What happen to the ministerial pay review committee ?

[Silencer]

Ministerial salary review to be completed before year-end
By S Ramesh | Posted: 02 September 2011 1734 hrs

SINGAPORE: The committee tasked with reviewing the salaries of Singapore's president, prime minister, political appointment holders and Members of Parliament (MPs) has said it expects to complete its review before the end of the year.

Its chairman, Gerard Ee, who is also the chairman of Changi General Hospital and the National Kidney Foundation, gave the update in a statement on Friday.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had announced the formation of the committee to review political salaries the day he and his Cabinet were sworn in on May 21, after the recent General Election.

The high-level task force includes representatives from the corporate, legal and trade union sectors.

Mr Ee said since the close of the public feedback on June 20, his team has received more than 500 suggestions through emails and letters.

He said the team is carefully looking through all the inputs, some of which are very detailed, with the help of HR consultant Mercer Singapore.

Mr Ee added that the committee is also getting comments from both retired and current politicians.

He said the committee wants to do a thorough job of the review before issuing its proposals.

The government has said that it will base the new salaries of political holders on the committee's recommendations.

The new wages will be backdated to 21 May 2011, the date when the new government took office.

Former president SR Nathan has said he will adopt the new salary from that date, while the revised salary for the new president will commence from his new term on September 1.

At the Cabinet swearing-in ceremony in May, Prime Minister Lee had stressed that politics is not a job or a career promotion, but "a calling to serve the larger good of Singapore".

He added that ministers should also be paid properly so that Singapore can have an honest and competent leadership over the long term.

- CNA/ls/al

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1150693/1/.html

 

[halsey02]

In recess, don't ask, quietly forgotten, hopefully nobody remembered!! It is a one in a 50 year thing!

 

[ZorrorroZ]

they'll soon release a press statement:

"After much deliberation, the Select Committee on Ministerial Salary Review has found that the Ministers in Singapore, are in fact, underpaid. We recommend a 60% increase in Ministerial Salaries, in line with the percentage of votes garnered in the recent General Elections."

 

[TinyTower]

He said the committee is due to release it's findings by next month. Don't expect much to come out from it since he's already setting your expectations, knowingly or unknowingly, in this article.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/how-ministers-qualify-for-pensions.html

 

[groober2011]

Due to be released in November as reported. The cut will not be much so I do not have any high hopes that it will be more than 25%.

 

[palden]

Pay cut for Millionster? No joke la. Cut already where got dignity?

 

[Conqueror]

Can He Be Trusted

I still think Gerald Ee is basically a puppet after all.



I appreciate Dr Lily Neo. I perceive her as an extraordinary PAP MP who works with a heart, caring for the needy and less fortunate. Who could forget Dr Balakrishnan's famously callous remark: “How much do you want? Do you want three meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?“ to Dr Lily Neo’s calls for the government to increase public assistance to the poorest of the poor. Or Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon gunning her with: “How far you want to cover? You want to cover up to 30 per cent, 40 per cent or 50 per cent (of the population)?”

The other MP who speaks a little different from standard PAP suck-up drivel and fights for the underdog is Ms Denise Phua. It's reported that she's helping Rochor residents affected by the North-South Expressway get higher compensation for the demolition of their homes "after a tense hour during which more than 200 residents aired their grievances at the launch of an exhibition of the new flats they are being offered in Kallang." ST Nov 19.

I sincerely hope that Ms Phua will not get a: "How much you want to pay them for their flats? 30 per cent, 40 per cent or 50 percent more?" from the minister of the "Singapore-is-Shangrila-&-Happier-than-Bhutan" fame, when she asks for more compensation for the Rochor residents.

It is more than money that the Rochor residents lose. They get uprooted. Their lives get disrupted. They lose their way of life. They lose the convenience they now have. They lose their freedom of choice, to be where they want to be, to stay put.

"I hope they understand that their sacrifice is for the greater good," said Ms Phua in Straits Times.

I hope so too. But greater good for what and for who? For more economic activity and better GDP so that ministers (or is it Gerard Ee now?) can justify their million dollar salary and bonuses?

Sacrifice for greater good? While we are at it, how about knocking some houses off the numbered avenues in Bukit Timah to lessen the jam in Bukit Timah/Dunearn Road and PIE? Or make Oxley Rise a more public road?

It is sad that common Singaporeans like Rochor residents serve as sacrificial lambs while gloriously rich and powerful gluttons are served lamb chops!

feedmetothefish

 

[freedalas]

Re: Can He Be Trusted

I still think Gerald Ee is basically a puppet after all.



I appreciate Dr Lily Neo. I perceive her as an extraordinary PAP MP who works with a heart, caring for the needy and less fortunate. Who could forget Dr Balakrishnan's famously callous remark: “How much do you want? Do you want three meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?“ to Dr Lily Neo’s calls for the government to increase public assistance to the poorest of the poor. Or Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon gunning her with: “How far you want to cover? You want to cover up to 30 per cent, 40 per cent or 50 per cent (of the population)?”

