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[TD="class: msgtxt"][h=2] State-owned media tries to put Government in good light over pay cut issue [/h]
Instead of mentioning the Prime Minister抯 new salary as $2.2 million in its headline, the state-owned media has cleverly used the pay of a minister at the bottom end of the entry MR4 grade for its headline. This amount is calculated to be $935,000, a tinge lower than $1 million and hence, enabling the state-owned media to publish its headline as 揗inisters� starting pay cut to less than $1 million� . People who saw this headline but did not read the text would get the impression that ministers� salaries are now all below $1 million which clearly is not the case. In fact, most of the cabinet ministers would be receiving more than a million for their salaries with the Prime Minister getting more than $2 million.
The Straits Times then proceeded to publish another accompanying article, 慚ost welcome pay cuts: ST poll� , giving the impression that Singaporeans at large are all fine with the pay cuts recommended by the ministerial pay review committee. The article began by saying, 揝ingaporeans interviewed have welcomed the proposed changes in ministerial pay announced yesterday, with many expressing surprise at the size of the cuts.�
It then cited a snap poll of only 100 people to justify its report that most Singaporeans are fine with the new salaries. It reported that 73 of the 100 were 搒atisfied� with the recommendation. Some of these 搒upporters� were quoted as saying:
Weng Hiang Loong: It shows the Government is serious about listening to our views. Now I hope they can also listen to us and make our cost of living lower.
Jeremy Boo: One thing that people were unhappy about was that the ministers seem to be remunerated on a different system � we have CPF so why are they still receiving pensions? It抯 like a hidden salary.
Mr Kenneth Ho: It抯 a good start in terms of the approach the Government is taking. The pay is still generally higher than their counterparts overseas. You can抰 please everyone.
Mr Gary Goh: It抯 a good move. The President should take the lead by taking a big cut. It抯 a good start in the sense that taxpayers� money can be more well-spent. It would be good if they could review this based on the economy every two to three years. I don抰 think people will stop talking about it because the pay is still high.
Ms Juliet Loo: It抯 good that they have a pay cut. They are overpaid now so the cut is justified.
Mr Issac Teo: It抯 fair for them to be well-paid but people are unhappy because there抯 a big disparity between what they earn and what their voters earn. It抯 good that they have a pay cut but we shouldn抰 go overboard to ask for more. People won抰 stop talking. It won抰 please anyone. People will ask for another review, but to what extent do we cut?
Mr Chew Chee Kwong: It is the right move. So many Singaporeans were unhappy for so long over this issue and because there were many problems with our housing, transport and jobs. Maybe they can now try to work harder and earn our trust, and then give themselves a pay rise again when our lives improve.
Ms Candice Goh: I am satisfied because I think it shows the Prime Minister is sincere and is trying to win Singaporeans over. I think what抯 most important is they do a good job and improve the quality of our lives, but I still don抰 understand why the President is getting paid so much.
Reading the quotes, one can quickly sense that some of the answers were not exactly 100% in full support. The answers actually contained 慶onditions�. It may have been fairer if the people were asked to rate their level of support say, using a score from 1 to 10.Jeremy Boo: One thing that people were unhappy about was that the ministers seem to be remunerated on a different system � we have CPF so why are they still receiving pensions? It抯 like a hidden salary.
Mr Kenneth Ho: It抯 a good start in terms of the approach the Government is taking. The pay is still generally higher than their counterparts overseas. You can抰 please everyone.
Mr Gary Goh: It抯 a good move. The President should take the lead by taking a big cut. It抯 a good start in the sense that taxpayers� money can be more well-spent. It would be good if they could review this based on the economy every two to three years. I don抰 think people will stop talking about it because the pay is still high.
Ms Juliet Loo: It抯 good that they have a pay cut. They are overpaid now so the cut is justified.
Mr Issac Teo: It抯 fair for them to be well-paid but people are unhappy because there抯 a big disparity between what they earn and what their voters earn. It抯 good that they have a pay cut but we shouldn抰 go overboard to ask for more. People won抰 stop talking. It won抰 please anyone. People will ask for another review, but to what extent do we cut?
Mr Chew Chee Kwong: It is the right move. So many Singaporeans were unhappy for so long over this issue and because there were many problems with our housing, transport and jobs. Maybe they can now try to work harder and earn our trust, and then give themselves a pay rise again when our lives improve.
