The Harm Visited On Singapore By Paying Our Politicians And Public Servants Outrageously High Salaries!
The former Speaker of the House Of Commons,John Bercow,gave a talk in London recently and told the audience that Rishi Sunak was the most out-of-touch PM in British history.That is also the widely-held view amongst the British public for a man who is twice as wealthy as King Charles.You could see in the 6 week campaign for the GE that Sunak simply was not at ease when mingling with the people.Despite a first class education and saying all the right things,you could detect that lack of empathy from him for the plight of the common man grappling with inflation,high cost of living and seeing his community swarmed with immigrants.
Contrast Sunak’s public demeanour with that of the former Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and the former Prime Minister of Holland and the new Secretary-General of NATO,Mark Rutte.
Merkel was the most powerful woman in the world.She was raised in Communist East Germany.Despite being widely admired as the most brilliant politician in Europe,she carried on a normal life doing her own shopping at weekends.In Europe,people don’t give way to politicians and Ministers simply because of their public position.Ministers are expected to stand in line and wait their turn to pay at the counters.Mark Rutte left office after 14 years as the Dutch PM by mounting his bicycle and riding away.No fancy motorcades and outriders accompanying him.
When we pay politicians and public servants the way we currently do in Singapore,we are simply creating a privileged class,who are supposed to be serving the people,but who have little understanding of the difficulties and daily struggles of the ordinary Singaporean.
Every PAP politician and Minister will tell you come election season that they are from a humble background.They will be pictured at the coffee shop with Teh-C, Kopi-C and their lontong and noodles.But all this is meaningless and only a show.Behind this Potemkin display of humbleness and attempts at connecting with the ground,are astronomical salaries paid for by the public,GCBs with sentries outside the house and bodyguards,who shield them from the public when they make that once in a blue moon visit to the hawker center.
You think that politician who earns the World’s highest paid salary is able to empathise with the Singaporean family crammed into a 3 room HDB? You think they really understand your pain and struggles when you tell them that food is becoming unaffordable and that you have had to cut down from 3 meals to 2 each day? If they could feel your struggles,would they continue to implement policies which now force many Singaporeans to take on 2 jobs or more just to put food on the table for their families.I recently spoke with a Grab driver who told me that he works during the day in a freight-forwarding company and after he finishes work at around 6pm,he has to change into a Grab driver and drive from 8 or 9pm until 3am in the morning,just to make ends meet.
However hard life may have been growing up for these “humble” PAP politicians and Ministers,they are all distant and hazy memories now as they luxuriate in their GCBs set out in palatial grounds,many complete with pools.
It was the most grievous and calamitous decision ever that we went down the road to rewarding our Ministers and Public Servants with such ridiculously astronomical salaries.PV will slash 70% off the PM’s salary and adjust the salaries of other Ministers and top public servants accordingly.Even then,they would still be the most highly paid public servants in the World!
We are committed to creating a class of public servants who are in touch and not out of touch with the common man.
We Must Regain Our Country,Our Dignity,Our Future!
The former Speaker of the House Of Commons,John Bercow,gave a talk in London recently and told the audience that Rishi Sunak was the most out-of-touch PM in British history.That is also the widely-held view amongst the British public for a man who is twice as wealthy as King Charles.You could see in the 6 week campaign for the GE that Sunak simply was not at ease when mingling with the people.Despite a first class education and saying all the right things,you could detect that lack of empathy from him for the plight of the common man grappling with inflation,high cost of living and seeing his community swarmed with immigrants.
Contrast Sunak’s public demeanour with that of the former Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and the former Prime Minister of Holland and the new Secretary-General of NATO,Mark Rutte.
Merkel was the most powerful woman in the world.She was raised in Communist East Germany.Despite being widely admired as the most brilliant politician in Europe,she carried on a normal life doing her own shopping at weekends.In Europe,people don’t give way to politicians and Ministers simply because of their public position.Ministers are expected to stand in line and wait their turn to pay at the counters.Mark Rutte left office after 14 years as the Dutch PM by mounting his bicycle and riding away.No fancy motorcades and outriders accompanying him.
When we pay politicians and public servants the way we currently do in Singapore,we are simply creating a privileged class,who are supposed to be serving the people,but who have little understanding of the difficulties and daily struggles of the ordinary Singaporean.
Every PAP politician and Minister will tell you come election season that they are from a humble background.They will be pictured at the coffee shop with Teh-C, Kopi-C and their lontong and noodles.But all this is meaningless and only a show.Behind this Potemkin display of humbleness and attempts at connecting with the ground,are astronomical salaries paid for by the public,GCBs with sentries outside the house and bodyguards,who shield them from the public when they make that once in a blue moon visit to the hawker center.
You think that politician who earns the World’s highest paid salary is able to empathise with the Singaporean family crammed into a 3 room HDB? You think they really understand your pain and struggles when you tell them that food is becoming unaffordable and that you have had to cut down from 3 meals to 2 each day? If they could feel your struggles,would they continue to implement policies which now force many Singaporeans to take on 2 jobs or more just to put food on the table for their families.I recently spoke with a Grab driver who told me that he works during the day in a freight-forwarding company and after he finishes work at around 6pm,he has to change into a Grab driver and drive from 8 or 9pm until 3am in the morning,just to make ends meet.
However hard life may have been growing up for these “humble” PAP politicians and Ministers,they are all distant and hazy memories now as they luxuriate in their GCBs set out in palatial grounds,many complete with pools.
It was the most grievous and calamitous decision ever that we went down the road to rewarding our Ministers and Public Servants with such ridiculously astronomical salaries.PV will slash 70% off the PM’s salary and adjust the salaries of other Ministers and top public servants accordingly.Even then,they would still be the most highly paid public servants in the World!
We are committed to creating a class of public servants who are in touch and not out of touch with the common man.
We Must Regain Our Country,Our Dignity,Our Future!