The other MP who speaks a little different from standard PAP suck-up drivel and fights for the underdog is Ms Denise Phua. It's reported that she's helping Rochor residents affected by the North-South Expressway get higher compensation for the demolition of their homes "after a tense hour during which more than 200 residents aired their grievances at the launch of an exhibition of the new flats they are being offered in Kallang." ST Nov 19.

I sincerely hope that Ms Phua will not get a: "How much you want to pay them for their flats? 30 per cent, 40 per cent or 50 percent more?" from the minister of the "Singapore-is-Shangrila-&-Happier-than-Bhutan" fame, when she asks for more compensation for the Rochor residents.

It is more than money that the Rochor residents lose. They get uprooted. Their lives get disrupted. They lose their way of life. They lose the convenience they now have. They lose their freedom of choice, to be where they want to be, to stay put.

"I hope they understand that their sacrifice is for the greater good," said Ms Phua in Straits Times.

I hope so too. But greater good for what and for who? For more economic activity and better GDP so that ministers (or is it Gerard Ee now?) can justify their million dollar salary and bonuses?

Sacrifice for greater good? While we are at it, how about knocking some houses off the numbered avenues in Bukit Timah to lessen the jam in Bukit Timah/Dunearn Road and PIE? Or make Oxley Rise a more public road?

It is sad that common Singaporeans like Rochor residents serve as sacrificial lambs while gloriously rich and powerful gluttons are served lamb chops!

feedmetothefish

As a person, Gerald Ee is alright. He's basically kind-hearted and treats people regardless of their status with same courtesies and respect. So he's quite well regarded by the people. The PAP knows this and that's why it has been using Gerald for all sorts of contentious issues like NKF, PTC and now this ministers' salary review. But sad to say, Gerald is indeed a puppet to the PAP. He will never dare to come up with anything that will derail the PAP's agenda. In fact he tolls the PAP line very closely. A good example is the frequent increases in public transport fares where he defends SBS, SMRT applications for fare increases quite rigorously. He sees his role of Chairman of PTC as one of justifying the increases rather than stamping down his foot on any further increase. It's no more than a PR exercise in which the PAP hopes the goodwill that Gerald has with the people will appease their anger over the fare increases. So what then can we expect from him for the ministers' salary review? We can quite easily draw the conclusions.

 

[halsey02]

Due to be released in November as reported. The cut will not be much so I do not have any high hopes that it will be more than 25%.

It will be released in the Year 2525, for it will take, two 'man years' ( approx 52 years each) to investigate & three 'man years' to approve.

 

[KuanTi01]

In the army, we already learned the meaning of "kooning" Gerald Ee and his committee are kooning on the job!

 

[po2wq]

What happen to the ministerial pay review committee ? ..

ya, man! ...

wat has happened 2 ze ministerial pay 2 ze review committee? ...

 

[kazuo]

Take the 1.75 month first. Want to cut also after money has entered bank account what

 

[captainxerox]

Take the 1.75 month first. Want to cut also after money has entered bank account what

yup get 13th month and performance bonuses first.

 

[hillary888]

The new wages will be backdated to 21 May 2011, the date when the new government took office.

The longer the wait for the reviewing committee to confirm their salary, the higher the payback is going to be.

 

[IreneYeoh]

I suspect they'll drag and drag until everyone forgets, just like NKF.

 

[wwabbit]

He's expended all his time and energy to review the last Public Transportation price hike a few months ago. It took a lot of effort to complete that review in only a week and now he needs to take a well deserved break before coming back to the Ministerial Pay review.

 

[halsey02]

He's expended all his time and energy to review the last Public Transportation price hike a few months ago. It took a lot of effort to complete that review in only a week and now he needs to take a well deserved break before coming back to the Ministerial Pay review.

He is making a list & checking it twice:

1.CPF Statements
2. INCOME statements
3. Bank 1 to 4 Statements
4. Foreign Private Bank Statements

Ha! ha! ha!...Christmas is coming, no time for what review..time to open that bottle of Dom P. & party...and go to boogoe wonderland.

 

[Fook Seng]

ya, man! ...

wat has happened 2 ze ministerial pay 2 ze review committee? ...

I think they already have the salary figures for a very long time. The problem is in finding the supporting justification.

 

[Checker]

Waiting for economic news to be better. Hostility against rich all time high all over world. Soften ground with announcements of popular concessions, donations first. Maybe get away with 10-15% cut in line with reduced GDP this year.

 

[HellAngel]

Re: Can He Be Trusted

Looking at the things that they had asked him to do, it is rather obvious.

I still think Gerald Ee is basically a puppet after all.