Netizens react to Ministers’ salary review
Netizens remain sceptical that there would be a drastic cut to top government officials' salaries after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the formation of a committee to review Singapore's ministerial pay.
"I know that Singaporeans have genuine concerns over the present (ministerial) salaries. Hence, I am appointing a committee to review the basis and level of political salaries," PM Lee said in a speech at the Cabinet's swearing-in ceremony at the Istana on Saturday night.
He said that Gerard Ee, chairman of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and of Changi General Hospital, would be chairman of the committee.
However, netizens were doubtful the move would lead to pay changes in the end.
Seow Kin Wei commented on Yahoo! Singapore's Facebook page, "At the end of the day, they say (they) will look into it again and then tell us to bear with them while their bank account keeps topping up."
Martin Lee, on the other hand, was not impressed with the appointment of the committee chief. "Gerard Ee, as head of Public Transport Council, always approved every fare hike despite those blood sucking public transport companies making hundreds of millions of profit every year. Therefore, I don't find Gerald Ee is suitable for this task," he said.
However, Raymond Lo Wan Mou chose to look at it in a more positive light, "In my opinion we should not focus... too much on the politicians' salaries lest we lose sight of 'the forest for the trees'.
He noted pointed out that Singapore has proven to the world that properly-paid public figures have drastically reduced large-scale corruption, which besets many countries and leads to great suffering and poverty to their people.
Yahoo! Singapore user JUSTICE approved of the move and gave one suggestion.
"I believe this is a step in the right direction. An opposition leader needs to be in that committee as some have suggested," the user said.
Sme indicated the move was long overdue. "(The) PAP have mocked Singaporeans and the global communities long enough with their world class salaries," the user said.
For other netizens, the pension for ministers should also be reviewed. Some could not understand why the ministers are on a pension scheme while ordinary Singaporeans are on the Central Provident Fund (CPF) scheme.
"What I really cannot understand is that the government first promoted the idea of us converting to the CPF scheme, (but) they themselves elected to maintain the pension scheme for their own positions. This is fair?" said Fit-to-Post user I12observe.
Kon Sama concurred, asking "Why is there a double standard?" The user noted that the government did away with the pension scheme for the everyone except "for the ministers who get fat pay during their appointment and yet continue to burden the taxpayers even after they are no longer serving as ministers."
"As a start, all newly-appointed Ministers should not even be offered this scheme!"
