MM Lee: I can make more money if I am not a minister
November 9th, 2009 | 
Author: From our Correspondent
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has jumped to the defence of the Singapore “system” promulgated by him, claiming that it “works” precisely because the ruling party takes great care when choosing its candidates, including some who forgo high-paying careers to become ministers.
In his speech at a grassroots event at Tanjong Pagar, MM Lee used the examples of Law Minister K. Shanmugam, an MP of Sembawang GRC, and Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Indranee Rajah to drive home his point.
Mr Shanmugam, Mr Lee said, could make $6 million a year while in private practice, but now makes $1.5 million a year as a minister.
‘(Opposition MP) Low Thia Khiang says, ‘Oh, so much money.’ I tell you honestly, if I am not a minister, I myself could make two or three times what I am making now. Every time I talk to foreign companies, they offer me $100,000. What do I do with the money? I give it (away) for scholarships, donate to it schools,’ he added.
MM Lee did not reveal the identities of the foreign companies which offer him the sum. MM Lee sits on the board of many international companies including Citigroup before he step down last year.
Singapore’s ministers are the highest paid in the world. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has an annual salary in excess of S$3 million dollars which is more than 5 times of U.S. President Barack Obama. A minister is expected to take home more than $1.9 million yearly, or $158,000 a month, far more than the median salary of $4,500 of the ordinary Singapore workers.
Despite the high pay, the ruling party has encountered difficulties in getting the right people into government.
In other developed democracies, aspiring politicians will join a political party whose ideology suits them and work their way slowly up the party hierarchy.
Singapore’s politics have been dominated by the PAP since independence. The other political parties are relatively weak in comparison and have difficulties attracting credible candidates into their ranks.
The Singapore “system” bears more similarities to the “mandarinate” system in feudal China than a modern Westminister democracy which we inherited from the British.
The PAP itself lacks intra-party democracy – the cadre system introduced by MM Lee allows him to maintain a tight grip on the party for over five decades. Leaders for the top positions are not voted in, but “appointed” though elections are held regularly for its CEC.
A climate of fear enshrouds the entire nation – few Singaporeans will dare to join the opposition out of fear of losing their ricebowls. Even the PAP found it hard to recruit the people they want because they are not interested in politics in the first place.
Just like in feudal China where the court mandarins are merely “servants” of the Emperor and power remains firmly in the hands of the royal family, PAP MPs and ministers are no more than “servants” of the ruling elite.
Under a free, uncontrolled and competitive political system like in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, there will be Singaporeans joining politics out of a genuine desire to serve the nation like MM Lee himself in the 1950s when he chose to give up a lucrative legal career to join politics full-time.
Due to the inherent unwillingness of Singaporeans to participate actively in politics, the PAP has no choice but to use high salaries to entice capable leaders to join the government. Even then, it may end up getting the wrong people who are in politics for the wrong reasons.
The Singapore “system” works too well to entrench the PAP in power which does not serve the overall interest of Singapore in the long run.
A first world nation like Singapore should be a shining beacon of democracy in the region. Instead it is burdened with an obsolete, archaic and repressive third-world political system which makes us a laughing stock in the free world so that somebody or some party can continue its rule forever.
Posted in Editorial
Basically, he is just preparing Sinkaporeans for another HUGE PAY HIKE, after the Election, of course.
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Mm lky is right about it. He can make more money because of his position and family rank in our land.
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So he is telling Singaporean & Lawyer are fool!Application for HDB Flat must all be to LEE & LEE Solicitor firm. 3Room S$500.00. Five Romm S$1000.00 and so on! Other lawyer cannot solicite on this. This is abuse of power & corruption.
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THIS IS CORRUPTION OF THE HIGHEST ORDER
mm lee was on the board of citigroup and chairman of GIC which bought citi shares and had to sell them at a loss that cost the people of singapore BILLIONS … so much more than the $100,000 they paid to him personally
then they bribe the elite of singapore by co-opting them into the pappie government, but these pappies do not interfere with the decision making of the CEC and are only used for justifying those decisions to the public through the use of sophistry that is completedly devoid of truth
TIME FOR CHANGE, VOTE PAP OUT, VOTE OPPOSITION
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Ya it is like hinting to you people even with the high salary now “Money No Enough” can earn more if I go private.
So be prepare they going to raise the Ministers pay once again after the election.
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Please, I beg you, if you could make more money elsewhere, please go ahead. please don’t talk c**k, because talk is very very cheap
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Good riddance! By all means, join the private sector! They will welcome you with open arms.
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Aiya.. old man want to say, let it be lor. At his age, not much chance for him to say anymore.
Even if he want to seek job, if not for his statue, with his age, it will be an obstacle. Become taxi driver also need to go annual test. Become security guard also must study to qualify. Pick cardboard also must withstand plenty of walking.
