Singapore Expats

Likely related to F1 contracts?

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapo ... ng-3629671

The obvious problem is that ministers salaries are not high enough to discourage corruption. They should be increased.

Terry Xu, editor of The Online Citizen, was jailed for alleging "corruption at the highest echelons". Looks like his statement might have some truth.

abbby wrote: ↑

Sat, 15 Jul 2023 10:22 am

Likely related to F1 contracts?

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapo ... ng-3629671

Not sure why they haven't released more details, but knowing the relationship between the two, it seems likely.

tiktok wrote: ↑

Sat, 15 Jul 2023 1:02 pm

The obvious problem is that ministers salaries are not high enough to discourage corruption. They should be increased.

Terry Xu, editor of The Online Citizen, was jailed for alleging "corruption at the highest echelons". Looks like his statement might have some truth.

I'm just curious, what do you think an appropriate salary would be? Most would say they are already extremely over paid.

That was a joke. They should be paid no more than 200k, 300k for the PM. Their current salaries are pure greed.

I remembered when this was first released by the PMO back in 2012 with regard to the Ministerial Salary ranges (this before the 30-odd percent reduction in salaries). So wen on a search for it and luckily found it. It's long, but it's a good read.
https://www.pmo.gov.sg/Newsroom/speech- ... nuary-2012

tiktok wrote: ↑

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 10:30 pm

That was a joke. They should be paid no more than 200k, 300k for the PM. Their current salaries are pure greed.

Ah, didn't read as sarcasm to me at first. Though knowing you, I should have known better

I think 300K for the PM is a little under, considering all the work and stress that goes into the job. But for regular ministers, I think it is generous.

sundaymorningstaple wrote: ↑

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 1:26 am

I remembered when this was first released by the PMO back in 2012 with regard to the Ministerial Salary ranges (this before the 30-odd percent reduction in salaries). So wen on a search for it and luckily found it. It's long, but it's a good read.
https://www.pmo.gov.sg/Newsroom/speech- ... nuary-2012

On one hand, I can understand how it's important to have salaries be relatively high compared to the earnings of an average Singaporean, both in order to attract talent, and to ensure corruption is kept to a minimum.

After all, as pointed out in the speech, many politicians who came in from the private sector would have taken a significant pay cut in comparison to what they were earning at their previous jobs. The pay cut is understandable, however, if the pay is not kept above a certain floor, there will no longer be any incentive for a talented individual to choose public service over working in the private sector.

That being said, I believe politics, at least in Singapore, also requires a lot of heart. To a certain extent, you must not be doing it for the money. The money is a benefit and reward for being successful and effective. Ministers must have a willingness to serve, and this should come from the heart, though this is obviously intangible.

During my time this bloke Teh Cheang Wan did a poo poo while he was a minister
Damn, his death and the circumstances after that is very very sad.
You play this game and be aware of its repercussion.
There are many under table going on over the years , it is catch 22

Here's an interesting illustration. These are the top ten least corrupt countries (2022 Corruption Perception Index, Transparency International) and the salaries of their head of government. Spot the outligher.

tiktok wrote: ↑

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 8:40 am

Here's an interesting illustration. These are the top ten least corrupt countries (2022 Corruption Perception Index, Transparency International) and the salaries of their head of government. Spot the outligher.

I would argue that singapore is affluent enough to pay such a salary, but looking at the other countries on the list, that hardly seems to be the reason.

Mad Scientist wrote: ↑

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 8:39 am

During my time this bloke Teh Cheang Wan did a poo poo while he was a minister
Damn, his death and the circumstances after that is very very sad.
You play this game and be aware of its repercussion.
There are many under table going on over the years , it is catch 22

I was not yet in Singapore, so I had no idea about this until today, truly sad. Whether or not he was involved in corrupt activity, It's hard to think that he was in a position where death seemed like the more favorable option.

It''s appalling. Clearly the death sentence should apply to Iswaran as a warning to others. I'm serious. How it was picked up was that a scrupulous British accountant or book keeper noted in his ledger "Bribe for Minister Iswaran paid to Ong, $20,000 in cash" or similar and CIPB picked it up in a parallel investigation.

PNGMK wrote: ↑

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 2:03 pm

It''s appalling. Clearly the death sentence should apply to Iswaran as a warning to others. I'm serious. How it was picked up was that a scrupulous British accountant or book keeper noted in his ledger "Bribe for Minister Iswaran paid to Ong, $20,000 in cash" or similar and CIPB picked it up in a parallel investigation.

I know you say you're serious, but I can't believe you actually think that. That seems disproportionately harsh.

If the legitimacy of an entire nation rests on a no corruption platform then the Iswaran threatens us all with his corruption (alleged).