Apr 11, 2007
AsiaOne

The issue of ministers’ salaries is politically one of the most difficult. It very hard to get Singaporeans to understand and emotionally accept why this is necessary. They see that the ministers are already earning 1.2 million a year and they do not understand why the government still needs to revise their salaries. They ask: “Is $1.2 million a year not enough? How much do you need?”

It is not easy to convince people. But we have to pay attention to this important issue, because it will ensure that our system of government continues to work in future, and that Singapore continues to be well governed by able, honest people. Hence as PM, I have decided to move now after weighing the situation. If we were to delay this for several years, we may lose one or two cohorts of talented people, and weaken our leadership team and the ability of the government. In addition, I want to make clear to Singaporeans that my primary considerations are for the future of this nation, and not for my own salary. Hence I have decided to donate my salary increase for the next 5 years to charity.

Honest and capable leaders are a unique feature of our political system. This is a vital competitive advantage for Singapore. Our government is competent, efficient, and honest. More importantly, the government does its best to improve the lives of Singaporeans. Our children have good schools, our workers have good jobs, and our people have good homes. These did not happen by chance. They were the result of hard work of all Singaporeans, but also good leadership by a government which cares for the people.

Because of our success, other countries are very interested to learn from us. China sees us as one useful model for their development. Hundreds of their officials come here on study trips. Their academics analyse our system in detail. They are most impressed by how we have maintained the vigour and quality of our government, without becoming complacent after so many years in power. They want to learn how our system has stayed clean, and our officials and ministers honest. The Chinese are also talking about building a harmonious society, and they believe that we have better social safety nets than they do.

Professor Lü Yuanli from Shenzhen University, whom Josephine Teo quoted, had spent some time in Singapore, and studied our system extensively. He asked two questions: How does a party in power for a long time maintain its rigor? How does a party in power for a long time maintain its honesty? These are basic questions that we should ask ourselves. One of the answers is that we place a lot of emphasis on attracting talented person to join the government service. The China media have taken note of this. The Beijing News recently carried a positive commentary on our policy. The author said:

“The people responsible for policy missteps will eventually leave, but the agony brought about by these missteps has to be borne by society. Singapore attracts talents into the government through a series of measures. These people form the backbone of the government, and carefully formulate policies, under the watchful eye of the public and public opinion. This results in very low hidden costs, which could transfer from the Government to the people, because of missteps in the policy-making process, and significantly reduces the opportunity costs of policy decisions.”

How do we sustain generation after generation of able policy-makers and good government? By having good leaders, and continuing to find good people to be MPs and Ministers. Public leaders must not only be outstanding in their abilities but also have idealism and public spirit. They must be committed to Singapore, and to improving the lives of all Singaporeans. Only then will they have the trust and support of the people. Only with such leaders can Singapore achieve exceptional results.

With competitive salaries, we can bring in Singaporeans with these qualities to renew our leadership team, and especially to strengthen the Cabinet. In the past ten years, we have achieved this. Today’s Cabinet is different from the one in 2001 after the elections, and in 2004 after I took over as Prime Minister. This illustrates the effectiveness of our salary policy And I hope that in 5 years’ time, I will have an even stronger Cabinet, including several new and younger Ministers in the team.

In ancient China, the imperial examinations were a natural route to social advancement. Parents wanted their children to become government officials. The top graduate – the zhuangyuan – might marry the emperor’s daughter! This was the tried and tested path to wealth. Today, China continues to have this tradition, and maintains high quality leadership at the senior levels of government. Their ministers, party secretaries, governors, and mayors in the centre and in many provinces and cities are able and enterprising. This is a major reason for China’s success in reforming and opening up.

Nevertheless, the Chinese also have difficulty attracting new talent into the government service in recent years. Because of the booming economy, ambitious young Chinese no longer regard a government job as the best route to success. They prefer the private sector, working for foreign companies, or starting their own businesses. Many who enter public service do not stay there for long. There are too many opportunities outside, and they can expect to earn many times more in the private sector.

In Singapore, we aim for a good balance of talent in both the private sector and the government. We subject all candidates for leadership positions to stringent requirements. Unlike in ancient China, we do not want people to enter the government for self-serving reasons or to enrich themselves. We are looking for people who want to contribute to society and make a difference for Singapore. This is the purpose of the systematic leadership self-renewal. Competitive salaries are just one factor, but an important one, in inducting talent. We have to search for potential leaders, test them out, and assess their character and ability to perform. Finally, Singaporeans have to decide. Every 5 years, you will judge the performance of the team, and decide who you want to lead this nation.

Several MPs and Singaporeans have raised concerns about the lower-income groups. They compare the salaries of the Ministers with the amount the government spends on welfare, and think that the government has neglected the poor. When the two are put together, it becomes an emotional issue. I understand these sentiments. But the long-term goal of this salary revision is to build a good team that will make the country prosper and improve the lives of all Singaporeans, including the lower-income.

Generous welfare is the easy way out and the popular thing to do –you don't really need very capable Ministers to do it. But this is a short cut. It is not financially sustainable, and will not fundamentally solve the problem. The wiser approach is to grow the economy, and use the fruits of growth to implement policies which truly improve the lives of the poor. In Singapore, most low-income families own their own three room flats, worth $150,000 or more. Even one and two room rental flats enjoy upgrading, for free. Children from the poorest families can go to good schools, and if they do well enter the best secondary schools and junior colleges. That is the avenue to a better life, for them and their families. How is it we can achieve this? Because we have put able Ministers in charge, who care about their fellow Singaporeans and want to help uplift them.

How best to help the poor is not an easy matter to resolve. The Government has put much thought into this. We have many schemes, and many community and voluntary groups to reach out to the needy. Our MPs and grassroots leaders work hard to help the poor. Just visit any MPS, and you will see this for yourself. Talk to experienced grassroots leaders, and they will tell you that lack of money is not a problem in helping the needy. Therefore we should consider things dispassionately, and determine what is truly in the best interests of Singaporeans.

If I had wanted to avoid this unpleasantness, I could have postponed the salary increases. The ministers would not complain, and those Singa-poreans who are now upset would have been happy. But that would have been irresponsible, because our problem will get more serious, and eventually our system of government would be undermined. So even though I knew that the salary increase would cause a row, I decided to proceed now. It is my duty to do what is right, to explain why I am doing it, and to safeguard the long term interests of Singaporeans.

Ultimately, Singaporeans trust the government because it has been honest with the people, it has cared for them, and it has delivered what it has promised. I ask all Singaporeans to support our salary policy, so that we can strengthen our government, it can continue to serve Singaporeans well, and Singaporeans will have reason to continue trusting the government.

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