Want to be a translator, also cannot compete with scantily dressed secretaries. Haiz.
You know, there’s no need to justify the pay of the other ministers. If money is their only inspiration, the door is always open but it will take more then money to become a national leader.
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Lee Kuan Yew,
This is what I expect of you and the other ministers.
It is common practice in the US and other countries for political leaders to fully declare their income by making the income tax returns public. This is a basic form of accountability to the people.
Publicly listed companies who are required to declare the complete pay package (including bonus and shares etc.) of their top executives. This is a basic form of accountability to the shareholders.
In the last 44 years, I have yet to see a single tax return from you or from your ministers. Do not attempt to hoodwink the People with the claim the pay scale is publicly available as we all know your pay package has other major components.
Tell us how much you ACTUALLY cost us taxpayers; otherwise any comparison is meaningless.
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Dear Mr. Lee,
In the good old days, you dealt with old auntie and uncle mostly not very educated so whatever you say they will just answer, “Ya, Hor, Lau Lee is always right de. Without him Singapore wan le.”
Today when you use the same old trick with these group of young educated bro your old trick become ” bo liao le.” LOL.
Tell you to retire still you don’t want to hear.
Bill Clinton makes more money after he no longer is the president of America or before he was the president of America. Even his wife is righter than Obama as I just come to know.
Many monkey joined the PAP just to be in the limelight and their value start to rise thereafter, even an auntie also know. Just give me one term as a Minister and I can assure you a lowly me can also earn more money in the private sector. Who don’t know if you are not well paid, you don’t even need to do a thing, the company that you chose to be employed can turn from good business to bo business overnight.
So please give the bro here a break.
Thank you
Most sincerely yours,
Citizen of the 1st world.
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MIWs to “Cheaper”BF lesser mortals: BE THANKFUL!
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Old fart, haven’t you done with your nonsense ? If you are not a minister, you will have been sent to JB’s IMH long ago !
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PAP don’t need capital to talk. Only opposition need capital to talk. One defamation case cause them one Million.
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Seriously, i doubt he could had make more money if he didn’t join/found PAP and stick to his day jobs instead.
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“MM Lee: I can make more money if I am not a minister”
Strongly agreed. If You are not minister, you will be working your ass off. Hard work = more money
But as MM/minister, you don’t even need to make money, you just need to wait for free money of millions coming into your pocket any time,anywhere. No work, no stress. Just Godly privilege and entitlement. Can even talk nonsense and talk cock, and hoodwink and mocking people without the people’s right of reply. You can be like Lim Swee Say able to check the CPF at the end of every month. Oh… correction. You are even better. You can check the CPF every second ! Every second the ERP, GST etc will make money for you FOC, with no string attached. Notwithstanding as MM, you can pass your emperor city to your son in the line of your dynasty, and approve the wealth of nation for you and your daughter-in-law to gamble unconditionally. Win the gamble you take the money and credit , and when lose, can shift blame on the world, we, the lesser mortal, unquestionably pay for the loss . In other words, Only in Singapore, Garbage = Emperor’s Life !
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this is chicken and egg problem … are those pappies commanding so much in private practice because they are really good or because the businessmen know that they are cronies and want to hire them cos we have a judiciary that is beholden to the ruling party???
Indranee Rajah claims on her CV at the Singapore Parliament website that she is from the “1986 Philip C Jessup International Moots (Winning team – International)” but according to the Jessup Moots archives this is not the case
http://www.parliament.gov.sg/AboutUs/SeatingPlan.htm
http://www.ilsa.org/jessup/archives/1986.php
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eh lau lee dun talk cock lar, if you not minister you will become toilet cleaner like the rest of our elderly folks who have to work UNTIL THE DAY THEY DIE at the low-paying jobs that your gahmen takes so much credit in “creating”
stop pappie bullshit, vote for change, vote opposition
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I guess the people of Singapore are right. There will be another big salary increase after the elections.
But the MIW are counting their chickens before they hatch.
The time for change has come. People will vote for change.
Instead of the people being unemployed, it is the turn of the MIW to be out of a job.
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Even better as MM, you can even charter a SIA airplane immediately from Singapore to London on tax-money just because your wife need medical attention immediately using facility of Singapore hospital. And no one is even allow to say any word about it !!!! Can you do this amazing feat without been a MM ?
http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2004/yax-357.htm
“Even though doctors initially advised that Mrs Lee stay put in London for three weeks, Mr Lee decided fly her back once her condition stabilised.
And then there was the big worry that she would get a spasm onboard, he recounted.
But he needn’t have worried. Within 48 hours, SIA had fitted out SQ321 with medical support of oxygen tanks and other fixtures for a drip.
