S'pore ministers' pay may be cut 20 pct this year-media

[Yellowrx8]

SINGAPORE, Jan 20 - The annual salaries of Singapore's ministers and senior civil servants are expected to fall by 12 to 20 percent this year in line with the shrinking economy, local media reported on Tuesday.

 

 

Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is also minister in charge of the civil service, told Parliament on Monday that senior permanent secretaries and entry-grade ministers will likely receive S$1.54 million , which is a drop of 20 percent from last year.

 

Younger officers in the elite Administrative Service -- typically top performers in their early to mid-30s -- will receive S$351,000 or about 12 percent less, Teo added.

 

"As the salaries are linked to economic performance, the 2009 salaries may be subject to further adjustments given the volatility of the economy," he said.

 

Singapore pegs ministers and senior civil servants' pay to top earners in the private sector, saying it needs to pay well to retain talent in the government service.

 

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last year received an estimated S$3.76 million, about five times the annual salary of outgoing U.S. President George W Bush.

 

Singapore, which became the first Asian economy to slip into recession last year, has forecast the economy could shrink by up to 2 percent this year.

 

It is considering dipping into its reserves worth hundreds of billions of dollars for the first time to tackle the slump, officials were quoted as saying on Monday. [iD:nSP388780]

 

The government could draw on the central bank's foreign reserves that totalled $174.2 billion in December, or its two secretive sovereign funds GIC and Temasek that had at least a combined $230 billion in assets in reported figures last year.

 

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20090120/tap...ay-c3bb44c.html

Edited January 20, 2009 by Yellowrx8

[Jeff49er]

This is indeed good news. Some of the Leeders have to cut their salary

[Nutty]

Besides pay cut, private sectors are downsizing too.

 

Will that be feasible for them too?

[Tkseah]

Besides pay cut, private sectors are downsizing too.

 

Will that be feasible for them too?

 

if public sector downsize.. then u better dun complain if their service level drops.. next time take 3 hrs to cross customs, 2 hrs to queue for passport, 2 hrs for police response time..

[Schneider79]

Some MP from the Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC called us Singaporeans "Less Mortals".

We contribute taxes to the society and he gets money from that coffer and now he calls us "Lesser Mortals".

 

So Singaporeans, are you stupid or what ?

[DarkLord]

Less 20% still alot of $$ sia..

[Tkseah]

Some MP from the Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC called us Singaporeans "Less Mortals".

 

have ah.. where's the article on this??

 

[Altivo]

Some MP from the Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC called us Singaporeans "Less Mortals".

We contribute taxes to the society and he gets money from that coffer and now he calls us "Lesser Mortals".

 

So Singaporeans, are you stupid or what ?

 

we've to be thankful he didnt sign off with "get out of my elite uncaring face! "

[Foxfire]

IMO having less bonus does not equate a pay cut. When one is having less performance linked bonuses, it only shows increasing incompetence. IMO, there is nothing to rejoice about since the country's performance is declining.

[Latka]

This is indeed good news. Some of the Leeders have to cut their salary

 

Good meh? They still getting million dollar pay for doing nothing leh.

[Saxo74]

have ah.. where's the article on this??

 

 

 

Here you are

 

 

http://www.todayonline.com/pdf_open.asp?id=2001HNL002

 

 

"Agreeing that the rebuke in Parliament was

[Tkseah]

Here you are

 

http://www.todayonline.com/pdf_open.asp?id=2001HNL002

 

wah piang eh.. MP vocab too good until use such words.. think they all need to go attend PR courses..

 

[Altivo]

wah piang eh.. MP vocab too good until use such words.. think they all need to go attend PR courses..

 

i think he purposely one... as lesser mortals can mean being "sour grapes / narrow minded" or simply "people of lower class".

 

If we think of the latter, he will just say our english is not good enough and we're misintepreting what he said. Which brings to my views again that the gahmen is losing touch with the ground.

 

It's no wonder the following is happening

 

1) MP got burnt

2) parliament house vandalised

 

 

[DarkLord]

Here you are

 

 

http://www.todayonline.com/pdf_open.asp?id=2001HNL002

 

 

"Agreeing that the rebuke in Parliament was

[Tkseah]

i think he purposely one... as lesser mortals can mean being "sour grapes / narrow minded" or simply "people of lower class".

 

If we think of the latter, he will just say our english is not good enough and we're misintepreting what he said. Which brings to my views again that the gahmen is losing touch with the ground.

 

It's no wonder the following is happening

 

1) MP got burnt

2) parliament house vandalised

 

it is this kinda of vocab that are gonna get them burnt.. literally..

[Altivo]

they forget that they are serving the people.... so yaya papaya, no wonder SM Goh is in a crisis managment mode now - think reserves => budget day => money to people ....

[Scenic98]

cut 20% now, raise by 30% after in 2 years time. their pattern...same same since Harry days

[Hishercar]

they forget that they are serving the people.... so yaya papaya, no wonder SM Goh is in a crisis managment mode now - think reserves => budget day => money to people ....

 

 

 

when citizen start to eat grass for breakfast .... we need to keep reserve for rainy days

 

when GIC lost billions and cannot meet payment .........need to mobilise the reserve to help the "people"