'A perpetually worried Government, that's us'
By Lee U-Wen, TODAY | Posted: 12 April 2007 1230 hrs

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While other countries have their preferred styles of governance, the uniquely Singaporean model has earned another label, this time from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong: "Paranoid Government".

This was a Government, he said, that "worries all the time", and with good reason.

Singapore was not born as a First-World nation 42 years ago. Said Mr Lee: "It did not happen automatically. It happens through a systematic and deliberate process. There is career development, both in service and from the outside. We search nation-wide for Members of Parliament, have exhaustive tea sessions. Ministers — there is a systematic headhunting of talent."

The Singapore model is a paranoid one because it prides itself on being "totally committed" to improving the lives of Singaporeans, said Mr Lee, who explained that the decision to increase the salaries of ministers and civil servants now was to "produce the best Government" for all.

Drawing the analogy of Singapore Inc as a listed company, Mr Lee said: "GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is $210 billion, that's the profit earned in a year. The price earnings ratio on the Singapore Exchange is now 20. If Singapore Inc went for IPO (Initial Public Offering), then this is a $4-trillion company," he said.

Seen in that perspective, ministers' salaries — which have seen a hike at entry level from $1.2 million to $1.6 million, in the first of a three-step increase — "are well within the right ballpark for what these jobs are worth as ministers", he said.

Mr Lee also elaborated on his "dream team" of ministers, each one more than capable of helming his or her own ministry.

Harking back to the Singapore of the 1960s and 1970s under Mr Lee Kuan Yew, he said that in those days, the Prime Minister could rely on just a few ministers, such as Mr Lim Kim San and Mr Goh Keng Swee, to help him lead.

Things are far different today.

Each ministry's responsibilities have grown, and today's minister has to lead and manage a large team effectively, he said.

"They have to be on top of their ministry. He's the full-time chairman and sometimes the CEO. He makes the decisions and directs the Permanent and Deputy Secretaries.

"On top of that, he goes out and deals with constituency issues and hugs babies from time to time. It's all part of the job. These are the types of ministers we look for," he said.

Turning to Mr Low Thia Khiang and Ms Sylvia Lim of the Workers' Party, both of whom criticised the salary revisions during the debate of the past three days, Mr Lee challenged them to come up with their own dream team of ministers, drawn from both the public and private sectors.

Was such a team realistic if they could not pay them the proper wages, Mr Lee asked.

Reflecting on his own Cabinet, Mr Lee admitted his team was not a perfect one.

"The skills of the ministers vary. Some are stronger than others, some complement the rest," he said.

Disclosing details of their latest performance bonuses, he noted that only two out of the 21 ministers and senior ministers of state received between eight and 10 months' bonus last year.

Another 11 got between 5.5 and seven months' bonus, while eight others got five months' bonus or less. Mr Lee himself got a fixed bonus of five months last year.

Warning how easy it was for any leader to fall prey to corruption because he was not properly paid, Mr Lee cited the recent tender exercise for the two Integrated Resort projects, worth more than $10 billion in total.

"How much would it have cost to adjust half a mark and half a point there, to come up with different outcomes?" he said.

Instead, the judging process had both integrity and quality. "Singaporeans know we have done the right thing. The participants agree, too, and nobody alleges any hanky panky. There are proper procedures and due diligence. Who else can do that in the world?" he said. - TODAY/sh