10 reasons and 10 rebuttals on high ministerial salaries

Below are the 10 reasons put up by Roy Ngerng on the govt’s justifications for high ministerial salaries that Roy called 10 logical fallacies. I will attempt to rebut what Roy wrote in defence of the high salaries and hope my explanations are logical. And I think the IB will not attack me for writing this piece. I will want to clarify here that they are my versions and not PAP’s versions and I have not been commissioned to reply on their behalf. I just hope that my reasonings would make good sense.
 

1.      Why would the government fight to pay the highest salaries to themselves in the world but would not fight for the wages of Singaporeans, and would allow Singaporeans to earn the lowest wages among the high-income countries?

RB: If the govt does not fight to pay themselves, who else would fight for them? Tiok boh?  If Singaporeans would to fight to pay them high salaries then they would not need to fight for themselves right? And Singaporeans are earning the lowest wages because of competition. This one can’t be helped or Singaporeans would not even have jobs if they don’t accept low salaries. It is a global market, people can come in freely to replace Singaporeans. Heard of boh cheng hu?

2.      The government says that we need to pay them high salaries so that they won’t be corrupt. But they would pay Singaporeans low wages. If Singaporeans do not need to earn high wages, yet we can be honest, doesn’t that mean that there’s no need to pay the government such high salaries?

RB: Corruption at govt level is very serious as a lot of money will be involved. The higher in the govt the bigger will be the corruption. So very important to make sure ministers are not corrupt or tempted. This kind of super logic only can be found in Sinkieland. Singaporeans not earning high wages corrupt or not corrupt not important. At those low levels how much can they corrupt? How much is a Brompton bicycle cost. Peanuts right? They will be more interested in blowjobs than money. So no big problem.

3.      If we are paid low wages, does that mean Singaporeans are a dishonest lot? If we are not, then can the government earn lower salaries and still be honest?

RB. See answers above. The assumption is that everyone can be tempted to be corrupt. Only how much to corrupt and the price to prevent corruption. It is all about the temptation of man. And political leaders are only man, not immortals. Oops.

4.      If we have to pay the government such high salaries so that they can honest, doesn’t that mean they are corrupt in the first place?

RB: See answers above.

5.      If we need to pay the government high salaries so that they are willing to do the work, shouldn’t we fire them and bring in someone who’s willing to be honest and do the work at lower salaries?

RB: The problem is that you cannot find such talented people in the whole world that could be contented with a few millions dollars and would not be corrupt. Paying a few millions and have no corruption is really very cheap.

6.      If the government wants us to pay them high salaries to improve their performance, but the income inequality and poverty in Singapore has now become the highest among the developed countries, and Singaporeans earn the lowest wages and have the lowest purchasing power among the developed countries, doesn’t that mean that the government hasn’t improved Singapore? If so, shouldn’t we pay the government much lower salaries or shouldn’t the government step down?

RB: Depending on who you are, at least 60% of the Singaporeans have seen their lives improved. It is not possible to improve the lives of everyone right? And some Singaporeans are just not good enough, have skills mismatched, or some working for fun or for dignity. Money is not important to them. Didn’t you see the old uncles and aunties so happy and so proud of their jobs in the foodcourts and hawker centres? They are going to work till they die, happily.

Cannot pay the govt lower salaries or they will be corrupt or worse, they may resigned, then no talented people will step up to run the country. Cannot ask them to sacrifice too much.  Like that damn jialat you know. They will all go back to work in the private sector to earn more millions.

7.      If the government is willing to keep themselves on the highest salaries in the world, even as Singaporeans have been earning the lowest wages among the high-income countries for many years now, shouldn’t the government also reduce their salaries in the face of the stagnating wages among Singaporeans? If the government is not willing to do so, doesn’t that mean that they are being dishonest?

RB: Cannot reason like that one. Top talents must use top talent logic and no talent must use no talent logic. Just imagine if we remove this govt, there will be no more talent left in the island. This is the best team that can be found, A Team. And cannot accuse them of being dishonest, these are the most honest and honourable people, self sacrificing leaders that money can buy. Or you want to leave the country to Team B to run or the no talent opposition parties to run? All the talents available in the island are in the govt. Other places cannot find, got no more talents to find.

8.      If the heads of the Nordic countries can earn $300,000 and are able to turn their countries into one of the most equal in the world, where their citizens are able to earn one of the highest wages and have one of the highest purchasing power and happiness in the world, then why are we paying the Singapore prime minister 7 times more to create the most unequal society among the developed countries, where we earn the lowest wages among the high-income countries?

RB: You want to live in the Nordic country or you want to live in the most expensive city in the world where every one out of two person is a millionaire? You want to be millionaire or not? Income inequalities in a capitalist economy is normal. Can’t be helped. This is progress.

9.      If the government wants us to pay them high salaries so that they are able to be honest and perform, but if they have proven themselves to be dishonest and unable to perform, doesn’t that mean that we should reduce their salaries drastically or fire them?

RB: Where, where got govt not performing? Where got govt dishonest? No right? So second part of question irrelevant. We have the best performing govt that is the envy of the world.

10.  If they do not want to return us our money, what are they doing with our money?

RB: Return what money? You mean your CPF money? They are safe in the CPF. The govt are not touching your money. Can you prove that the govt is touching or ‘doing with’ your money? No proof cannot anyhow claim lah.

Are my answers sensible, logical and reasonable?

Kopi Level - Green