All these excuses for PAP ministers to pay themselves obscene salary link to talent are just that - EXCUSES ! Look at our current bunch of ministers, including PM himself - are they real 'talent' ? Anything exceptional about their abilities ? I would think most of them are just your average Jo only. They definitely NOT talented but perhaps smart. That is why they can come up with so many excuses to make themselves the highest paid politic leaders in the world.
Have they managed to attract any good talented people from the private sectors with their obscene exceptional high pay over the years ? Hardly ! What they manage to get are mainly army personals and those from civil services. These folks become instant millionair the moment they jump into the cabinet. Some ride on the tail coats of current ministers and are not even elected by the citizens. Most of our ministers do NOT draw such high salary in their previous job. Those real talent in private sectors are not taking the bait. So why are they still insisting there is a need for obscene pay to get them in ? Do we want such greedy folks to serve S'pore in the first place ?
All these justifications by PM and his gang remind us of Mah BT's infamous phrase : HDB is affordable. Is a public housing flat costing more then half a million affordable ? Perhaps to our millionair ministers it is, but to an ordinary citizen, it cost us a bomb ! Mah used to write weekly articles in MSM and actively tried to brain wash the us that HDB is 'affordable'. What happen to him and his lies now - they are exposed.
PM is still so foolish and try this same old trick on us regarding the ministerial pay. PAP is doing a lot of hard sell to the extent of pushing it down our throat. But WE ARE NOT BUYING IT this time either !
They are self delusion to think they are 'talent' and worth an obscene amount of pay. They just don't get it. We do NOT think they are talented nor worth the amount they are getting.
We don't believe in 'talent' any more. In the past they have use the phrase 'foreign talent' to let in tons of Tom, Dick and Harry with nothing to do with talent. Now they use the same word on themselves to justify for their greed.
In fact the word 'talent' is a burden. PAP seems to be sorely lacking in common sense, as perhaps they deemed answers and solutions arising from practical common sense is NOT consider as talent. They have been coming up with senseless complicated policies that defies logic. Look at the web of complication in our CPF policies. Even the ministerial pay committee has to employ complicated formula to work the ministers pay. Opposition parties' proposals are easy to understand and make more sense to us.
What we want is responsible leaders who are public spirited. They should not be afraid of accountability. They need to be endowed with a heavy dose of practical common sense to enable them to touch base with us -the citizens.
Has our ministers exhibit their 'talent' in problem solving ? An obvious NO ! After all, every time when issues pop up, they employed foreign consultants to help us investigate and resolve the issues. So what is the point of paying so much for our ministers when they cannot solve problems themselves ? They only know how to use public money to get external help. Anyone can do that.
We are sick and tired of the word 'talent'. It has been used to fool the public for years. PAP era is due for a change. Old dogs never learn new tricks. Their old tricks do not work on us any more. We are no longer daft (as LKY loves to call us) and see through them. Perhaps it is PAP that is daft nowadays.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Food for thought - on Ministerial Pay
Following SDP public presentation on their recommendations on Ministerial pay on 30 Nov, NSP organised one on 4 Dec. I think the opposition parties are doing a great job to put pressure on the government so the committee under Gerald Ee, which they appointed will be on their toes, instead of just 'wayanging' with the aim to justify for the overly excessive salary of the ministers again. LKY had done it in the 1980s, then Goh CT in the 1990s and current PM Lee in 2007. After 3 rounds of revision, it is a path to millionair and retire a billionair just by joining PAP.
James from SDP was invited to present their recommendations. NSP gave theirs and Tan Jee Say spoke too. Interesting forum as I pick up some new thoughts from the participants who spoke after the panel of speakers. I will share them here, as the press will report what speakers' speech but not the floor discussion.
1) It is PAP as a party that finds it difficult to attract talent. They make it into a national issue instead and use this as a reason to justify for the high salary to attract talent. So it boils down to policies and party alignment. After all we have seen talents joining opposition parties this election.
2) In this election, the new candidates are from the army and civil service and they have not attracted high flyer from the private sector. This shows their reasoning is flaw. Then why peg it to the top 8 earners from 6 private sectors? It becomes irrelevant. In fact, one participant suggested that those top talent in private sector would not join because they do not want to be perceived to be going in for the money - so PAP policy is having the reverse effect.
3) Another participant suggested PM needs to be pay so much is because he has to earn more than his MPs. If MPs work full time, instead of the current part time MPs, they would not have so much time to take up numerous directorship in private companies. Then our PM need not be so highly paid. Those directorship could be paying $50k or more each. Our MPs are known to hold directorship in 10 or more companies. Besides, MPs are also still holding on to their formal career. Added up MP could be earning alot of money. Now we can guess how much they are earning based on PM pay.
4) The bonus and variable components of ministerial salary are counter productive as it could affect policies decisions. We have seen it happening already. The emphasis on GDP growth at all cost and taking the easy way by letting in many foreign workers which jack up GDP.
