{"text":[[{"start":8.08,"text":"Singapore has announced a dramatic one-off pay rise for government ministers including Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, already the highest-paid head of government in the world, despite domestic disapproval of politicians’ high salaries."}],[{"start":21.12,"text":"Wong said on Tuesday that he had accepted the results of an independent review into public service pay, which recommended pay for some senior ministers to rise by as much as 9 per cent."}],[{"start":32.56,"text":"Entry-level ministers in Singapore could see their pay rise from S$1.1mn to S$1.2mn under the changes, due to come into force next month."}],[{"start":41.92,"text":"Wong’s own pay package, meanwhile, will rise from S$2.2mn (US$1.7mn) to S$3.6mn (US$2.8mn) a year, including salary and bonuses. He said he would donate the increased pay to charity for the next five years, assuming he stays in office."}],[{"start":60.36,"text":"“We cannot avoid this issue simply because it is politically difficult, and this is not just a matter of pay,” Wong said in parliament. “It is ultimately about whether Singapore will continue to have the quality of political leadership we need to take our country forward and to serve Singaporeans well in the years ahead.”"}],[{"start":78.72,"text":"Singapore argues that it pays politicians generously to compete with the private sector for the best talent and to act as a deterrent against corruption. The city-state, which takes pride in its reputation for clean governance, has been ruled by Wong’s People’s Action Party since independence 61 years ago."}],[{"start":96.4,"text":"Wong’s pay package dwarfs Donald Trump’s annual salary as US president of $400,000 and the $237,000 paid to Sir Keir Starmer as UK prime minister in the last disclosed financial year."}],[{"start":110.24,"text":"The second-highest pay package is the $719,000 paid to Hong Kong’s chief executive John Lee."}],[{"start":118.04,"text":"Singapore last changed ministerial pay in 2012 when salaries were cut by 36 per cent to allay public discontent. They were reviewed again in 2017, but no change was made."}],[{"start":128.56,"text":"Wong, who is also Singapore’s finance minister, said the reason for the increases was rising pay in the private sector and civil service."}],[{"start":136.24,"text":"“If we want our political system to remain effective, we cannot allow its basic terms of service to drift further and further away from reality,” he said, adding that the government faced challenges attracting new candidates to become politicians."}],[{"start":151.84,"text":"The government uses the pay levels of the 1,000 highest-earning Singaporeans as a benchmark to decide how much politicians should be paid."}],[{"start":160.4,"text":"That system has generally proved effective, but the country has been rocked by several political scandals in recent years."}],[{"start":167.16,"text":"A former transport minister, S Iswaran, was sentenced to a year in prison in 2024 for accepting more than $300,000 in gifts as a public servant and obstructing justice."}],[{"start":179.36,"text":"The gifts allegedly included tickets to English Premier League football matches, Formula 1 races and plays including Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Hamilton and Kinky Boots, as well as a business-class flight from Doha to Singapore."}],[{"start":192.96,"text":"The case also ensnared billionaire property tycoon Ong Beng Seng, who pleaded guilty last year and received a $23,700 fine but was spared jail time."}],[{"start":208.1,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1788862559_6598.mp3"}