Read the White Paper in total when it is released shortly and you will likely come to a single conclusion - this a is not a review that began with a white canvas. It is a review that is highly political in nature and reverse engineered to meet the undisclosed brief.. Here are 2 points that will show;
1) Review actually did not contradict or dispute that the salaries are out of whack or not the market rates. It actually states that there should be a 40% discount to reflect the ethos of holding a Public Office. The MR4 is the benchmark used to pit against the median income of top 1000 income earners. It could have been top 500, 750 or even 5000.
2) The National Bonus component meets nearly all calls by the opposition in recent times. This only amounts to 15% to a top performer and that requires all sub-categories to fail which is unlikely. If only 2 are not met, then the total package is reduced by 7%. But more importantly it gives excellent bragging rights and cuts away any further claims by opposition that it not pegged to economic wellbeing of Singaporans.
In essence, what it means indirectly is that salaries are in fact market rates and The PAP, old man and the Govt were not wrong but were right all this while. They were not overpaid. They now agree that "for the sake of Singaporeans", the PAP will "sacrifice" 40% of the market rate. They come across as highly charitable. Again calls by ordinary Singaporeans and the opposition to treat Public Office as a call of duty is now met. We therefore no longer can make those calls.
The review committee of course can make the claim that these came from the 500 odd submissions made to the committee but is it pure coincidence that the current rates are actually markets rates for political office holders.
This a politically safe report that does not antagonise or confront their sponsors as it does not refute anything. All it suggest is for the PAP to make a 40% donation and that also helped the PAP to insulate them from future claims of unfair compensation and not taking into account the wellbeing of its citizens. As the new salaries are pegged to citizens wellbeing in principle even by a token sum, the committee has provided them with excellent insulation.
1) Review actually did not contradict or dispute that the salaries are out of whack or not the market rates. It actually states that there should be a 40% discount to reflect the ethos of holding a Public Office. The MR4 is the benchmark used to pit against the median income of top 1000 income earners. It could have been top 500, 750 or even 5000.
2) The National Bonus component meets nearly all calls by the opposition in recent times. This only amounts to 15% to a top performer and that requires all sub-categories to fail which is unlikely. If only 2 are not met, then the total package is reduced by 7%. But more importantly it gives excellent bragging rights and cuts away any further claims by opposition that it not pegged to economic wellbeing of Singaporans.
In essence, what it means indirectly is that salaries are in fact market rates and The PAP, old man and the Govt were not wrong but were right all this while. They were not overpaid. They now agree that "for the sake of Singaporeans", the PAP will "sacrifice" 40% of the market rate. They come across as highly charitable. Again calls by ordinary Singaporeans and the opposition to treat Public Office as a call of duty is now met. We therefore no longer can make those calls.
The review committee of course can make the claim that these came from the 500 odd submissions made to the committee but is it pure coincidence that the current rates are actually markets rates for political office holders.
This a politically safe report that does not antagonise or confront their sponsors as it does not refute anything. All it suggest is for the PAP to make a 40% donation and that also helped the PAP to insulate them from future claims of unfair compensation and not taking into account the wellbeing of its citizens. As the new salaries are pegged to citizens wellbeing in principle even by a token sum, the committee has provided them with excellent insulation.
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