“No other airline would have done this,” Mr Lee said, looking visibly touched.
On board were also two Intensive Care nurses from Changi General Hospital, two doctors, as well as officials from SIA who made sure all the equipment worked.
“Everyone knows his job,” said Mr Lee. “Within 12 to 13 hours, we’d reached Changi Airport. It was a big relief,” he said. “Twelve to 13 hours. Your heart stops beating sometimes. We landed at Changi Airport. Great relief. I had my granddaughter (Li Xiuqi) with me. She is very fond of her grandmother. She was so relieved.”"
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hahaha all bull shit, IF he can earn so much money he for sure goes already, all spore lawyer is stupid no brain huh
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If so, declare his assets in Singapore and anywhere in the world. We would like to know how much he has.
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So Why is He still a Minister? He should quit and go out into the world to make his money….nobody is stopping him.
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So could Gandhi of India!
He died a miserable ‘pauper’.
So could Mr Zhu Ronji,anti-corruption Premier of then slowly evolving PRC.
So could a whole lot of others!
But,Sir, you are already apid much better nad live better.
What more do a “man of honour” want?
When you,like the above others,decided to live for country and honour,money really does not matter,or does it?
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for god’s sake old man, die already!!!
早死早好
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I believe our MIW can earn more elsewhere. Therefore, I implore them to leave politics and join the private sector immediately.
The people of Singapore don’t deserve such unselfish leaders who work for ‘peanuts’.
Please, please, I beg you to consider your futures and leave immediately. It would be better if all of you left for overseas where the jobs pay more.
Singaporeans will understand.
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@ Exposer,
On a separate note, its doesn’t matter who the PM/MM is, i am still proud and touch that SIA was able to do that. being a leader is suppose to have its privilege.
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Blood sucking MM Lee should have resigned looooooonnnnnnnnnng ago. Sucking the blood of citizens for no better reason than mentoring his son? No government in the world has such an arrangement, except in Ancient China.
If he can get more money from the private sector by all means. At least he will be contributing towards by way of income tax (which is now lower at 18%), instead of leeching on.
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Our dear Mr Obama is running a country many times bigger than us in terms of size and economy but I guess he must be sadly underpaid as compared to what our counterpart are getting. If I’m in his shoes, I’ll use these facts and figure and trash it out with the finance minister!!!
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What i like to know is, did he mean he could earn 2 or 3 times more than what he is earning now IF he was never into politics or did he mean he could earn that amount After he has been PM, SM, and now MM?
There is a difference.
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I think maybe only less than 10% of the ministers can make more money in the private sector than where they are now.
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I believe it is only fair that MM Lee stays around and help his grandson when he becomes the next PM.
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“On a separate note, its doesn’t matter who the PM/MM is, i am still proud and touch that SIA was able to do that. being a leader is suppose to have its privilege.”
Yes, it is also his privilege to lose billions of tax-money unaccountable under his family (TH) and himself (GIC). It is also his privilege to detain Chia Thye Poh more than 2 decades just because Chia refused to acknowledge the false charge of been a communist. I bet many more can say. Everything is his privilege because he is God !
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“Indranee Rajah claims on her CV at the Singapore Parliament website that she is from the “1986 Philip C Jessup International Moots (Winning team – International)” but according to the Jessup Moots archives this is not the case”
chick, if this true then we should expose them!!! Dig out all their lies and dirty secrets and lay bare for all Singaporeans to see!!!!!
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Why doesn’t he tell Singaporeans what he was doing during the Japanese occupation of Singapore ? Answer : Interpreter (layman language = informer). Who were his clients during his early years as a lawyer ? Answer : Legal advisor to labour unions (remember Hock Lee Bus riots ? Find out who the union’s legal advisor was – no prize for guessing).
Yessir he could have earned a lot more if he had not entered politics !
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Our dear MM Lee has been hogging the news recently huh!
I see him EVERY DAY for the past few days in our state newspapers.
Hardly see his son. I wonder who’s really the PM.
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MMLEE is really making fun of singaporean, why a people can made money that are plenty and instead of drawing small money.
But his miss the point that his family running a HUGE empire of business that making a lot of money , singaporean can never dream how much is dollars are found. Do take singaporean that we are stupid,he have power and money, he put singaporean at his control. DO NOT try this again and again sweet talk, as most singaporean are now educated and not easily to talk over. LET singaporean pay u five cents and MMLEE still wanted to stay in political. ARE SINGAPOREAN blind and deaf, those made huge billion dollars are not found in the PAP. BUT in their own family……..only………WHO dare to can get them,,,,,,,,,
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LKY might have made more money….but could he make the same amount every year for life???? Without being a minister, does he thinks his daughter can be a medical director? Without being a minister, does he think his son can be CEO of GLCs? Without being a minister, does he think his daughter-in-law can be CEO of a large garhmen fund??
