PM to donate his increment to charities for the next 5 years
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SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says he will hold his own salary at the present level for five years and will donate any increases in his salary during that period.
He made the announcement in Parliament on Wednesday, as the House continues its debate on salary revisions for government ministers and civil servants.
Mr Lee said making a large adjustment in public sector salaries now is politically a most difficult decision.
But it is something that must be done.
While it is very difficult to get people to understand and emotionally accept it, he said the issue is absolutely critical.
"If we do not tackle it now, the problem will not go away; it will just get worse - we will be in serious trouble," he said.
After discussing it at length in Cabinet, and with Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew in particular strongly encouraging him to do it, PM Lee decided to move now because of the overriding importance of keeping public sector salaries competitive.
The Prime Minister said that to make clear why he is doing this, and to give him the moral standing to defend this policy to Singaporeans, he will hold his own salary at its present level for five years.
The Government will pay him his full pay, because that is how the system must work.
But for five years, he will donate the increase in his salary from this and subsequent revisions.
Mr Lee said he does not expect other Ministers to follow.
While it is a Cabinet decision, he told Parliament, he is carrying the ultimate responsibility, not them.
So what the individual Ministers and MPs do is up to them.
Mr Lee said that he knows they already support various worthy causes.
It should not be a public ostentatious display of how generous they are, but a private matter for them to decide at their own discretion, he said. - CNA/ir -
say only..
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Do they have a choice?Originally posted by LinYu:Mr Lee said he does not expect other Ministers to follow.
- CNA/ir -
who noes if they really had donated to charity? which org. is he going to donate? what problem going to surface if we don't tackle the salary prob? big deal if he gonna donate it to charity since its we taxpayer's money
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He should simply come clean and admit in the face of all the evidences and arguments put forward by the people and experts that the current benchmarking is selective and skewed only to benefit the ministers. Such a benchmarking system will corrupt the ministers more instead of reducing or preventing corruptions.
He should be man enough to give up the extra salaries caused by the wrongful benchmarking instead of justifying it further with a donation of his undeserved pay rise to charity. -
first off, poor teo chee hean (don't forget tharman)... he's made to look the bad guy while the main man portrays himself as the good guy...
"donate to charity" - well, we all know what happened to nkf and the likes...
"...for 5 yrs..." - we also know what major event is going to happen in 4-5 years time. perfect time-frame. -
That PM Lee is willing to donate all of his additional earnings to charity is admirable. Few ministers and MPs are likely to follow suit, especially since he has made it clear that what the others do with their money is completely up to them.
However, the fact that certain MPs such as the outspoken Irene Ng, have opened questioned 'What is so immoral' about the pay hike, clearly illustrates that a portion of the MIW are so convinced that they 'deserve' this pay hike.
Again i stress: what tangible results have they to show for that makes them deserving of this pay rise?
The fact that some even dare question those who challenge their increase indicates an obnoxious and self-serving mercenary who has wormed his way into power and fills his mind with delusions of grandeur, believing that it is their RIGHT to adjust their own salaries at will, without the need to consult the very people who PAY their exhorbitant wages.Mr Michael Palmer (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC) was worried that the pay increases for ministers and top civil servants had undermined support for Workfare and GST offset packages. "I don't think we have been sensitive to the feelings of many people. Many people have asked me: Did we increase GST to pay for this increase in salaries? While that is clearly not the case, it is most unfortunate that a support package so carefully crafted in good faith to help our lower income families should be seen as such light," he said.
Michael Palmer raised a good point: Why on earth would people see this pay rise as anything else but being funded by the corresponding rise in GST and other price hikes? Why indeed? How else would one see this potential quicksand? Why wouldn’t the obvious inference be made? Wasn’t the budget plan and other packaged offsets little more than a smokescreen to hide the real issue – a big fat raise for already fattened ministers? -
how else can they get the extra expenses for the slaries increase. yang mou chu zai yang shen shangOriginally posted by BillyBong:Michael Palmer raised a good point: Why on earth would people see this pay rise as anything else but being funded by the corresponding rise in GST and other price hikes? Why indeed? How else would one see this potential quicksand? Why wouldn’t the obvious inference be made? Wasn’t the budget plan and other packaged offsets little more than a smokescreen to hide the real issue – a big fat raise for already fattened ministers?
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Increase pay from our country’s coffers and then make ‘sacrifice’ by donating the increment to charities? Is this something new?
Our SM GCT also made a similar ‘sacrifice’ too when he was PM and first announced that the minister’s pay increase to peg with private sector. His ‘sacrifice’ was smaller then because his pay was increased to $60K ‘only’ a month. He did not donate to charity. He froze his increment for a full 5-year term.
A lot of BULLSH1T ! -
First, he give himself a XX% pay increment and donate them all to charities. WHy not, dun ask for any increment and yet donate XX% of his present salary to the charities better rite?
Aiyo. Heart pain leh. -
oh no,so now after they donate the money,they dun have enough $$ already,then they are going to become corrupt is it?
talk so nice like he really donate,he is taking our $$ to donate in his name,jie hua xian fo -
Point 1 -> he is jus stepping a step back, so that the fire among the singaporeans will be cool off soon.
Point 2 -> by doing so, he become the Good guy. (by using our taxpayer money)
Point 3 -> 5 years, so General Elections shd be around there? PAP will have something to say "hey we sacrificed our pay increased by donating to the charities! Vote us!"
There are more Pros than Cons by doing so.
Sun Tzi Warfare? :X -
donate to nkf also called donate ma.
