Tan See Leng reflects on leaving private sector amid ministerial pay debate: 'I just felt I had to give back to the country'
A gradual and growing inner realisation that his private sector experience could perhaps be put to good use — beyond building an organisation and changing lives — led Minister Tan See Leng to consider giving back to Singapore."I just felt I had to give back to the country and the people who had given me so much," he said during the parliamentary debate on political salaries on Thursday (Sept 10), as he reflected on the personal and financial sacrifices in leaving the private sector for public service.Among the minister's sacrifices was remuneration."No realistic level of ministerial salary could have matched what I was earning before I joined the government," said the former practising doctor, who went on to take up top leadership positions in the healthcare sector.According to publicly available records, Dr Tan received an annual remuneration of RM34 million (S$10.6 million) as group chief executive officer and managing director of IHH Healthcare Berhad in 2018.In comparison, a ministerial political office holder at the MR4 grade has an existing annual wage of $1.1 million — unchanged since 2011.