The reality is his whole family clan benefited immensely simply becos he holds political power. That power alone is worth a lot more than what he could make in the private sector. That is why ministers in ALL other countries draw a fraction of LKY’s salary…….becos they know they stand to benefit immensely from political power alone.
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What’s the halabalu?
Our government definitely deserves much more.
I’d propose at least a mere 1% of the GNP for them.
I think all governments of the world shd do likewise. Poor and rich countries alike. Be transparent like the PAP. Do away with the perks like private jet, private resort, etc.
Manage the country like a company. Make you pay yourselves more; don’t, pay less or get voted out.
Fair and square.
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Beng on Mon, 9th Nov 2009 11:54 pm
Pay based on GNP? Poor and rich countries alike? Like you say?
Build 10 million sewage plants and dig long kau (drains) employing Indonesian workers and contractors all over Indonesia for example, also increase their GNP, so pay the Indonesian President more salary based on 1% or more of GDP?
Do you have sh@ts inside your brain?
Before you post anything on economic, know your kindergarten first, OKAY?
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“Our dear MM Lee has been hogging the news recently huh!
I see him EVERY DAY for the past few days in our state newspapers.”
Since when Shitty Time’s obituary section move to the front page ?
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janetnt on Mon, 9th Nov 2009 10:46 pm
As a YPAP member and dedicated stooge of the ruling party, I wonder if you could help me.
If PM Lee’s son becomes the next PM, will MM Lee be…….Senior MM Lee. And will GCT and SJ be promoted to MM while our current PM becomes SM.
Just wondering, since at $10 million or more, it is going to cost the tax-payers a bomb to pay our Ministers salaries.
We could expect GST to be closer to 15% when they announce their salary increase after the next elections.
Any clue?
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@PAP suppporter on Mon, 9th Nov 2009 10:18 pm
….”Please, please, I beg you to consider your futures and leave immediately. It would be better if all of you left for overseas where the jobs pay more….”
WAH LAU YOI, GOT HIGHPAYING JOB OVERSEAS – MUST BE GOOD NEWS LAH.
Where, ME also like money LAH? tell me the lobang please LAH !!, I also VELY VELY int0rested to wErk overseas where the jobs pay mure….in Yen or Rupiah or Taka or Zimbabwe Dollar?
I yam JOB-LESS now LAH, displaced by U this foreigner – cheap0, fuster and Bettor, no money lah!
My fellow Singaporeans also understand and looking for such lobang, LAH, can you recommend or NOT???
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then go ahead and go private practice. no one will stop you.
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Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has an annual salary in excess of S$3 million dollars,, Yeh! he is still in the shadow of his Daddy. No harm intended, but as it is. I really don’t care about MM Lee he’s passe. As a citizen of S’pore I want Lee Hsien Loong to be in the spotlight. I,m sure he does care so much about money. I,m sure his wife is saying Your father Ah ….Whaa!
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janetnt @ Mon, 9th Nov 2009 10:46 pm
“On a separate note, its doesn’t matter who the PM/MM is, i am still proud and touch that SIA was able to do that. being a leader is suppose to have its privilege.”
eh what kind of comment is that? SIA do what? For one person only? Don’t make me laugh.
I really wonder if you had a sex change operation on board a SIA flight recently to become janetNT from BryanT
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Yes, if you can make more money in the private sector, pls go ahead. Pls get out of politics where you are so “underpaid’. That’s what we want anyway.
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as if he could get 100K for every speech if he wasn’t chairman of gic?
My foot!
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Why talk only about those hi-earners who
joined politics and lost out?
Why not talk about former lesser mortals
(no names necessary) who struck gold when
they took up politics?!
Typical PAP one-sided argument.
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Then Goh Keng Swee would have gotten that kind of offer too.
However, Goh KS didn’t get.
pay you 100k for speech, make you happy so that you dump monies into their bank to burn.
Their return rate is so high, smaller even that peanuts.
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Why talk only about those hi-earners who
joined politics and lost out?
Why not talk about former lesser mortals
(no names necessary) who struck gold when
they took up politics?!
Typical PAP one-sided argument.
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Social Workers should be paid like the lawyers, doctors and engineers they could have been.
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I am happy for you if you think you can make more money outside. Please now prove your point. Resign immediately as MM and get out now to make more money elsewhere. It will at the same time help to lighten the taxpayers’ load.
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actually, we do hv a living example. remember ex minister Yeo Cheow Tong? How much is he being paid? millions?
.
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Sorry lah no international awards let alone local awards or accolades for you envious & jealous bloggers. Sour grapes!
MM, we salute you.
The WORLD salutes you.
