Ridiculous High Salary May Not Attract Good People
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our responsibility as citizens in a democracy... take the politicians to task...
be brave enough to ask the questions and demand the answers..
be brave enough to not be intimidated by the rumours of people being dragged away at night...
stand up and be counted.Originally posted by pisces8:I believe the upright have to sacrifice himself/herself, to go into politic, to become politician and to deal with "politicians". Or else what can we do to put right what is wrong? -
Besides Low Thia Khiang and the other MPs whom I do not know. I can't think of any who was earning less than 200k before going into politics.Originally posted by Lowclassman:Only 1???
What if Mr Bill Gates becomes minister of sinkapore? -
Naive.Originally posted by pisces8:I believe the upright have to sacrifice himself/herself, to go into politic, to become politician and to deal with "politicians". Or else what can we do to put right what is wrong? -
http://www.answers.com/topic/public-services
Public services is a term usually used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly (through the public sector) or by financing private provision of services. The term is associated with a social consensus (usually expressed through democratic elections) that certain services should be available to all, regardless of income. Even where public services are neither publicly-provided nor publicly-financed, for social and political reasons they are usually subject to regulation going beyond that applying to most economic sectors.
It is also an alternative term for civil service.
Sectors
Public services tend to be those considered so essential to modern life that for moral reasons their universal provision should be guaranteed, and they may be associated with fundamental human rights (such as the right to water). An example of a service which is not generally considered an essential public service is hairdressing.
In modern, developed countries the term public services often includes
* education
* public transportation
* broadcasting and communications
* electricity and gas
* fire service
* healthcare
* police service
* waste management
* water services
Characteristics
A public service may sometimes have the characteristics of a public good (being non-rivalrous and non-excludable), but most are merit goods, that is, services which may (according to prevailing social norms) be under-provided by the market. In most cases public services are services, i.e. they do not involve manufacturing of good (accounting)goods such as nuts and bolts. They may be provided by local or national monopolies, especially in sectors which are natural monopolies.
They may involve outputs that are hard to attribute to specific individual effort and/or hard to measure in terms of key characteristics such as quality. They often require high levels of training and education. They may attract people with a public service ethos who wish to give something to the wider public or community through their work and are prepared to work harder for less pay as a result. (John Kenneth Galbraith has looked at the role of such "public virtue" in economic growth.)
History
Historically, the widespread provision of public services in developed countries usually began in the late nineteenth century, often with the municipal development of gas and water services. Later, other services such as electricity and healthcare began to be provided by governments. In most developed countries such services are still provided by local or national government, the biggest exceptions being the U.S. and the UK, where private provision is more significant. Nonetheless, such privately-provided public services are often strongly regulated, for example (in the US) by Public Utility Commissions.
In developing countries public services tend to be much less well developed. Water services, for example, may only be available to the wealthy middle class. For political reasons the service is often subsidised, which reduces the finance available for expansion to poorer communities.
See also
* Public ownership
* Public policy
* Privatization
* Public service broadcasting
* Services of General Interest (SGI)
* Welfare state
* Public value
* New Public Management
External links
* Daniel Chavez (ed), Beyond the Market: The Future of Public Services, TNI Public Services Yearbook 2005/6, Trans National Institute (TNI) / Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU), February 2006
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Wiki needs a specific definition for Singapore's Public Service.
The above do not fit SG version of public service which is profit driven for the few elites, everything can be privatized for higher profit under one system managed through fear. -
They should be political advisors.. not ministers if they are going for pay. Are you suggesting foreign politicians are all poor farmers before entering politics? Why is Singapore so "unique"?Originally posted by ProGovt:The people that the Govt has chosen were already earning high salaries before joining politics. The Govt is merely making it worth their while by paying the equivalent of what they should/would be earning. -
we will have to pay him 10 mill a month to worth his while.Originally posted by Lowclassman:Only 1???
What if Mr Bill Gates becomes minister of sinkapore? -
Maybe you have not taken note the the ministers and presidents of far more bigger nations with larger economies and bigger responsibilities are paid far more lesser than the ministers of s'pore.. maybe you care to explain why?Originally posted by ProGovt:Besides Low Thia Khiang and the other MPs whom I do not know. I can't think of any who was earning less than 200k before going into politics.
Because they are incompetent enough to ask for higher wages? they were holding blue collar jobs before they entered politics?
Maybe s'pore should ask for a permenant seat in the UN since the ministers are so competent to command such skyhigh salaries. -
Why is it that Bush refuses to sign the Kyoto Agreement? Why is Chen Shui Bian embezzling govt funds?
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wat has not signing the kyoto agreement got to do with the comparison of salaries between these s'pore and united states?Originally posted by ProGovt:Why is it that Bush refuses to sign the Kyoto Agreement? Why is Chen Shui Bian embezzling govt funds? -
i think he is saying bush got bribed by corporations that stands to lose out in the kyoto agreement.Originally posted by 4getmenot:wat has not signing the kyoto agreement got to do with the comparison of salaries between these s'pore and united states? -
even some of the old guards didn't believe in throwing money at politicians:
Cabinet pay
May soon rise
During May election, hikes in 5-7% GST and cabinet ministersÂ’ pay were widely speculated. Now the 2nd part may also come true.
