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    Proposed pay benchmark is ‘flawed’: Chen Show Mao

    By Chua Yini | Yahoo! Newsroom – Tue, Jan 17, 2012

    The proposed new framework for ministerial pay is a “flawed new benchmark”, said Workers Party (WP) Member of Parliament (MP) Chen Show Mao on Monday.

    Based on a video by Channel NewsAsia, Chen called recommendations by the Ministerial Salary Review Committee “a step in the right direction” but said that ministerial salaries should be pegged to MP allowances, not the top 1,000 income earners in Singapore.

    Speaking at Parliament, Chen explained that the new benchmark placed the idea of competitive salaries ahead of political service, and sends the message that the value of political office can be “monetised”.

    “Parliament is the highest authority in our system of government, and MPs, as elected representatives of the people, should be the starting point for the determination of ministerial salary. The committee’s benchmark to the private sector clouds this fact,” he pointed out.

    He added that political service should be “primarily a privilege, not a burden or sacrifice”.

    As an alternative, the WP proposed a “whole-of-government, people-up approach” that pegs ministerial salaries as multiples of MP allowances, with an entry-grade minister earning five times more than an MP, and nine times for the Prime Minister.

    It suggested that MPs receive a monthly allowance of S$11,000, which is the estimated starting salary for senior executives in the civil service.

    Therefore, ministerial salaries would start at S$55,000 per month for entry grade ministers, to $99,000 per month for the Prime Minister.

    The opposition party also proposed that ministers receive bonuses of not more than five months in any year, as compared to 13.5 months as recommended by the committee.

    Chen pointed out that many of the former and current ministers did not come from the private sector or top earning professions.

    “Of course, we would like to see capable men and women in the cabinet, but we do not believe that our best people for political office are only those who make the most money,” he said.

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    • SPTL
      SPTL  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      13.5 months bonus where the hell on earth can you get that???
      • Pick A Pig 我也爱钱
        Pick A Pig 我也爱钱 4 months ago
        at PAP
      • Freedom Prevail!
        Freedom Prevail! 4 months ago
        work 1 year get 2 years salary....even the top companies dun pay that amount!
      • Alice Choo
        Alice Choo 4 months ago
        13.5 month bonus + pension + allowance + use of state' car + etc.........= Abuse of power = Singapore' falling social mobility to judge people by the size of their paychecks = more unequal a society. (How to dream that our children will not judged by being rich or poor. The dream of Martin Lurther King Jr : How fares the dream? Re: Today' comment & anlaysis, Jan 17 by Paul Krugman, professor of economics n international affairs at Princeton U, Nobel Prize in Economics in 2008)
    • Koh
      Koh  •  4 months ago
      for the past 6 years i don't even have bonus, and even out of job twice.
      • Xanrose
        Xanrose 4 months ago
        This is because you are in a different level from the minister. If you are not happy, welcome you to submit your resume to become a PAP or WP candidate to stand for election. If you have the talent, sooner or later You will have good pay.
      • J0ke12
        J0ke12 4 months ago
        same same here bro me too...and everytime my current company gave the same bullshit reason, company not making money and these MORONS (MPs) making almost a hundred grand a month...WTF they need that much for...its like they can buy a car or a hse every freakin month then...and we have to werk untill we die to pay the freakin HDB loan...This goverment are lucky that we don't have such political movements with the balls like other countries who would fight and die to voice out their grieveness...we here just complain and complain and complain, thats all we can do or else we would get detain under ISA...if we even say something wrong anywhere, the walls in all the houses in singapore are all factory made and have bugs (hearing devises) in them...
      • alvinL
        alvinL 4 months ago
        because you are not their relatives....
    • Bu Yi Bu
      Bu Yi Bu  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      Any PAP MP can compare with Chen Show Mao who resigned from high paid US MNC for full time MP getting just a MP pay ?
      • T
        T 4 months ago
        come back home to singapore because no more giant ipos in china.
      • The Truth
        The Truth 4 months ago
        T, you sure of that? You know how big China Inc is? Any way Chen don't need giant IPO to survive, because any average IPO in China already drawf our S'pore big IPO !!!
        So think before you write.
      • Roland
        Roland 3 months ago
        Do we want to see our politicans party debates like Taiwan,fighting and shoutings, pushing each another.? What you see may not be what you get. Let us not talks too fast,till time is right.Why in the past PAP was poor peoples favourites.and not rich man favours.
    • swee hong
      swee hong  •  4 months ago
      The whole gov is "flawed"!!!!
      • Jan
        Jan 4 months ago
        No government is perfect. Name me ONE government that is not flawed. I wish people would put on their thinking cap and THINK, before putting their BIG foot in their mouths.
    • SGGuard
      SGGuard  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      Mr. Chen, I agreed with what you said 100%. Obama have to make decision that affect not only USA but the whole world and he is ok with his pay which is much more less than SG ministers yet the papies ministers which make decision that affect only about 5M pples wants millions in pay, this debate show how money mad these papies ministers are ???
      • repairwork
        repairwork 4 months ago
        Look at his pay, I think Obama come here... he is only a coffee boy... because Singapore is BIGGER than US and any country in the world.... how come I cannot find it in world map??? funny...
      • Janas
        Janas 4 months ago
        No, this debate shows how greedy and how much they are motivated and motivated only, by money! I say "Good Riddance" if they resign en-mass because of this paycut. We don't need money-driven MIWs to govern us - we need real and passionate Singaporeans to serve the nation!!
      • Calvin
        Calvin 4 months ago
        Please read up on Singapore's Clean wage policy. Leaders from other countries have hidden cost which are state paid, while in Singapore, the ministers' pay may seems high numerically, but it is "what you see is what you get."
    • Jason
      Jason  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      13.5 mths of bonus!!
      wtf, isn't it back to the same when they take pay cut but pay themselves through high yearly bonus!!

