Ministerial salaries in Singapore, already among the world’s highest, will go up from 15 October, boosting the prime minister's annual pay by 64 per cent to S$3.6m (£2.1 m) from S$2.2 m (£1.3m).
asserted
salaries → go → m
Singapore pays its political leaders high salaries to attract talent and deter corruption, but the issue is thorny in the city-state, where the median wage worker makes about S$5,775 a month.
asserted
worker → pay → S$5,775
Prime minister Lawrence Wong acknowledged the sensitivity of the matter in a parliamentary speech, saying political salaries were a difficult and emotive topic.
“The sums involved are more than what most citizens earn, so I understand why Singaporeans scrutinise them closely and why many feel strongly about the matter," Mr Wong said on Tuesday, adding that he would donate his increment to charity for the next five years.
asserted
he → acknowledge → years
But it was not just a matter of pay, he argued.
asserted
he → argue → pay
"It is ultimately about whether Singapore will continue to have the quality of political leadership we need to take our country forward and to serve Singaporeans well in the years ahead.”
asserted
we → continue → years
In comparison, the UK prime minister makes £170,171 a year while the US president earns £296,000, according to data from Political Salaries, a non-profit, which ranks the Singapore prime minister as the highest-paid world leader.
uncertain
which → make → leader
The dataset shows the Hong Kong chief executive is the second-highest earner globally with £532,000 annually, followed by the Swiss president at £448,000.
asserted
executive → show → 448,000
A Singapore junior minister with a salary of S$1.1m will get up to S$1.8m a year now, depending on performance and responsibilities.
asserted
minister → get → performance
The increment for political office holders will start with a one-off increase of up to 9 per cent, with subsequent adjustments based on performance, rather than an immediate jump.
asserted
increment → start → performance
By the end of this term of government, most junior ministers will earn about S$1.35m and those who do well can "move higher", said Mr Wong.
asserted
Wong → earn → m
Singapore last adjusted ministerial salaries in 2012, when ministers took a pay cut of 36 per cent to allay public discontent about how much they earned.
asserted
they → adjust → much
Lawmakers will debate the issue in the parliament on Thursday.
asserted
Lawmakers → debate → Thursday
The announcement provoked strong reactions on social media, with some users on Reddit calling the pay adjustment "tone deaf" while others said that the hikes would be justified if ministers did a better job of navigating challenging times.
asserted
ministers → provoke → times
Opposition parties did not issue statements.
asserted
parties → issue → statements
Mr Wong said that it was "easier politically" for him to leave things as they were but that "would not be the right thing to do" as salaries in the private sector, civil service, judicial service and public sector had moved higher since 2012.
asserted
salaries → say → 2012
After the 2012 pay cut, salaries were reviewed again in 2017 but the government chose not to adopt a recommendation to hike.
asserted
government → review → recommendation
A second review due in 2023 was deferred until now because of economic uncertainty.
asserted
review → defer → uncertainty
Singapore uses the salaries of the top 1,000 earners in the country as the benchmark for ministerial pay as their qualities and abilities “reflect the desired calibre of the people whom Singapore needs for good government", the Public Service Division says on its website.
asserted
Division → use → website
Referring to the benchmark, Chong Ja Ian, political scientist at the National University of Singapore, said: "Given rising income disparity, this could mean that ministers associate more with the very rich rather than the experiences of ordinary Singaporeans”.
uncertain
ministers → refer → Singaporeans
Although cases of graft in government are rare in Singapore, they do exist.
asserted
they → exist → Singapore
In a recent case, former transport minister S Iswaran was jailed in 2024 for obstructing justice and receiving over $300,000 worth of gifts.
asserted
Iswaran → jail → gifts
The Aporia