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They get more than just their salary. I believe bonus can be as much as 14 months plus also get pension when reach the pensionable age.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/ID05Ae01.html
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Social Workers should be paid as much as the doctors, lawyers and other professionals they could’ve become.
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Its true that he can make more money in the private sector than being in the government. However, how many of the big boys have asked him due to his status as the Monarch of Singapore?
I’m not saying that MM isn’t competent, but I think the figures that he thinks he has is not reflecting the true situation.
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I think there should not be MM, SM, and so many ministers without portfolios in PM dept – they all are not working for free are they? then why the tax burden on Spore to maintain such a big unwieldy top-heavy bunch of retired leaders?
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HAHAHAHAAAA….
coming from a person who thot singapore economy was, what? trillion dollar economy???
sure, i believe he can make 6 million a year, scaled down pro-rata!
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So he is trying to say he sacrifice his potential earnings for Singapore? Please…. not all of us are fools.
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The PAP find it hard to recruit capable people is due to its own making. In putting up hurdles for people to join the opposition, it has created an atmosphere of fear and apathy. This in turn hurts PAP itself to find new blood.
A capable young person with political aspiration may not want to join the PAP and be confined by the PAP doctrine. But joining the opposition will lead to insurmountable obstacles to be elected due to the non-leveled playing field. Many capable youths focus their energy on personal career progression, where the reward is commensurate with effort.
PAP out of desperation has to use money to buy in some capable professionals in order to renew the party.
If one looks at it, this is an example of karma. You sow the seed and you eat the fruit of the plant you sow.
The only solution to this problem is to open up the political arena with fair play and willingness to accept alternative views and parties. Under such a climate, young men and women will come forth to take a stake in the state affair of their home land.
Look at Israel, Ireland, Denmark and Norway. Their population is roughly of similar size of that of Singapore. But they have multiple parties and are not short of young and capable citizens joining the political arena. The crux is the openness and fair-play in their political system.
Singapore can be changed and its political system become similar to one of these countries. But will we???
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How to compare private sector versus public sector?
In private sector, he can make more (though this is debatable) but he has to deliver, if not he gets the boot.
In public sector, his rice bowl is made of iron. His relatives are also in high paying positions, lagi best his daughter-in-law did not perform yet still on the job, his daughter sick for 5 months this year but still has her job and some more can accompany him to US.
They have so many factors in their favour – Shitty Times to sing their praises, civil servants kowtowing to their wishes, SIA going the extra mile for them, high courts giving ruling in their favor for their suits, too many other perks to mention.
So whatever he thinks he has been deprived of, there are other unmentioned privileges (some of which mere money cannot buy).
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finally we agree on something…PAP can go ahead and earn their millions in private practice. We can have someone else to govern our land.
yeh!!
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Good politicians work for citizens, bad ones work for themselves only. Life is not all about money, but about the meaning!
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Kena sai.
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yeah, right. old man, go ahead.
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If they are so capable, get them to set up a company, go overseas to secure jobs and lead our fellow SME into the international market. Get Temasek and GIC to invest in this venture. With their capabilities, we could recoup the previous losses, create jobs for our people and make Singapore into a global power.
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If you cannot make the sacrifice, do not be a minister. A minister must have the motivation to serve the people first and then himself. He derives his self-worth from how well he serves the people and not the pay package he gets.
If MM or any minister so wishes to work in the private sector, they should do so in which case their desire for wealth surpasses their desire to serve the people.
They were elected on the understanding that their pay will not change after the election. To suddenly increase their pay by astronomical amounts is to deceive the people by not telling them their intention. This is certainly unworthy of any leader.
The pay structure of people in power has to be comparable to those in other governments of countries with similar GDPs or population size. It is baloney to suggest that they pay themselves for their honesty.
Please resign and not cry over what you have missed. Singaporeans will not miss any of the ministers who are in the government. We will survive!
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Dear MM, have you found a way to convert your real money to hell notes? Else why make so much money?
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Just wondering, what is the total amount that we are paying to PAP? We should compare the tota salary against the GDP, or whatever and compare this ratio with other countries. I believe we could get another 1st in the world.
I can’t understand why we need a MM and a SM when the PM & DPM should be doing the works. Are they incompetent, or inexpereince or too busy with other businesses?
$158,000 is a lot of money, they could buy my flat in less than 2 months while we have to pay for over a decade.
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If our Ministers suffer so much for Singapore in their annually income. Go out there and fight with the FT for job loh. And work you shit out of you till you die, don’t hide yourselves behind some bullshit leader and get Million of Dollars not doing anything. We Singaporean will not stop you from getting out of your post. We are gladly that you leave the political world in Singapore.
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If money is the driving force of MM Lee, then he should go for it and make more money in the private sector. Nobody is indispensable.
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Let us all fulfill the old man’s last wish and let him join the private sector to prove his worth in the next election
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What is money without the power?
