Singapore’s cabinet will see a 60 per cent jump in annual salaries, with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s pay rising from S$2.2 million to S$3.6 million (about US$1.1 million). Wong said the increase will be donated to charity over the next five years.
Wong explained that higher pay is needed to attract top talent to public office and to curb corruption, arguing that generous salaries reduce the temptation for ministers to accept bribes. He added that the hike will make it easier for capable Singaporeans to transition from business and civil service into politics.
The move follows a long‑standing debate in Singapore, where the median monthly income is S$5,775 and public concern over rising living costs and job security is high. Critics have called the raise “tone deaf” amid retrenchments and inflation worries. Supporters, however, say it will bring the best leaders to the country’s helm.
Wong’s predecessor, Lee Hsien Loong, had also pledged to donate his salary increase to charity in 2007. The new pay scheme will see ministerial base pay climb from S$1.1 million to about S$1.2 million, with potential performance‑based increases to S$1.35 million by the end of the term.
Singapore remains one of the world’s most transparent governments, a point the PAP cites to justify high ministerial salaries. The announcement comes after the PAP’s 2011 vote share dipped to its lowest in decades, partly due to discontent over minister pay.
