Newsintercom, Singapore. The Mainstream press will not discuss this sensitive issue and will simply regurgitate the expressed views of the ministers themselves. We have to go to the internet to see the myriad viewpoints to have a more complete picture.
This article consolidates the more worthy views expressed in the forums. I shall not repeat what the newspapers have been preaching. The reader will have to listen to the various views expressed and make up his own mind, if they are even interested. One person asked why they bothered to go through the charade of justifying their own pay increase when people hardly care because they know the ministers will simply ignore their views.
Greed
A main concern is whether a salary of $1.2 million should be enough for anybody. If the taxpayers pay the Ministers that sort of mindboggling salaries but they find it insufficient, what does it say about them? What does it say about their value system and whether Singapore can trust people whose value system does not include the concept of “enough”.
Not comparing apples with apples
Many fail to see the logic why the Ministers must peg their salaries to that of the top earners in Singapore. Why not compare apples with apples and compare their salaries with the salaries of the Ministers of Hong Kong, New Zealand and other similar countries?
Salaries and corruption
The argument that a higher salary will deter corruption seems strange when the salary is already around 50 to 100 times that of the average Singaporean. Some think that it might have the opposite effect and that is, a corruption of their duty to serve the people. They are paid so much, they will not “dare” to oppose the “consensus” even if they believe that they are right because they have so much salary to lose.
Lack of talent
There are nagging doubts about whether Singapore in reality lacks talents to replace the present government or that they have suppressed, oppressed, and created a situation where it cost too much to run against them and they are too powerful to fight. If you kill off the competition, how can you say that there is a lack? You are the cause of the lack!
I will now let the readers highlight other points that they might have come across ideas worthy to be mentioned in the comments area. As I pointed out at the beginning, it is pointless to preach what the newspapers have been preaching already and so please refrain from doing so unless you think the newspapers missed out something.