Singapore raises ministers' salaries: Lawrence Wong will donate the raise to charity

The Singaporean government announced a change in the remuneration system for ministers and key public office holders. The basic pay package for ministers is expected to increase from about 1.1 million to 1.2 million Singapore dollars a year.

However, the final salaries will be higher and will depend, among others, on: on the effects of government work. Part of the salary will depend on economic indicators such as the unemployment rate, income growth and GDP.

Lawrence Wong, who was already the best-paid political leader in the world before the announced change, announced that he would donate the value of the raise to charity for five years.

Government: It's about recruiting competent people and fighting corruption

The Prime Minister argued that high salaries for government members are intended to make it easier to persuade experienced managers to enter politics. As he noted, the state is not able to match the earnings offered to the best specialists in business, but it can eliminate the financial barrier associated with giving up one's current career.

The Singaporean authorities have also been arguing for years that high salaries for ministers reduce the risk of corruption. In fact, the country regularly tops the Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International.

However, the decision caused critical reactions from some residents. Comments have appeared on the Internet that the increase is disconnected from society's everyday problems - concerns about jobs, layoffs, the situation of graduates and the rising cost of living.

According to data cited by the BBC, the median monthly income in Singapore is 5,775 Singapore dollars. At the same time, in the last quarter the number of group layoffs in the country was the highest in over five years.

The dispute over politicians' salaries is not new in Singapore. After the 2011 parliamentary elections, when the ruling People's Action Party achieved its weakest result in decades, the authorities reduced the salaries of ministers. One of the topics that aroused voters' dissatisfaction at that time was the high salaries of government representatives.

The world's highest paid leader

Wong is the highest-paid leader in the world. The next place is taken by the head of the Hong Kong government, John Lee, who earns approximately PLN 719,000. dollars a year, and the third place is the president of Switzerland, Guy Parmelin, with earnings of PLN 606,000. dollars.