James from SDP was invited to present their recommendations. NSP gave theirs and Tan Jee Say spoke too. Interesting forum as I pick up some new thoughts from the participants who spoke after the panel of speakers. I will share them here, as the press will report what speakers' speech but not the floor discussion.
1) It is PAP as a party that finds it difficult to attract talent. They make it into a national issue instead and use this as a reason to justify for the high salary to attract talent. So it boils down to policies and party alignment. After all we have seen talents joining opposition parties this election.
2) In this election, the new candidates are from the army and civil service and they have not attracted high flyer from the private sector. This shows their reasoning is flaw. Then why peg it to the top 8 earners from 6 private sectors? It becomes irrelevant. In fact, one participant suggested that those top talent in private sector would not join because they do not want to be perceived to be going in for the money - so PAP policy is having the reverse effect.
3) Another participant suggested PM needs to be pay so much is because he has to earn more than his MPs. If MPs work full time, instead of the current part time MPs, they would not have so much time to take up numerous directorship in private companies. Then our PM need not be so highly paid. Those directorship could be paying $50k or more each. Our MPs are known to hold directorship in 10 or more companies. Besides, MPs are also still holding on to their formal career. Added up MP could be earning alot of money. Now we can guess how much they are earning based on PM pay.
4) The bonus and variable components of ministerial salary are counter productive as it could affect policies decisions. We have seen it happening already. The emphasis on GDP growth at all cost and taking the easy way by letting in many foreign workers which jack up GDP.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
SDP Recommendation on Ministerial Salaray
The SDP recommendation papers is fair and well written. Even with the SDP recommendation, our PM and President are still the highest paid leaders in the WORLD. The fact of the matter is that they have paid themselves EXCESSIVELY. The fix component amounts to 16 months. The variable components can be more than 20 mths. This is ridiculous they are paying themselves 3 years salary in a year !
Then 8 months bonus tie to GDP! Ministers can get up to 14 performance bonus from PM, which criteria for assessment is secret! Is it fair that leaders determine their own salary and bonus ? I would call it 'open corruption'. Just because they legalized it does not make it ethical.
Then 8 months bonus tie to GDP! Ministers can get up to 14 performance bonus from PM, which criteria for assessment is secret! Is it fair that leaders determine their own salary and bonus ? I would call it 'open corruption'. Just because they legalized it does not make it ethical.
Ministerial Pension
The pension component is not touch on in SDP recommendation on ministerial salary. Not sure if the govt appointed committed headed by Gerald will give recommendation on it. I understand that NSP is coming out with their own papers too on ministerial salary. Perhaps they should focus on the pension part, since SDP has done a great job on the salary recommendation.
My personal take on the pension :
1) Since the ministers are getting CPF, for those who are also entitle to pension, they should be given an option to choose either CPF or pension at age 55. They should NOT be drawing money from both CPF and pension. If they choose pension, then the CPF fund will become their pension fund.
2) The pension fund draw down age should be change to 65 in line with CPF and not the current 55. This has resulted in ministers drawing excessively salary, bonus on top of pension dish out to them while still in service.
3) The lump sum payment option for pension should have a cut off date, perhaps say 5 years. If the pension starts at 65, they have to decide before they turn 70 if they want to have a lump sum. If they don't they cannot opt for it later when they know they are near their end stage. The current system is not fair and leaders determine their own benefits which they take advantage of.
4) Our current President who have served in the cabinet before may be entitled to 2 pension. One as a minister and the 2nd as president. This is ridiculous. This has to be look into.
My personal take on the pension :
1) Since the ministers are getting CPF, for those who are also entitle to pension, they should be given an option to choose either CPF or pension at age 55. They should NOT be drawing money from both CPF and pension. If they choose pension, then the CPF fund will become their pension fund.
2) The pension fund draw down age should be change to 65 in line with CPF and not the current 55. This has resulted in ministers drawing excessively salary, bonus on top of pension dish out to them while still in service.
3) The lump sum payment option for pension should have a cut off date, perhaps say 5 years. If the pension starts at 65, they have to decide before they turn 70 if they want to have a lump sum. If they don't they cannot opt for it later when they know they are near their end stage. The current system is not fair and leaders determine their own benefits which they take advantage of.
4) Our current President who have served in the cabinet before may be entitled to 2 pension. One as a minister and the 2nd as president. This is ridiculous. This has to be look into.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Our Trains Are Full
'Car Park Full' signs are common. Now recently we have 'Our Wards are Full' at Khoo Teck Puat hospital. This hospital is a recent addition to the healthcare scene and it is already overload.
So in the near future, we will have 'Our trains are Full' sign at MRT control stations. This will prevent overloading of the platform and stampede. Yeah, at this rate, it is a matter of time before we have a stampede due to overcrowding at MRT station.
So in the near future, we will have 'Our trains are Full' sign at MRT control stations. This will prevent overloading of the platform and stampede. Yeah, at this rate, it is a matter of time before we have a stampede due to overcrowding at MRT station.
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