This morning, The Straits Times reported that our left-handed PM announced that he will donate his pay increase to charities, so as to have 'moral standing' to defend the increase in the ministries' salaries. I dunno if he realised how strange that sounds. Imagine you asked for a pay rise and then decided to donate it away cos people are asking why. Right from the start, he should have just forgo the rise if he think it is an unwise move. This present move to try to look good after all the backlashes is just a wrong political move. Wishy washy. If he think the cabinet deserve the rise, then stick to it. Singaporeans are getting too busy and forgetful to remember this issue by the next election.
The best part was, the Parliament continued to waste more taxpayers money by debating the issue. Now, imagine you as an employee (MPs) debating with your boss (PM) why you should be given a pay revision. Let's stop the wayang kulit and get on with our lives. I am not the top earner so I am not going to be upset for you to use my salary as your gauge. I am not upset because I know I am not going to earn a million anyway. I am just finding your self justification process unneccessary. Firstly, I am not your cream of the crop type who will join you in pure white uniform and do the street walking. Secondly, I am quite sure I dun want to be in your position where you have to turn down your constituency's resident financial aids request during your monthly 'Meet the people' session. Just picture this, your resident just read you are earning $2.5 million annually in the paper and there you are, turning down his $350 financial aid request because he is ineligible.
The main problem for our current government system is... it relies heavily on self-regulating. The MPs who are representing the people are supposed to be the one checking on the government. And the government (especially the ministers and perm secretaries) should be drawn from a separate pool of people. Already we have a single house system that did not have a second level of checking, we employed the same pool of people in the government. Better still, many of them sit in the GLCs and even unions. Ask ourselves, given the same situation, you and me will be more lenient towards ourselves, no matter how righteous we are as a person. Noone scrutinize themselves that hard.
For the same system, you will expect the government machine to work more efficiently (oh come on, your left hand is checking on how your right hand is doing, how difficult can that be) but then, this machine is so complex and so many SOPs and red tapes are created that GEMS campaign need to be put in place. Of course, SOPs, red tapes and GEMS are there partly to employ more people and in order to employ more, you need a pay rise. And yes, more campaigns also meant more surveys and committees formed. Perhaps, my lovely government need to understand the whole bureaucracy is one main pushing factor for leavers from the civil services. Young civil servants, whom they wanted and groomed, need to be thrilled by effiiciency and career prospects.
The PM said that this pay revision is necessary to ensure that they can continue to have a good government. I am sure. You pay what you get and I have no doubt about that. Passion can only last so long. Noone want to leave a top earning career to take up a public role that deal with public demands consistently. It takes a lot to meet complete strangers daily or debate on tv (though it is always pre-prepared) Or faced a national health crisis like what Khaw Boon Wah did or put up the most charming smile like Vivian Balakhrisnan even when you are forced into a corner. I am sure many if not all ministers and perm sec deserve the revision. Some may need it for hair implant in Honolulu, like some junior ministers. So stop the debating and explanations and get on with your work. But before we go, dear PM, are you donating your pay increase from your PM or Finance Minister pay? Or both?
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