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🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Elections & Politics

World’s highest-paid political leader to receive $1 million pay increase

From BBC News · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • Singapore will raise the salaries of ministers and other office holders, increasing Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s annual package by S$1.4 million to S$3.6 million.
  • Wong said he would donate the increase to charity over five years and argued that competitive pay helps attract talented candidates and deter corruption.
  • The decision has drawn criticism as Singaporeans face concerns about job security and living costs, while ministers’ salaries remain a longstanding political issue.

Singapore’s prime minister, already the highest-paid political leader in the world, is about to receive a pay package of S$3.6 million a year. Lawrence Wong’s increase alone will amount to S$1.4 million, or about $1.1 million.

Wong has said he will donate the increase to charity over the next five years. But the decision has reopened a sensitive debate in Singapore, where concern about job security and the rising cost of living has made ministers’ pay a particularly contentious issue.

The government says high salaries help attract capable people to political office and reduce the temptation of corruption. Wong acknowledged that ministers earn far more than most citizens, but said he had struggled to persuade business leaders and senior civil servants to leave their careers for politics.

We do not make the financial hurdle unnecessarily high

· Lawrence WongWong explained why the government believes high salaries can help persuade senior professionals to enter politics.

“We do not make the financial hurdle unnecessarily high” for people considering a move into politics, Wong said. “Overall, I believe this will give me and future prime ministers a better chance of persuading capable Singaporeans to step forward, and of building the strongest possible team for Singapore.”

Ministers’ base pay will rise from about S$1.1 million to around S$1.2 million. Wong expects most to earn about S$1.35 million by the end of the current government term, with some compensation linked to targets including unemployment, income and GDP growth. Singapore’s median monthly income is S$5,775.

The issue has long challenged the ruling People’s Action Party, which has governed since independence. Voter dissatisfaction over ministerial salaries and immigration policies contributed to the party’s lowest vote share in decades in the 2011 general election. The government cut ministers’ salaries the following year. Wong’s predecessor, Lee Hsien Loong, also pledged to donate a salary increase to charity in 2007.

Overall, I believe this will give me and future prime ministers a better chance of persuading capable Singaporeans to step forward, and of building the strongest possible team for Singapore.

· Lawrence WongWong defended the pay increase as a way to attract capable candidates to government.
About this summary

Originally published by BBC News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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