By Seah Chiang Nee, littlespeck.com
Nov 26, 2006
By far the highest in the world, Singapore cabinet ministersÂ’ salaries are likely to head for another increase soon.
It follows the recent announcement that civil service salaries would be kept competitive to retain talent, although it did not cover political leaders.
However, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had given a strong hint of it when he said in March that ministersÂ’ pay was lagging behind salary benchmarks.
This was widely anticipated during the May general election when speculation was rife that two unpopular hikes would come as soon as polling ended: A GST (Goods and Services Tax) increase from 5-7% and a rise in cabinet salaries.
The GST hike from 5-7 per cent was recently announced. And observers say the cabinet pay now looks almost certain to materialise.
With the next election five years away, the news is unlikely to cause immediate damage to the ruling PeopleÂ’s Action Party (PAP).
However, public resentment remains high against the huge salaries paid to the Prime Minister, Minister Mentor and Senior Minister as well as other ministers, although it wasnÂ’t enough to bring down the government.
Currently, ministers are paid basic annual salaries (plus performance bonuses) and, at age 55, they are entitled to collect both a salary and full pension.
The President's basic salary US$1,500,000 (S$2,507,200) while the Prime Minister gets US$1,100,000 (S$1,958,000).
Minister's Basic salary ranged from US$655,530 to US$819,124 (S$1,166,844 to S$1,458,040) a year.
In comparison, the president of the United States, the most powerful nation in the world, earns US$400,000 and US$50,000 expenses, less than what a junior minister earns in Singapore. In UK, Prime Minister Tony Blair earns US$170,556 annually.
When Mr. Lee Kuan Yew devised the high salary scheme in 1994 – allegedly as a means to combat government corruption - many Singaporeans opposed it including some of Lee’s own colleagues.
Mr. Lim Kim San had "his reservations against throwing money at politicians. His personal preference was to give them challenges and dare them to overcome them.”
Not convinced that high pay packets were necessary to beget good politicians, he said in an interview in 2000: "You don't throw money at yourself. We have a lot of people, like entrepreneurs, who will accept challenges. What is worrying me is that we are having less people who will take up a challenge'." (S.T. July 21, 2006)
Lee has defended the high salary as necessary to give Singapore its good governance and keep it AsiaÂ’s least corrupt country. -
bush is worth 40mil....he's not bribed but pressured to return the favour to his oil lobbyist buddies who helped him in the early years...Originally posted by Ito_^:i think he is saying bush got bribed by corporations that stands to lose out in the kyoto agreement.
........but to justify preventing corruption by paying oneself exceptionally high pay is in itself corruption, albeit legally. where then is the line to be drawn now that a million dollar salary is considered lagging? -
if you do not know the other MPs, then how could you be so sure that they were not earning less than 200k before entering politics?Originally posted by ProGovt:Besides Low Thia Khiang and the other MPs whom I do not know. I can't think of any who was earning less than 200k before going into politics.
let me give you just 3 e.g.:
lim boon heng
lee yock suan
lee boon yang -
Just like Teacher... With their increase of salary,I saw a lot of them become teacher but is in quantity but not quality. Many join for the sake of civil job and good pay. Not the correct material to be teacher. Shall I say of minister too?
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One should ask oneself what is their motive for going into politics.
Is it to make money or change the lives of fellow citizens?
Should a surgeon choosing to lead a life of priesthood be paid his equivalent salary? -
So hes also implying that since Australia and many other countries that did not sign the protocol are corrupted in the government level too??Originally posted by Ito_^:i think he is saying bush got bribed by corporations that stands to lose out in the kyoto agreement.
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lets cut to the chase lah...there is practically nothing you can do other than to guai guai pay lor...
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aiyo... this type of thing no point thinking....
u will only vommit blood...
hm... -
Its not as though we cannot do anything. we can remember this and vote against them at the next elections. the problem is a population that vote with their eyes wide shut.
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you think with all those fuss about the secretcy of each vote, you think they wun manipulate the actual results? you think they really cant trace who vote for who?Originally posted by Lefleche:Its not as though we cannot do anything. we can remember this and vote against them at the next elections. the problem is a population that vote with their eyes wide shut. -
also, many of us voted is because we love the MP in our area, who helped us out in many ways, we want them to continue serving us thats why we vote for that PAP of sinKapor, but i just realise it is that useless party that creates those problems in the first placeOriginally posted by Lefleche:Its not as though we cannot do anything. we can remember this and vote against them at the next elections. the problem is a population that vote with their eyes wide shut.
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just curious arh.. you think they really care and bother about the people? well, something interesting to know -> mee siam mai hum (said by our faithful prime minister) you think he really knows what is going on in the heartlands?
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may i add that a lot of others also get very high "pay" and are attracted by easy money:
smugglers
mafia
drug dealers
loansharks -
So?Originally posted by ProGovt:The people that the Govt has chosen were already earning high salaries before joining politics. The Govt is merely making it worth their while by paying the equivalent of what they should/would be earning.
What PAP doing was placing moral values on the same scale with monetary values. I never knew moral can be bought in any way.
When a person is greedy for money, no matter how many money he gets, he will crave for more. -
Commercial thinking in public service invokes clinical wit in moral duties.