Of course he can make more $$ in the private sector but can he have the power to make millions of people lives difficult?
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Remember this: NO ONE, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE, CAN HOLD SINGAPORE TO RANSOM. If they so wish, please leave. Why they hell do they need to have GRC and other electoral chicanery to hang on to power? They are just hard up for the job!
Fight fair and they are dead! They do not have the guts to fight on level ground even with a weak opposition.
What kind of leaders do we have?
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老而不死 是为贼 ！！！
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李老贼 拿命来！！！
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This is an English language forum here in case kuku didn’t realise. Spare a thought for the non-Chinese readers here. We all know the sinolisation process Singapore is going through to make the republic a vassal state of China, but remember 30 % of our population do not speak Chinese.
There is a Chinese Section on this site and maybe kuku you should participate under section and let your namesake become you in reality !
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@Jim on Tue, 10th Nov 2009 12:56 pm
you are a goddamn sino-phobe and pappie lackey who has taken in the whole “we need grc to ensure minority representation” bullshit
UNDERSTAND MY ENGRISH NOW?
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Wow kuku so you can understand and write in English now ?
A miracle just happened !
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I got the same feeling when I read his comments and when I saw/heard Ris LOw speak….. goose bumps all over me! To pay himself so much is one thing, to pay himself all those high salary for so long is another…. but to tell us that he could have earned more in the private sector and that he is doing us a favour by being in power is almost rubbing insult to injury! This is all BS! Not only is BS coming out of his mouth…. he is all BS!
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I for one agree with the MM here.
But i believe he is being modest with his claims.
Why stop at making more money?
I believe that if MM had not become a minister, being the great and talented man that he is would be capable of many more accomplishments.
For example, as he quoted in 2006:
“you have to pay the market rate or the man will up stakes and join Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers or Goldman Sachs and you would have an incompetent man and you would lose money by the billions!”
He could have joined Lehmann Brothers instead of being a minister. Instead he stayed and Singapore did not lose money by the billions. (Temasek and GIC do not count, we did not lose money because they are long term investments. They will make money eventually. How long before then i do not know, but we have until the heat death of the universe to find out. So chill out all you haters out there)
The above is an example of how MM will make more money if he weren’t a minister.
The following are accomplishments i believe MM would have, if he were’nt caring for a nation of ungrateful whiners like us, based on his UBER-talent.
Imagine! MM Lee could have:
A)Solved the Riemann Hypothesis
B)Cured cancer/Aids/Premature ejaculation at the same time.
C)Lead Singapore to win consecutive World Cups and in the process be recognised as the greatest footballer ever, eclipsing Pele and Maradona.
D)Divided by Zero
E)Settled the Israel-Palestine issue
F)Become the goddamn Batman
G)Become renowned as a multi-academy award winning thespian whose movie takings could make up a small nation’s GDP
H)Defeat Deep Blue and Kasparov blindfolded while windsurfing with two hands tied behind his back and reciting the entire works of Shakespeare backwards. Awesome!
I believe there are many more great things that our MM Lee could have accomplished. If only we Singaporeans didn’t hold him back.
Sigh.
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@Jim on Tue, 10th Nov 2009 1:36 pm
check my other posts around TR, they are all in english ok you kuku hahahaah
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OK kuku don’t get personal. My remark to your comment was done tongue-in-cheek. Sorry you didn’t get the black humour there.
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Loads of bullshit coming from the old man, please declare your directorship fees, bonuses in other GLCs, besides the MM remmuerations and pension, GDP variable bonuses. The old man could easily be the richest man in Singapore by a mile.
Case in poin, recently a civil servant can splash 45k dollars for a family trip in France just for cooking lessons, mind you he is not even a minister.
Don’t be fool by the one-sided story which the PAP is very fond of.
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@Jim on Tue, 10th Nov 2009 3:05 pm
dun you see me laughing now? hahahahaha
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Umm..i believe in being fairly treated,so i wanna to be fair to MM MISTER LKY.
yes indeed you have done plenty.
but there are still so numerous blind blood-sucking bats still
adamantly stopping you from heroically and generously and FAIRLY sharing the G L O R Y with all of us who worked and strived so hard alongisde you to build this “CITY”.
So to set the record straight,congratulations and thank you,MM LEE and all true-blooded SINGAPOREANS,big and “small and un-noticed”!!!
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Jim on Tue, 10th Nov 2009 12:56 pm
Let’s practise DEMOCRACY lah. Be a true DEMOCRAT. When the majority doesn’t complain, why shd you?
You want the best of both worlds i.e. representation and beyond (not meritocracy), democracy as well?
Then you shd choose bt the Indian’s caste system or Malaysia’s NEP, right?
