the people and country. Politics is not about self and self serving. This is exactly the problem with our political scene, where instead of bringing people who think country and people, they are incentivizing people who think self and profit. We are seeing the results and there are coming in straight and fast. The public housing was a happy problem that turned ugly. The efficient transport system that ran for 30 years is now running into trouble. From good to bad.

The next reason is that a too deep a cut will be ‘admitting that ministers have been grossly overpaid for 15 years’. What kind of excuse is this? Two wrongs do not make a right. If it was wrong, admit it, do the necessary and move on. Pretending that it was not wrong is not going to solve anything. The cancer will just grow.

I really hope that this is not the thinking and premises adopted by the Review Committee. If they are, the recommendations can be best forgotten.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

AP Eugene Tan is RIGHT..it's discourage "talented" peolple like:

"If the annual salary of the Minister of Information, Communication and Arts is only $500,000, it may pose some problems when he discuss policies with media CEOs who earn millions of dollars because they need not listen to the minister's ideas and proposals. Hence, a reasonable payout will help to maintain a bit of dignity." - MP Lim Wee Kiak

Anonymous said...

Is there anything concrete that can be done regarding the minster's pay ? Getting a committee headed by one of the cronies is already clear that this is nothing but a "show". RB , if you think anything concrete will come out of the committee's recommendation then , you are just as daft as what ah gong wants you to be. This shit head Eugene Tan is just a mouth piece for the pappy all part of propaganda asyou have rightly pointed out , the language entrains the thoughts of simple sinkies.

What needs addressing is the pensions of the cabal versus the CPF of the poor sinkies. IS that an issue or is it not?

Anonymous said...

Anon 854 , if that is the kind of shite an MP (Lim WK) is spewing out , then , very soorlie horr .. this dump has gone to the dogs. Scraping the barrel to justify a ridiculous pay pakage. Whatever it is , there is NOTHING one can do about it . Seriously , what is the average lowly sinkie going to do ?? We are already being robbed blind and enslaved by the system... protesting about million dollar pay packages is not the issue here. There is a 2 track system , one for the elites who have their grubby dirty snouts in the trough while the remaining outsiders who get to pick on scraps like $26 dollar rents.

Anonymous said...

Eugene,any decent and upright person who care for the country would'nt want to join the PAP.
There are many capable persons in the private sector who can do any Ministers job at half the price

Anonymous said...

Don't want to admit they have commit crime by grossly overpaying themselves ? Well even if they don't want to admit it, the whole world knows. Just imagine having a professor lecturing such values to students !

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

What? They're cutting ministerial salaries? Marvellous!

Here in Oz parliament is getting an excessive 30% pay increase!

I said it before and I'll say it again : give me the imperfect sg. gov any day over these useless fuckers here in Oz!

Anonymous said...

Forget Gerard Ee.

Give the Ministers your personal review of their salaries & pension.

GE 2016. Vote wisely.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Ministers should volunteer to cut their own salaries ... "for the greater good."

Anonymous said...

Education Minister is introducing a "values based" education curriculum for our school children.

He should also run a "values based" course for Ministers to help them cope with the salary cuts.

Anonymous said...

This blog is The blog man!

The thinking is serious yet funny, yet disturbing.

Anonymous said...

Forget Eugene and forget Gerard Ee as well.
Just remember there are 60% of Singaporeans who are liked the Two. And it is this 60% that can make any difference.

Anonymous said...

Btw, no news of Gerard Ee
is quite irritating and
eerie.

patriot