      until PAP knows how to work for the people and not their pockets, they will never get my vote!!
    • XXX
      XXX  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      zillion times agreeing to Chen. Spore political compensation recalling how the wall streets collasped !!!
    • Thong Yok
      Thong Yok  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      If only we have one MP from the PAP could think like this....
    • A Yahoo! User  •  4 months ago
      keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep talking , come on chen show mao, speak up more....pple of aljunied, wake up and listen to your MP!!! When chen show mao speaks, everyone is nodding his head here in yahoo............such wisdom, such charisma, such leadership. .....what a show, chen show mao!!!
    • Tiki
      Tiki  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      I don't think he'll earn less than the $11,000 allowance he proposed as a MP if he'd chosen to remain as an active corporate lawyer. That's scarifice!
    • Pek Kong
      Pek Kong  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      Looks like a National Referendum on this emotional subject is d Man.ue. No amount of debate internally amongst the PAP office bearers and their MPs will convince the People that this recommendation is right. Anyway, these MPs, are they representing their voter's views with what they say in Parliament?. I wonder. Time to let the People decide, PM Lee. That's the right and honourable thing to do if one wants to be a Great Man.
    • green lantern
      green lantern  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      To WP MP Chen Show Mao,

      You said “Of course, we would like to see capable men and women in the cabinet, but we do not believe that our best people for political office are only those who make the most money,”.
      And your statement sync with ALL Singaporeans!
      Kick PAP out.
    • Simon John
      Simon John  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      just the presence of CSM in parliament is enough to put to waste all the rebuttals from the other side. he is truly inspirational.
    • VisVis
      VisVis  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      “Parliament is the highest authority in our system of government, and MPs, as elected representatives of the people, should be the starting point for the determination of ministerial salary. The committee’s benchmark to the private sector clouds this fact,” he pointed out.

      He added that political service should be “primarily a privilege, not a burden or sacrifice”.

      Agree to this point it should be those voters of a GRC or SMC to decide and not those committee. so they will serve n if they not into serving then why are they there ??? package ? $$$$$$then a corrupt system of policies writer or the highest authority(THE Parliment) that approved this wil have a bad judgement also corrupt also.
    • Skyman
      Skyman  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      Too high pay is a burden to the citizen !!! Also never protect S'porean jobs keep importing so many FT & S-pass causes alot of S'porean out of jobs ..... Why should they draw so high pay....? What have they done for S'porean ??
    • Tiki
      Tiki  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      The opposition party also proposed that ministers receive bonuses of not more than five months in any year, as compared to 13.5 months as recommended by the committee.

      Wow, even during the Gulf War, petroleum companied didn't give 13.5 months bonus!!!
    • PAP my foot
      PAP my foot  •  4 months ago
      PAP took 100% of your money but return only 1% to you and they squandered 99% into their own pocket. Tell me how Temasek Holdings is established without our money?
    • Thomas
      Thomas  •  4 months ago
      Finally there's a TRUE HERO showing the PAP how it should be done in Parliament!!! Not just to turn up at your seats & waiting for your PAY DAY, all e GOOD FOR NOTHING!!!
    • Justin
      Justin  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      The man has more brains than the entire useless PAP cabinet put together. Resign all your offices in disgrace you bunch of self-serving, gormless worms.
    • mast
      mast  •  Singapore, Central Singapore  •  4 months ago
      2 words for u, MR honourable CHEN SHOW MAO.. that is "tHUMBs UP".
      U are just a twig that have the ultimate courage to voice against the very mean and 4 decade-plus old white trunks.. Our hats off U.
      Come 2016, U and your workers' parties shall rule SINGAPORE.
      tq AND GOG BLESS U and your parties.
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