Political salaries a difficult and emotive issue, but it cannot be avoided: PM Wong
Political salaries are a difficult and emotive issue, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong acknowledged in Parliament on Tuesday (Sept 8), as he announced that the Government has accepted an independent committee's recommendations after it reviewed the political salary framework."But we run an open system and believe in being transparent about ministerial salaries. We cannot avoid this issue simply because it is politically difficult," explained PM Wong as he sets out why the Government cannot defer the matter.He stated that this concerns whether Singapore will continue to have the quality of the political leadership it needs to take the country forward and serve Singaporeans well in the years ahead.However, while the Government accepts the committee's recommendations, it does not intend to move immediately to the proposed salary levels in one step, the prime minister said.Good leadership mattersPM Wong noted that during the last debate in 2012, there was considerable convergence between MPs from both the People's Action Party and Workers' Party.