Ms Candice Goh: I am satisfied because I think it shows the Prime Minister is sincere and is trying to win Singaporeans over. I think what抯 most important is they do a good job and improve the quality of our lives, but I still don抰 understand why the President is getting paid so much.
Elsewhere on the internet where netizens did not need to be interviewed by reporters, their views were more direct and brutal. In fact, majority of the views were negative with many expressed anger and disappointment with the ministerial pay cut being not deep enough:
TR Emeritus:
Bloodsuckers: So end up they still want their millions. Back to square one. Thanks a lot to those 60% idiots who vote PAP.
Still Too High: Frankly speaking, the proposed salary is still too high!!! They should benchmark to places like HK and peg strictly to median wages in Singapore.
PasRis: Very outrageous and still very obscene厖�..these MIWs are really thick-skinned. These positions are political and not commercialized.
not enough!!: PM Lee will still be paid more than US President Obama by 3 times! That抯 unacceptable!! Boo厖
Yahoo News:
Chris: their salary still high after pay cut. But i luv the part where they said about abolishing pensions厖
wr we: how are the gov abilities compare to the private sectors? MBT, WKS and SAW will be long gone if they are in the private sector.
Y: i still maintain my stand. no minister shld draw more than 1 million a year. no civil servant shld draw more than half a million. it is as simple as that. only the greedy makes it more complicated.
Boey tahan: I do not know why our ministers� salary are so high in the first place, comparable to the most developed countries. To the developed countries, they believed it is an honour, priviledge and sacrifice to serve the people as a government.
TOC:
Grace Fu: I read the papers and recoil when Grace Fu talk about sacrifices. Ask her how much she is earning in PSA and how much she is earning now even after the review?? You will be shock by the pay increase! Is Grace Fu a talent??? Come on, there are a tens of thousands of Singaporeans more qualified than her. She is just a ordinary commerce student in JC, my god!!!
Not So Graceful: @Grace Fu, if you are miles better than the real Grace Fu, please do us all a favour. Join politics and kick her out.
Exaggerated: The ruling party sense of self entitlement is disgusting.
HWZ:
Evilmerlin: Because while the percentage looks like a big number, you look at the actual salary they are still getting, it is still out of this world. Oh wow, went from 1.5mil to 1.1mil. Big whoop.
mgx-alander: oic cut about 1/4 to 1/3. still highest in the world.
The intention is clear. The state-owned media is trying to control damages and paint a 慻ood� picture for the ruling party over the current pay cut issue as it knows that even after the so-called pay cut, Singapore ministers are still the highest paid politicians in the world.Bloodsuckers: So end up they still want their millions. Back to square one. Thanks a lot to those 60% idiots who vote PAP.
Still Too High: Frankly speaking, the proposed salary is still too high!!! They should benchmark to places like HK and peg strictly to median wages in Singapore.
PasRis: Very outrageous and still very obscene厖�..these MIWs are really thick-skinned. These positions are political and not commercialized.
not enough!!: PM Lee will still be paid more than US President Obama by 3 times! That抯 unacceptable!! Boo厖
Yahoo News:
Chris: their salary still high after pay cut. But i luv the part where they said about abolishing pensions厖
wr we: how are the gov abilities compare to the private sectors? MBT, WKS and SAW will be long gone if they are in the private sector.
Y: i still maintain my stand. no minister shld draw more than 1 million a year. no civil servant shld draw more than half a million. it is as simple as that. only the greedy makes it more complicated.
Boey tahan: I do not know why our ministers� salary are so high in the first place, comparable to the most developed countries. To the developed countries, they believed it is an honour, priviledge and sacrifice to serve the people as a government.
TOC:
Grace Fu: I read the papers and recoil when Grace Fu talk about sacrifices. Ask her how much she is earning in PSA and how much she is earning now even after the review?? You will be shock by the pay increase! Is Grace Fu a talent??? Come on, there are a tens of thousands of Singaporeans more qualified than her. She is just a ordinary commerce student in JC, my god!!!
Not So Graceful: @Grace Fu, if you are miles better than the real Grace Fu, please do us all a favour. Join politics and kick her out.
Exaggerated: The ruling party sense of self entitlement is disgusting.
HWZ:
Evilmerlin: Because while the percentage looks like a big number, you look at the actual salary they are still getting, it is still out of this world. Oh wow, went from 1.5mil to 1.1mil. Big whoop.
mgx-alander: oic cut about 1/4 to 1/3. still highest in the world.
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