Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh has called for a more modest increase to Singapore’s ministerial salaries, challenging the argument that a higher pay was needed to attract top talent from the private sector.
At Thursday’s parliamentary debate on changes to the political salary framework, Singh questioned if the city state’s high earners in the private sector were deterred from politics by lower pay or whether the issue was political responsibilities.
He argued that most of the city state’s cabinet continued to be fielded from the public sector, while “only a small handful” chose to leave the private sector for politics.
“For some, it would not be out of order to suggest that no amount of money will persuade them to trade their suits and ties for grass-roots activities and to immerse themselves in municipal concerns and the rough and tumble of politics, since all ministers must first be elected as members of parliament,” he said.
He noted that Singaporeans would not be well served by any individual who winced at undertaking political groundwork, even if he or she was a corporate titan or a private sector high flyer since public service was a calling and had deep purpose.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday said that it was becoming harder to recruit talent from the private sector during a time when leadership renewal was crucial.