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also no regulations to see where exactly the $$ end up with,could just end up the $$ going back to them or fund another durai
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Dear BillyBong. I do not think that is admirable. I think that is from the mounting pressure that the public is giving. And it shows one thing to ALL OF YOU here. That, public pressure still works, so don't give up.Originally posted by BillyBong:That PM Lee is willing to donate all of his additional earnings to charity is admirable. Few ministers and MPs are likely to follow suit, especially since he has made it clear that what the others do with their money is completely up to them.
If he does not do it, the public will become more and more incited, and the pressure will mount. So I don't see it as being noble.
That said, he is smart to make this move. At least substantial numbers in the public will be quelled. -
Originally posted by soul_rage:
At the end of the day, i personally do not think PM Lee is doing a bad job. Only time will tell whether this infurating move by our govt will cause casualty rates for the MIW at the next elections.
Dear BillyBong. I [b]do not think that is admirable. I think that is from the mounting pressure that the public is giving. And it shows one thing to ALL OF YOU here. That, public pressure still works, so don't give up.
If he does not do it, the public will become more and more incited, and the pressure will mount. So I don't see it as being noble.
That said, he is smart to make this move. At least substantial numbers in the public will be quelled.[/b]
Then again, some Singaporeans are sheep with the shortest of memories. -
Show that the pay raise is a bad ideal !!!
First if he is rich enough to donate it, then that mean he is over paid !!!
If he in the end donate it - in the first place why raise the pay .... since he give it away ........
All the more show it is a wrong decision to raise the pay !!!
For many workers - what pay raise they get over the years ? I do not see much pay raise or even bonus !!! Think the government have totally lost touched, they just pegged their to the top earners and not the general public.... they forgot the general public is the one that voted for them !!!!
I wish next election come fast, I am sure the singapore people will give them a strong message in the votes - to let them know how far apart they have grown from the general public !!! -
how trueOriginally posted by BillyBong:At the end of the day, i personally do not think PM Lee is doing a bad job. Only time will tell whether this infurating move by our govt will cause casualty rates for the MIW at the next elections.
Then again, some Singaporeans are sheep with the shortest of memories.
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Dun think there will be any singaporeans around in 4 years times.
All have moved over to Aussie Land.
Only PRC and Ke Leng Kia are around.
So, who to tracked and who to know ?
Remember Mr Durian, was he being tracked ? -
I hope to remind dear Singaporeans that ur dear PM is holding 2 post, Minister for Finance, remember? Double pay anyone? How convenient for the 148th media to leave that important fact out.
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duh....Originally posted by BillyBong:At the end of the day, i personally do not think PM Lee is doing a bad job. .... -
S'pore governed by extraordinary men willing to make sacrifices: MP
SINGAPORE: Singapore is governed by extraordinary men willing to make personal sacrifices, said MP for Tampines GRC Irene Ng in Parliament.
The MP, who supported the civil service and ministerial pay revisions, cited the contrasting fortunes of two former labour chiefs, Lim Chee Onn and Lim Boon Heng.
The first left public office for the private sector, while the latter joined the public sector after a successful stint in the private sector.
Ms Ng said that Mr Lim Boon Heng is currently paid "a small fraction" of the $5.5m-$5.7m that Mr Lim Chee Onn now earns in the private sector.
This, she said, is a "stark contrast between the reward systems for high-calibre people who stay in politics and for those who leave it."
Ms Ng added, "I don't believe Mr Lim Boon Heng or any of our Ministers would work less hard or be less committed if their salaries remain as they are. But, if we apply the principle that we in the labour market have been fighting for on behalf of our workers - pay our workers according to their abilities and performance - why should we adopt an opposing standard when it comes to those who make it possible for us to enjoy a better standard of living year by year?"
The example set by the Prime Minister was also brought up.
In 1992, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, as then-Deputy Prime Minister, had held a media conference just after undergoing chemotherapy for lymphoma.
"I don't think he allowed the media to interview him for his own sake or because he liked the publicity. For sure it was not. It was for public interest. It was to assure the public that life and business in Singapore was going on as usual. I think if you talk to any cancer patient going through chemotherapy, I think their instinct is, 'Please let me recover quietly, let me focus on my health'. But he (Lee Hsien Loong) was thinking of Singapore even in his time of need," said Ms Ng. - CNA/ir
EXTRAORDINARY !!!!
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He will do it one...
I have once witness of his good deeds... -
SINGAPORE: Dr Lily Neo has said she will donate the increment in her MP allowance to Public Assistance recipients in her constituency.
one more fella who wanna donate...
Her announcement came after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he was donating his salary increase to suitable good causes.
However the MP for Jalan Besar GRC said she was concerned her constituents might still not appreciate her reasons for supporting the Prime Minister's decision to raise public sector pay.
The MP, who did not speak earlier during the parliamentary debate on the issue, acknowledged that Singapore must maintain its prosperity.
And if Singapore should falter because of incompetent leadership and wrong policies, she said, poor Singaporeans would suffer for it.
Responding to Dr Neo, PM Lee said this is a message that has to be presented not just by him and the ministers but by all MPs and grassroots leaders.
As for MP for West Coast GRC Ho Geok Choo, she said she respects Mr Lee's gesture in donating his pay increase.
However she cautioned there might be others who may take his gesture as a face-saving admission that the policy is flawed.
It is important to emphasise that what the Prime Minister has done was out of care and concern for Singaporeans, said MP Ho -
That why not many want to be a PM...
Everyone will be against you no matter what you have done....