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Yap, I saw that, kuku.
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Anonymous on Tue, 10th Nov 2009 12:23 am
“Build 10 million sewage plants and dig long kau (drains) employing Indonesian workers and contractors all over Indonesia for example, also increase their GNP, so pay the Indonesian President more salary based on 1% or more of GDP?”
Please lah. Bodoh. Is that how we enjoy the 2nd highest per capita income in Asia today?
Based on you stupidity, then all the 90% poor countries on this planet will have high or very high per capital GNP/GDP to show right?
Btw, just to prove you wrong show me a country on this planet that backs up your idiotic nonsense. Get real lah!
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Anyone here understand what Baboon is rattling about ?
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Beng on Tue, 10th Nov 2009 4:27 pm
How to explain economics to a bodoh like you?
Your idiotic nonsense of political economic is
“Pay Minister based on GNP? POOR and rich countries alike” So what nonsense are you talking about GDP per capital now?
Any dumb cock would have realise how stupid your logic is – paying 1% of GDP to Minister pay of any country – RICH AND POOR ALIKE IS YOUR CONSTRUCTION, NOT MINE – just building 10 million sewage plants and digging drains in their country.THEY DONT MEANT A THING.
The metaphorical import of illustration of sewage plants is intend to illustrate your stupidity and obvious ignorance that economic GDP figures can be manipulated.
Go back to your kindergarten and learn some economic before posting your next load of mental derangement or ignorance.
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Jim on Tue, 10th Nov 2009 4:41 pm
Baboon is “babooning” a load of sh@t, Jim.
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Beng on Tue, 10th Nov 2009 4:27 pm
The metaphorical is only intended to show the ridiculous insanity of your imperative. You said…”Pay based on GNP? POOR and rich countries alike”
So why the per capital income in Asia now? When I used the POOR (of Indonesia) to illustrate a point of economic fallacy and ludicrous political economy you preached. How does the wealth and true well-bing of citizenry to build 10 million sewage plants and dig long kaus (drainage) all over the country to lift up the GDP or GNP so that the President of Indonesia gets a higher pay by 1% of its GDP or GNP.
IT IS STUPID ECONOMY AND STUPID PAY INCENTIVE STRUCTURE you are suggesting. Which is why you are an absolute moron. Any smart shareholder of any corporation would be intelligent to object to CEO performance based on sole criteria of profit number alone. Just look at what you said
“Manage the country like a company. Make you pay yourselves more; don’t, pay less or get voted out…..”
You are assuming free market and meritocracy works – IN REALITY IS A LOAD OF BULLSHIT.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/32690111
Which is why OBAMA is trying to curb excessive executive compensation on Wall Street. So how can OBAMA do the reverse by paying himself 1% or more of US GDP’s figure.
If the pay for US President is so high, the Italian mafia would try to get in first before Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton or John McCain gets a chance. The mafia would assasinate all competitors in the same way the Yakuza will kill all politicians in Japan for the top job.
YOU ARE AN IDIOT OF MONUMENTAL PROPORTION just looking at the idiot nonsense of your ignorant posting.
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Politician should be paid like a politician and this is happening everywhere in developed nation. What make Singapore so special ????
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为了个臭钱，真是千夫所指，众矢之的!
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Lee Kuan Yew your Policy “STOP AT TWO” has murder 1/2 million of innocent & defencless foetus,It time U have to pay them back their life. See U in “HELL”
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IMHO, it will be good if these ministers decides to quit. For once, making millions will means also increase tax revenue. Considered that whatever they are making now as a minister are tax free plus the perks they can enjoy now.
The more they quit the more the merrier and the MM should encourage them. Imagine if what he say is true, if 2 of them can generate $10mil, that will equate almost $13mil in tax revenue. There’s no folly in this.
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Jim on Tue, 10th Nov 2009 4:19 pm
“Yap, I saw that, kuku.”
Jim on Tue, 10th Nov 2009 4:41 pm
“Anyone here understand what Baboon is rattling about ?”
Smart Baboon: You dummy. Read carefully your own comments. The kuku (penis) is your very own. Got it?
Damn stupid!
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good. let’s all pay our ministers… erm… $1000 a month. and all the very clever, smart and brilliant people who post/write on TR can go join the opposition, be voted in, form the new government and be ministers. then Singapore will be a vibrant, glorious, democratic country that will be a beacon for all the rest of the world to follow!
ok?
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All the old man can think about is making more money! How about making Sinkapooreans to be more happy, more courteous, more refined, more feeling towards each other?
We are First World country? One without a soul? No heart? No love? Just a money-making machine?
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@ rc on Wed, 11th Nov 2009 8:58 am
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if you want it, here it is, come and get it but you better hurry up cos it not going to last!
