I fully support the public service pay increases, which benefit all our ministers as well as almost all our civil servants from the most senior to junior officers.
The PAP (may the PAP progress!) has an outstanding track record of good governance, and is transparent, above-board and incorruptible. Under their esteemed leadership, job creation has been steady and the economy has been growing by leaps and bounds despite the volatile economic climate of the past ten years.
It is only natural that in a prosperous, peaceful and secure environment like Singapore, talented citizens tend to seek out the great abundance of opportunities in the private sector. Such a politically stable and harmonious social climate rarely brings forth the kind of revolutionary zeal that characterized our Old Guard's struggle against communism, racism, and the oppressive state of colonialism that engulfed our nation before its independence from British rule in 1963.
It is therefore foolhardy, naive and unrealistic to think that pure idealism alone is sufficient to attract a steady supply of good men and women into politics.
To begrudge our ministers their multi-million dollar salaries would be to penalize them for the good that they have done, because it is they who brought the kind of peace and prosperity to Singapore that makes it more natural for good men and women NOT to join politics.
To pay our ministers less than they are worth would be robbing the PAP of a pragmatic foundation on which to campaign for talented citizens to join them. Indeed, that be would be to miss the forest for the trees.
The public service pay hikes are an imperfect solution implemented by imperfect political leaders for an imperfect world. Yet it is fair, pragmatic, and is the best we can do for Singapore at this time. Hence I call upon all Singaporeans to give their fullest support to the PAP.
Majulah PAP! Majulah Singapura!
Goh Bock Seng
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