Ministers 'may get well below $1.1 million' in pay: Singapore government website
A Singapore government website called Factually is attempting to clear the air about ministers’ salaries.
An article released on Sunday (16 September) says that there have been “inaccurate reports about ministerial salaries circulating in recent weeks”, and lists a pair of falsehoods about the touchy subject.
First, it clarifies that ministers’ salaries are transparently calculated, with a White Paper having been tabled in Parliament in 2012 available for public viewing.
The article states that an MR4 – or junior – minister’s annual salary of $1.1 million “includes bonuses”.
The article adds that such a minister “may get well below S$1.1 million” if the economy does not do well.
The second falsehood the article took on was the rumour that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is paid S$4.5 million a year. It pointed out instead that the Singapore leader’s S$2.2 million annual salary was inclusive of bonuses, as his pay was set at twice an MR4 minister’s pay.
The article added: “The Prime Minister does not receive a Performance Bonus as there is no one to assess his performance annually. He does receive the National Bonus.”
In August 2018, Factually had sought to debunk online chatter about foreigners working in Singapore with an article called “Are more foreigners taking away jobs of Singaporeans?” It has also taken on the topics of the 1962 Water Agreement between Singapore and Malaysia, MediSave top-ups, CareShield Life, among others.
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