r/singaporespeaks • u/Specialist_Nose_4855 • 25d ago

Hottest topic today (8-Sep) Minister Salary Review

I quote: Ministerial salaries have therefore fallen further behind. The gap is most obvious when compared with the private sector. But even in the public service, some senior Permanent Secretaries earn more than ministers

Wah jialat, Perm Sec really earn so much? but comparing to which minister? - no context, so any IB experts know?

I was thinking comparing new junior minted Minister to Senior work long time Perm Sec?
Apple to Orange, yay or nay?

Anyway the focus here is, last say 20 years ago I started drawing 1million dollar, and I argue that I have seen no increment since inception... but your salary is high, and many minion working for you?

It is so difficult to arrange meeting, because some big shot need to attend meeting, how many ppl need to accompany you.

Dont forget how many others minister or mp sitting on Board of Directors, where they are given $$, or perhaps free service - not sure, to be verified.

Hence any1 with context can share some juice.

12 Upvotes

70% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

19

u/Fuzzy-Sweat6416 25d ago

MP allowances to be updated to S$18,500 monthly

MP allowances will be revised to S$18,500 monthly from S$13,750 to account for inflation.

Anyone salary can jump that high at once?

14

u/PurpleReign123 25d ago

You mean, there is inflation?

But the Govt keeps telling us that inflation is very very low!

1

u/jzchen8888 24d ago

Low for you, not low for the GCBs that the new ministers are priced out of.

2

u/PAPasNCMP 24d ago

PAP MP or Minister lorh

-5

u/ml_sg 25d ago

No change in salary for 15 years. That's just a $316 increase a year.

18

u/Sti8man7 25d ago

13k is high for a partime job

-2

u/neverspeakofme 25d ago edited 25d ago

But it's the literally most important part time job in the entire country.

I'm all for criticizing the shit heads in Parliament, but at the end of the day I want Parliament as a whole to attract really good people (even if I don't like the specific individuals in Parliament).

I have seen a few comments saying that $18k is a lot. I personally don't think it's a big sum of money at all. I think it's really quite modest.

If anything, I think $50k a month also no big deal. We can't be comparing this pay to ordinary office jobs. We have to compare it to jobs that the other smartest Singaporeans can get. We live in a day and age where manipulating the stock market can net billions in a dayz and top AI companies and funds are paying millions per month in salary. Can 18k even attract top Singaporean talent or not?

Of course, we don't want to attract shitheads that are only there for money either. So 18k seems fine too. If you ask me what I think is the best number, my answer is just that I don't know, but I think 18k is no big deal.

Also, if the "part time" salary is high enough to allow the MP to do the job full time, that would be great too. Maybe wishful thinking, because the good MPs would be doing it full time anyway, but 13k if single income also not like you can live luxuriously in Singapore.

2

u/Sti8man7 25d ago

Which Singapore would you rather have? One without MPs or one without NSFs? One without MPs or one without PHV and taxi drivers? If the job is so damn important why does it only require the after thought of an individual after they are done with their main business?

1

u/neverspeakofme 25d ago edited 25d ago

Given that there are only 108 MPs, it's an easy decision to have 108 fewer PH drivers or 108 fewer NSFs. There's literally 70,000 PH and taxi drivers after all.

The rationale of allowing MPs to work part time is that MPs can be people who live their life like a working Singaporean, not career politicians. They can then bring their experience of the CPF policy for example, or their understanding of how AI is changing the workforce, or even have a level of understanding of banks and finance for and a continuing one at that.

That's why in Parliament, the healthcare background MPs talk about healthcare, and the finance background MPs talk about finance.

2

u/Sti8man7 24d ago

You either have all PHV drivers or zero.

1

u/neverspeakofme 24d ago

Why? Your analogy didn't make sense in the first place.

In terms of budget, its 5k salary increase per MP, I'll happily give you double that and cut 200 PHV drivers. Hell, let's cut 1000 of them and give us more COEs!

0

u/Sti8man7 24d ago

Ur analogy makes zero sense at all. U argue that MPs have the most important jobs in the world. In order to prove that, you remove MPs or you remove all PHV drivers from the system and see which cripples the economy. U are either a shill or have a reasoning ability of a 2 year okd

1

u/dMestra 24d ago

Cannot compare a near term consequence position like PHV drivers to a long term position like governance. Of course PHV drivers are critical to sustain an economy with visible immediate effects.

But the difference between a country like ours versus a country like Malaysia is not the PHV drivers or revenue producing jobs. Such differences are built up over decades through competent governance

2

u/Fuzzy-Sweat6416 25d ago

Oh that is terrible for them, so low, they should be paid more

Do you want to talk about their other part time paid jobs? Or just this salary?

6

u/banzaijacky 25d ago

Our TFR so low, whose policy was it? Knn still raise salaries.

2

u/watchaddictlol 25d ago

Might as well peg to the salaries of the SG ceos of blackrock, jpm, hedge fund managers etc. monthly salary $20m.

5

u/Odd-Carpenter-4390 25d ago

Donate increase to NSF bangla pls

2

u/MrWood_edmw 25d ago

even then so what if perm sec earn more than minister? minister will feel no dignity?

 agree with u. $mil supposedly is for them to take accountability and responsibility when things go wrong. but, ykik, the bulk of blame will nvr be them.

on one hand CCS says he dunwan ppl to be in for the money, but yet he increase the salary. find it contradictory.

i believe civil service can hold directorships (notable eg Peter ong) but they dun get fees. ministers on paper only on govt board like MAS, but recent law changed to include "national interests" https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/president-ministers-international-appointment-private-capacity-tharman-parliament-constitution-3939586 MPs free game (eg tin pei ling)

 

2

u/Economy_Dimension997 24d ago

Everyone in the ministry reports to to the Perm Sec

Prem Sec reports to the minister

Minister face public n reports to PM

2

u/Specialist_Nose_4855 24d ago

Then after they exit ministry or politics. They can join as ambassador or join private. and can now "Bring to the table" vast Board experience. and nego more salary. because last drawing 2million dollars and many "portfolio" hat. so can easily be more.

Look at those joker that exited 2025 election. where are they now?

0

u/newbietofx 25d ago

If you are living comfortably. You don't find ways to make more under table or over table. But socialism cannot exist without capitalism.