Pritam Singh agrees with one-off 9% wage raise for ministers, but maintains salaries should be pegged to MPs' pay

The Workers' Party (WP) concurs with the "more sober approach" to apply a one-time adjustment of up to nine per cent on the current wages of political office holders, party chief Pritam Singh said on Thursday (Sept 10).

But he maintained the party's 2012 view that the MR4 benchmark figure should be determined based on "a more accessible reference point for the public" — the allowance of a Member of Parliament (MP). 

"We take the view that pegging Ministerial salaries to a multiple of an MP's salary, which is in turn derived from a public sector appointee, is preferred to one that bases Ministerial salaries from a discount to the median salary of the top 1000 earners in Singapore," he said in Parliament.

"Under our 2012 proposal, and with the passage of time, the increases to Minister's total salaries would be more modest."

WP's formula includes a "more modest" variable component composition.

Parliament is debating the revised political salary framework recommended by an independent committee, and the Government's response to it.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said ministerial wages will not be immediately raised from the current $1.1 million to the proposed $1.8 million benchmark for ministers at the lowest-tiered MR4 grade.

Rising to speak on this matter on Thursday, Singh said the opposition party supports the one-off 9 per cent wage raise and sought confirmation that future pay raises will be based solely on performance.

He said WP also agrees with raising the monthly allowances for elected Members of Parliaments (MPs) to $18,500, up from $13,750, on account of inflation.

Disclose total remuneration for MR4 Ministers: Pritam

Singh also called for the disclosure of the total remuneration for MR4 Ministers, citing how variable components contribute to the final wage.

"The Government disclosed that, from 2013 to 2017, actual variable payments or the bonus to Cabinet Ministers averaged 9.7 months a year, not seven months as assumed by the annual salary norm in the committee's report," he said.

"If this is the case, would it not be useful, for purposes of transparency which is a principle this House agrees to with regard to political salaries, to disclose how actual total remuneration received by MR4 Ministers has compared with the annual salary norm?"

He also noted the committee's proposal to widen salary ranges for ministers, which Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had said would make it easier to attract candidates from the private sector.

"I would caution that this increased flexibility will also contribute to a concomitant increase in public scrutiny about the total annual salaries of individual Ministers, in concert with the principle that salaries ought to be transparent," said Singh.

"It would follow that this information should be published accordingly in a practical format that promotes public understanding of the total salaries."

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com