I dont think i understand what he was saying.
LHL has said that politics and Ministerial office is not a job, or career promotion. Civil service work is about manning the administrative machinery of a govt; a Minister is a political office to set policies of the political party that has captured power at the ballot box. So why talk about using principles from the Ministerial review to apply to civil servants?
If the DPM is saying the top civil servants by virtue of their tasks deserve top salaries, is he also saying that the Minister by virtue of his office being higher than the top civil servant should get even higher pay scales? Then by first making sure the top civil servant is paid astronomically high by some "principle", the Minister will automatically be assured of his fat pay again. If so, then he contradicts the PM that politics is an avocation not vocation. And the whole review becomes a farce.
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SINGAPORE: Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean has hinted that principles resulting from the committee reviewing ministerial salaries may be used when considering salaries of top civil servants.
Mr Teo, who is also the Minister in charge of the civil service, was speaking to reporters at a promotion ceremony for the Home Affairs Ministry on Monday.
Mr Teo is also the Home Affairs Minister.
It was Mr Teo's first day in office at the Home Affairs Ministry. In his first official function, he presented promotion certificates to officers in the Home Team.
In his speech, Mr Teo said a key focus of his Ministry is to develop leaders.
Speaking to reporters later, Mr Teo touched on the issue of reviewing ministerial salaries, a task which is undertaken by a committee chaired by Mr Gerard Ee.
Mr Teo explained that in the civil service, salaries are reviewed regularly to ensure they remain competitive. He added that he is open to using the recommendations from the ministerial salaries review committee and applying them in the civil service.
Mr Teo said: "If there are useful principles and guidelines which can be applied to benchmarking for public officers, civil service officers, then I suppose those will also be taken into account when we do our market comparisons."
Under the present system, the pay for top civil servants has always been linked with that of ministers. For example, a senior permanent secretary in a ministry can earn as much as his minister. Mr Teo said it is possible to de-link political and top civil servants' salaries.
He said: "In some countries that is done. There are similarities in the work that they do, but I would say political service and public service, you can differentiate between the two."
On the composition of the eight-member review panel, Mr Teo said that it is useful to have members in the committee who have a range of experience in a variety of sectors.
- CNA/ir
LHL has said that politics and Ministerial office is not a job, or career promotion. Civil service work is about manning the administrative machinery of a govt; a Minister is a political office to set policies of the political party that has captured power at the ballot box. So why talk about using principles from the Ministerial review to apply to civil servants?
If the DPM is saying the top civil servants by virtue of their tasks deserve top salaries, is he also saying that the Minister by virtue of his office being higher than the top civil servant should get even higher pay scales? Then by first making sure the top civil servant is paid astronomically high by some "principle", the Minister will automatically be assured of his fat pay again. If so, then he contradicts the PM that politics is an avocation not vocation. And the whole review becomes a farce.
***********
SINGAPORE: Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean has hinted that principles resulting from the committee reviewing ministerial salaries may be used when considering salaries of top civil servants.
Mr Teo, who is also the Minister in charge of the civil service, was speaking to reporters at a promotion ceremony for the Home Affairs Ministry on Monday.
Mr Teo is also the Home Affairs Minister.
It was Mr Teo's first day in office at the Home Affairs Ministry. In his first official function, he presented promotion certificates to officers in the Home Team.
In his speech, Mr Teo said a key focus of his Ministry is to develop leaders.
Speaking to reporters later, Mr Teo touched on the issue of reviewing ministerial salaries, a task which is undertaken by a committee chaired by Mr Gerard Ee.
Mr Teo explained that in the civil service, salaries are reviewed regularly to ensure they remain competitive. He added that he is open to using the recommendations from the ministerial salaries review committee and applying them in the civil service.
Mr Teo said: "If there are useful principles and guidelines which can be applied to benchmarking for public officers, civil service officers, then I suppose those will also be taken into account when we do our market comparisons."
Under the present system, the pay for top civil servants has always been linked with that of ministers. For example, a senior permanent secretary in a ministry can earn as much as his minister. Mr Teo said it is possible to de-link political and top civil servants' salaries.
He said: "In some countries that is done. There are similarities in the work that they do, but I would say political service and public service, you can differentiate between the two."
On the composition of the eight-member review panel, Mr Teo said that it is useful to have members in the committee who have a range of experience in a variety of sectors.
- CNA/ir
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