Singapore Raises Ministers’ Salaries as PM Wong Gets $1.1m Pay Increase
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will donate his additional earnings to charity over the next five years.
- Singapore is increasing salaries for ministers and senior public officials.
- PM Lawrence Wong’s annual pay package will rise by S$1.4 million.
- Wong says he will donate the increase to charity over five years.
Singapore’s government has announced plans to increase the annual salaries of its ministers and other senior public office holders, including Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who is among the world’s highest-paid political leaders.
Wong’s annual pay package will increase by about S$1.4 million ($1.1 million; £818,000) under the new arrangement.
The Prime Minister has said he will donate the additional income to charity over the next five years.
The government says the salary increases are necessary to attract and retain highly qualified individuals for key public positions.
Singapore has also long defended its high political salaries as a measure to discourage corruption, arguing that competitive compensation helps ensure that senior officials are not tempted by improper financial incentives.
The latest adjustment is expected to renew debate over the level of compensation for Singapore’s political leadership, particularly given the Prime Minister’s position as the highest-paid political leader in the world.