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■rc on Wed, 11th Nov 2009 8:58 am
good. let’s all pay our ministers… erm… $1000 a month. and all the very clever, smart and brilliant people who post/write on TR can go join the opposition, be voted in, form the new government and be ministers. then Singapore will be a vibrant, glorious, democratic country that will be a beacon for all the rest of the world to follow!
Here’s why and where you have gone wrong. You are just like the PAP ministers… use the worst case senarios to offer as an example. No one is telling the ministers to live a pauper’s life.
Be reasonable. When you used the worst of First World and the best of the Third World to do a comparison like what our highly paid MM and his “stars” are always prepared to do, you bring yourself to a their level of stupidity. They think we sinkapooreans stupid eh? They can fool some, some of the time… but not all, all the time! Now remember this.
Next time, please use your head and think. Dun be like our ministars.
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$6M a year. For a $6M profit, what is the turnover, what is the tax? We should let this guy work in the private sector. He is good for the economy.
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Baboon who let you out of the Institute of Mental Health? Have you taken your daily dose of medicine? Don’t wander too far lest you forget your way home.
This guy is real sick. What did I say earlier in my post to earn his wrath ? Didn’t even read any of his post nor reply nor criticise him in any way and suddenly he swooped in on me and started battering the lights out ? Demon possession ?
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Jim – didn’t you know ? Baboon is the screw that is loose on this web site. He always talk gibberish. Agree with this comment, disagree with that comment, etc. He doesn’t have any opinion of his own … in fact he doesn’e even know what he himself is talking about ! He gets angrey reading a posting by A and he post a stupid response to B instead ! He’s got a cognitive problem. He father did it to him in the night but he thought it was his mum.
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@ Jim on Wed, 11th Nov 2009 12:19 pm
@ George on Wed, 11th Nov 2009 12:25 pm
Come on, guys. You know the drill.
Baboon only adds to greenhouse gas emission but unfortunately it came from its mouth, not its rear end.
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@oic:
er… the $1000 is an arbitrary sum. could be anything. used it to make a point that it should not be extravagant. i thought that anyone would have understood that. apparently i was wrong. my bad for not being clear.
nevertheless, i would like to ask you then, what would be a ‘reasonable’ salary that you think would attract the very bright and brilliant people (e.g. the people who post such incisive articles and make such thought provoking comments in TR) to join the opposition and be ministers?
or perhaps it is really not about money? perhaps the people here in TR really so believe in democracy and the ‘higher’ values, that they are willing to do the job of ministers regardless the pay? in that case, then perhaps they would really not mind doing the work of ministers and live like paupers (hey, after all, that’s what Ghandi did…)?
if there really is someone really bright and brilliant and super capable who is willing to be do a minister’s work for not a lot of pay and this person goes and joins the opposition, then i surely vote for him.
so. anyone here fits that bill? if you do, please go join the opposition. then perhaps there is really a chance for real change in the government.
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That was funny, Anonymous. Sunny side up eh.
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If you are a golfer, you are paid as golfer. If you are a football player, you are paid as footballer. If you are a badminton player, you are paid as badminton player. If you are a table-tennis player, , you are paid as table-tennis player. Is it reasonable for a table tennis player to ask for the salary of golfer or a badminton player asking for footballer salary ???
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WELL SOME SMART FOLKS RECENTLY ACCUSED US OF BEING CHOOSY,RIGHT!
THEY WANT US TO BE CHEAPER!FASTER!BETTER!
SOME OPPORTUNISTIC BOSSES CONCURRED RATHER SO QUICKLY
AND BALMED LOCALS FOR NOT ACCEPTING THEIR AH-SO-GOD-ALREADY
SGD 1000 PAY AND SAID THEY CAN GET PRCs,NO PROB!
WELL,HOW ABOUT WE GET CKM?WHAT’S THAT?!
WELL..cheaper kinder ministers!!! the faster the better.
as soon as the next election,how’s that?
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@fair and square:
i think that you should go and join the opposition. then everyone in TR here will vote for you and perhaps TR will even help canvass for you. and then you can be elected as MP and who knows, even become that CKM that Singapore really needs.
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@Ohnani on Tue, 10th Nov 2009 1:53 pm
imagination is limitless … the sky is the limit for opportunity costs and minister salary as long as we allow the former to substantiate the latter
TIME FOR CHANGE, VOTE PAP OUT, VOTE OPPOSITION
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with ministers inflating their salaries like that without delivering real economic growth, singapore dollars will soon turn into banana notes just like during the japanese occupation … maybe that is what LKY learned when he was working for the japanese during the occupation hahaha
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I’m as much a sucker as the next guy for flamebait articles like this one but arent we missing the point?
More articles on BS short term policy decisions and less MM PM this and that, machiam TR PMS sia, bitch so much.
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