SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong may have surprised the nation with his announcement to donate his pay increase to charity.

But Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said Mr Lee made the decision "quite some time ago".

In fact, the Cabinet had discussed the PM's decision way before he announced it.

"I want to categorically tell everybody that this was not a decision which he made under pressure. This was a conscious, deliberate decision made by Prime Minister using his heart and head to make what I believe was a wonderful gesture," said Dr Balakrishnan, the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports.

When asked if he would donate his pay increase, Dr Balakrishnan said: "I will follow the Prime Minister's advice in that we do not believe in ostentatious generosity. Generosity should be a private matter, and something which all of us should do out of our own discretion. So I don't think any minister is going to engage in this public ostentatious display of generosity."

Dr Balakrishnan also responded to what he called an 'unfortunate linkage' of civil service salary revision with public assistance.

He said that he had asked his ministry staff to compute the total value of assistance an old destitute person, who is living alone and without any family, could receive.

And the sum - nearly $2,000 a month.

This is derived by adding the total aid package - the $290 public assistance in cash, subsidies on housing, healthcare, transport as well as assistance from grassroots organisations and voluntary welfare organisations.

"So, if you total up everything, money is not the issue. The issue is outreach, the issue is coming up with innovative scheme, making sure we do the right thing, making sure that help reaches the right people," said Dr Balakrishnan.

"So, that's what I want to focus on and that's what I want to get people to go beyond just dollars and cents," he added.

"To link that sum and say that meant that we cannot or should not review civil service salaries is the most unfortunate," he went on to say.

"If Singapore were to go down in the future because we're unable to have the best possible civil service and the leadership for that civil service in place, the people who would suffer most, the people who would be bereft of all the social support that they deserve and need, would be the very people who are at greatest risk, at the bottom of the socio- economic ladder," said Dr Balakrishnan. - CNA/ir