making tough decisions

'Even if a person has a wonderful brain, without the hands, legs, eyes, nose and ears, he cannot function effectively. We need to pay top civil servants well, but we must not forget the rest of the public service.' Halimah Yacob. In the past when pay increases were implemented, everyone would get roughly the same percentage, a little plus and minus. And then the lower income will get a lump sum which actually boosted their percentage to a very high level. It was all because everyone knew that in percentage terms, the higher income will get that much more. 10% of $100k is $10k. 10% of $1k is $100. Today, there is no attempt to be apologetic. The ministers are going to get something like 25% increase. And at the lower end, something like 14% ot 33%. And in absolute terms, the amount is in hundreds of thousands against a few hundred bucks at the lower end. This is indeed a very tough and unpopular decision. They really deserve to be paid the huge increase for having the nerves and toughness to make such an unpopular decision, all for the good of the people. We need strong leaders who can make tough decisions like this one.

A profound quote

A profound quote 'As responsible leaders, we must be careful not to leave behind a system or structure that combines power and monetary rewards to such high levels, where incumbents are so handcuffed by this lethal combination that they find it hard to let go.' Denise Phua Ah Kow and his party will be waiting in the wing, and with our stupid electorate, one day Ah Kow and his party is going to be elected into power. And yes, they will not let go. With so much power and money for the taking, who would want to let go?

The formula is flawless

The formula is flawless The timing is right. The methodology is good. The amount is just right. The assumptions and reasonings are all well thought out. In other words, it is flawless, the best formula there is. Chee Hean has all the answers to queries, questions and objections. And all were answered perfectly to the satisfaction of every questioner. Any more questions? But I find this quote quite difficult to understand. 'If a person is motivated by money, then even a low salary has its dangers.' Teo Chee Hean I am still trying to understand the essence of this quote. But the people can rest assured that all the politicians are not motivated by money. For if they are, they would have been dismissed long ago.

A matter of values and perception

A matter of values and perception Who says the ministerial salary is high? There will be those who say the ministers are underpaid for whatever reasons. And there will be those who say that it is too high, unreasonable and unjustifiable. And some will be very angry that you say so and will tell you how important they are and that they should be paid even higher. It all depends on who you are, which angle one is looking at it and also whether you have a vested interest in it. Better not ask a minister if his salary is high. Better not ask Ng Eng Heng as he is famous for earning $4 million a year. Can we ask ministers who used to earn $200k, if there is one? And also don't ask an aspiring minister. His answer will be too obvious. Or shall we ask the people if the salary is high? Who should it matter whether the salary is high or low? Does it matter to anyone at all? I think it does not matter to anyone. Everyone will have his own view on this, right or wrong. Life goes on. Let's move on.

hard questions in parliament

Samples of Hard Questions raised in Parliament 'My Greatest worry is that an open ended linkage between ministerial salaires and top earners,...could in the long run undermine the moral authority the Govt needs to lead the people...' NMP Siew Kum Hong 'There are others who feel our Govt leaders are paid to much compared to other countries...This comparison is grossly unfair.... The key issue here is that of opportunity cost. If our ministers decide not to be ministers...chances are they'll be head honchos of some of our listed companies....' NMP Gautam Banerjee 'With the right leaders, no amount is too much. With not the right leaders, any amount sees too much- that is the heart of the issue.' MP Alvin Yeo 'I believe that the great public interest generated...serves as a timely reminder for those of us in public office that we are measured by the extent of our active compassion for our fellow citizens.' Mayor Zainudin Nordin '...the senior civil servants will never, ever have to face a downward cycle because it is pegged to the salaries of top earners (in the private sector) and there will always be top earners.' MP Lim Biow Chuan The issue is about timing. 'Has the PM lost a single minister or a perm sec? I think the issue is not as urgent as it's made out to seem....about a month ago, debating and arguing why we shouldn't be giving our Public Assistance recipients - some 3,000 of them - another $100...and now we are talking about million dollar salary increases.' MP Inderjit Singh 'What signals are we sending Singaporeans?' Inderjit Singh '....We believe there is no need for enormously large salaries to attract and retain the right talent... It's also ironic that we are consuming taxpayers' money and discussing how much more of a fraction of a million to pay civil servants and ministers while we haggle over additional tens of dollars to hand out to our needy and disadvantaged citizens.' MP Low Thia Khiang '...ministers in other countries may make more money after their term in office ends, such as through public speaking.' Well spoken by MP Josephine Teo