Singapore ministers, among world’s highest paid government officials, get first raise in 15 years
The government said the higher benchmarks are needed to attract talent, with the prime minister’s annual package rising nearly 64% to S$3.6 million.
- On Tuesday, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced Singapore's government accepted recommendations to revise political salaries, raising the prime minister's benchmark to S$3.6 million and the entry-level ministerial MR4 grade to S$1.8 million, effective October 15.
- Officials justified the adjustments as necessary to attract top-tier talent from the private sector and civil service, as the framework remained unchanged since 2012, when ministers took a 36% pay cut amid public discontent.
- Elected Members of Parliament will receive increased monthly allowances of S$18,500, up from S$13,750, while Wong pledged to donate his full salary increment to "suitable good causes" for the next five years.
- Social media users criticized the hike as "tone deaf" given current economic concerns, while Parliament is scheduled to debate the revised framework on Thursday, September 10.
- Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Sing announced the government will review the framework every five years and study delinking MPs' allowances from the MR4 benchmark to better reflect parliamentary duties.
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177 Articles
The annual salary of Singapore's Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong, increased more than 1.6 times and reached S$3.6 million ($2.85 million), making him the world's highest-paid elected leader, reports CNBC. This decision was taken as part of an overall salary increase for the Government, announced by the Head of State in Parliament, written by CNBC. Ministers' salaries are being raised for the first time in 15 years. Wong's new salary consists of pe…
The annual salary of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong of Singapore will increase more than 1.6 times – to S$3.6 million ($2.85 million) from $2.2 million, wrote CNBC.
This huge increase in salary has come at a time when the Singapore government says that good salary is necessary for better political leadership.
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