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This short essay does not intend to add to the rich debate already surrounding the issue of ministerial pay. It only intends to discuss the wider implications this episode might have for national politics.

Many informed opinions weighing in on the ministerial pay issue have explained the mixed reaction to the committee’s recommendations as a matter of public anger or dissatisfaction [1]. Some have linked this anger to the government’s perceived failure to fulfil the implicit compact of very high salaries for very high quality results. There has also been a heartening wave of principled debate over why we should or should not pay our political leaders in the recommended manner.

There is no doubt that the issue of ministerial pay is an emotional one but in the midst of heated debate, it is still useful to reason with cool heads.

Firstly, not enough attention has been paid to the principle of “clean-wage”. This principle is not only at the heart of the Ee Report, it is also the premise on which the entire system of ministerial wages is based, from the beginning when Mr Lee Kuan Yew implemented it, right up till now.

[It] has to be said that the acceptance of these recommended cuts are a good first step by the government in showing that it is listening to its electorate. The removal of the pension scheme is a healthy sign that the government is recognizing that it needs to bring itself in line with what the citizens of the country experience regarding their retirement funding. It shows an attempt to understand the pain and fear Singaporeans experience from retirement planning and their CPF balance. It also placates Singaporeans’ sense of fairness; that since they do not have a guaranteed pension waiting for them, then their elected representatives should not have one either.

The following is a call by Non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP), Mrs Lina Chiam.

Dear fellow Singaporeans,

Every year in February, the Minister for Finance will present the planned expenditure for the following year which begins on 1 April. All our livelihoods are directly affected because the budget dictates how government is going to allocate financial resources to various sectors like the military, education, economic development, community services, healthcare.