Azernews.Az

by Alimat Aliyeva

The Singaporean government has approved a significant increase in the salaries of its political leaders, which are already among the highest in the world. Under the new proposed benchmark, the annual salary of a junior minister could reach S$1.8 million ($1.42 million), while Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s annual pay could rise to S$3.6 million ($2.85 million).

Wong announced in Parliament that the government had accepted the recommendations of an independent committee tasked with reviewing the remuneration of Singapore’s political leaders.

However, the salaries will not immediately rise to the new benchmark. As a first step, officials holding political positions will receive a one-time adjustment of up to 9%.

The Prime Minister also said that over the next five years, he plans to donate the entire increase in his salary — estimated at S$1.4 million — to charity.

“This is not just about wages. Ultimately, the question is whether Singapore can continue to attract political leaders of the calibre needed to develop the country and serve Singaporeans with dignity in the years ahead,” Wong said.

Singapore has long defended its high salaries for ministers and senior officials as a way to attract top talent from the private sector and reduce incentives for corruption. The government argues that political leaders should be compensated competitively compared with senior executives in the private sector.

The planned increase is therefore likely to fuel renewed debate over whether exceptionally high political salaries are justified, particularly at a time when the cost of living remains a major concern for many Singaporeans.