Minister Pay Rise Resonable?

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/269330/1/.html

In any organization, salaries are always a sensitive issue. Our government is no exception. Perhaps this is why there were so much opinions, and even outcries, over the pay raise of our country’s leaders. Or perhaps, the pay raise is really a mistake.

To all the outcries over the pay raise just 2 months after the GST hike which itself caused an uproar, PM Lee responded by giving the reason that only a income matching that of the top earners in the private sectors is sufficient to attract talents for the government. He also mentioned that the pay raise implemented was neither to benefit himself or the currently government, but attract future generation of leaders.

However, despite the reasons that PM Lee gave, many, including myself, still remain unconvinced by the necessity of such a high salary “matching that of the top earners in the within the private sectors”

Firstly, the very fact that the government is comparing itself with the private sector is a mistake. The leaders in the private sectors work solely to gain profit, and often neglect the wellbeing of the people below them. Such leaders cannot and should not work in the government.

Secondly, PM Lee mentioned that the purpose high salary is to attract future generations of leaders to work in the government. As a student studying in a school dedicated to nurturing our country’s future leaders, I feel that our leaders should not choose to become a leader to seek wealth, but instead choose to become a leader to seek to improve the lives of the people living in his country.

Perhaps this is an idealistic view of a youth, but should not the genuine desire to improve the country be their motivation for the top talents to work for the government, instead of high pay? If the leaders of our country are motivated by money and greed to serve, how can we trust them to put our country before their personal gain?

Our current government has the heart to serve our country even with the current pay, so why should the future generation of leaders be any different?

I feel that a leader should be the one that is willing to sacrifice a part of his life for the sake of the country. If our leaders are only willing to serve the country only with top salaries that matches the top earners in the private sectors, then what we have would not be a government, but instead merely a group of managers hired to manage our country. Money should never be the motivation for leaders. The reason is clearly prove by the corruption in other countries. A true leader of a country should instead be motivated by his desire to serve the people and improve their lives. Thus, I disagree with the pay raise.