PUBLISHED ONFebruary 06, 2026 2:39 PMBYChing Shi JieWhile money must never be the incentive for Singaporeans to join politics, "any rational individual" will have to consider the "financial opportunity cost" of being a minister, said Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong on Friday (Feb 6).
He was speaking at the launch of Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam's book titled Policy, Fairness and Compassion, which comprises a collection of speeches and interviews throughout the latter's 38-year political career.
ESM Goh's remarks come as the Government announced last month that a committee is reviewing the salaries of political office holders.
ESM Goh recalled how Shanmugam was fielded in the 1988 General Election — then a 29-year-old lawyer in private practice — as the People’s Action Party’s youngest candidate.
Shanmugam was part of a three-member PAP slate that contested and won in Sembawang GRC. He is now the anchor minister for Nee Soon GRC.
Said ESM Goh: "What persuaded Shan to enter politics when he was about to be made a partner in a leading law firm?
"Shan sees his public life as a worthwhile cause. He did not agonise over the significant financial sacrifice he had to make."
In Policy, Fairness and Compassion, ESM Goh wrote in the foreword that Shanmugam "had no hesitation in accepting the call to duty" and took a "significant pay cut" when he was appointed Minister for Law in 2008.
Shanmugam later also helmed the foreign affairs ministry from 2011 to 2015.
In his speech, ESM Goh noted that it is "increasingly harder to persuade good, capable people nearing or at the top of their careers to devote themselves to political service".
Besides the increased public scrutiny through social media, money is also a factor, he said.
ESM Goh added that it does not bode well for Singapore if the most capable among each generation of Singaporeans shy away from public service.
"It will not be easy to find another Shanmugam who is willing to forgo tens of millions of dollars over a 20-year period as minister. And the Cabinet needs more than one Shanmugam."
ESM Goh noted that Shanmugam was a proponent of "paying political officeholders a competitive wage which reflects their heavy responsibilities and impact on people’s lives".
This was after the minister spoke on the issue of ministerial salaries in Parliament in April 2007.
Political salaries – including that for the President, Prime Minister, Speaker, Deputy Speaker and political office-holders – have not been adjusted since 2012, when the Government accepted a review committee's recommendations which put in place the current salary framework.
Under the framework, ministerial salaries are benchmarked to the median income of the top 1,000 earners who are Singaporean citizens, with a 40 per cent discount to reflect the ethos of political service.
ESM Goh said that while the Government "must convince Singaporeans that their future hinges on the ability to produce the best team of men and women to govern", pay must not be a factor that pushes them away.
"Without a top rate Government, the Singapore Story will end badly," he added.
Besides encapsulating his views on different policy frameworks, issues and considerations on various Government positions, Shanmugam's book also brings together his views on key community and public policy issues.
In his speech at the event, Shanmugam said that he had been approached to write a book, but declined for two reasons.
"A good book requires a degree of thought and some time. Second it should be a useful read, at least for some people," he said.
"In my case, I didn’t have time to write such a book… and there are things I can usefully say, which may or may not be of interest, but they cannot be said — anyway, not now."
He eventually agreed to the suggestion of publishing a book with a selection of speeches, which he hopes can provide a data point for future historians and raise money for charity.
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chingshijie@asiaone.com
